7 On Your Side: Holiday shipping deadlines and best ways to save

Nina Pineda Image
Friday, December 9, 2022
Holiday shipping deadlines and best ways to save
Holiday shipping deadlines and best ways to saveIf you are shopping online for gifts this holiday season, check out all the shipping deadlines from UPS, USPS, FedEx, and more. Nina Pineda has the story.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- If you're doing your holiday shopping online, it's almost crunch time when it comes to shipping.

The USPS alone is expecting to ship more than 900 million packages this holiday season. But how can you ensure your presents arrive on time and pay less on shipping? 7 On Your Side has all the answers.

If you plan on mailing gifts and want to save the most, circle Dec. 14 -- that's the deadline on the cheapest Fedex standard ground.

The U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and Fedex will get your gifts where they're going via three-day, two-day, or overnight shipping, but it will cost you more and more each day you delay.

Plus, all the deadlines are one day earlier since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year -- there's no same day shipping options for last-minute gifters. And it doesn't pay to procrastinate.

If you mail a five-pound package from New York City to San Francisco by the USPS ground deadline, Dec. 17, you'll pay about $24 and expect it to be delivered a week later. But if you wait just five days later, Dec. 22, you'll have to spend more than $70 for Priority Express delivery.

Shippers are expecting the week of December 19 to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery time of the year, post-pandemic leaning on e-commerce will strain the system to its max, so look for other options to save or get paid pack.

First mark your calendar for Wednesday, Dec. 14. National Free Shipping Day in the U.S. is a one-day promotional event where thousands of online retailers promise to charge you only for what you actually purchase and offer free shipping and guarantee your items arrive by Christmas Eve.

Next, shop at stores which ship for free like Nordstrom and Nieman Marcus.

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Kohl's and Bed Bath and Beyond offer all customers free standard shipping on orders over $35 or $39.

Also, membership has privileges: signing up for Amazon Prime, Macy's star rewards, Target's red card or Walmart plus for a fee will score you free shipping with no minimums.

Before you pay for shipping, look for free shipping promo codes on sites like RetailMeNot or Coupon Follow and apply them at checkout.

And if you use a service, find one that rewards you.

Staples offers shipping services, offering 25% off express shipping, plus it sweetens the deal with a $10 coupon off $30 purchase for customers who ship from the store

"If the customer doesn't want to ship their own items and box it up, they bring it to Staples, and we ship it for them, we pack it up, put a stamp on it -- they don't need to do anything at all," said Maribel Garcia with Staples.

If you barely want to lift a finger, send an e-gift -- the ultimate last minute present can simply be sent via email. They can include a gift card from a store, a restaurant or a service which can arrive in an inbox and won't cost a dime to send.

And remember, if you want to avoid the shipping headache, choose to BOPUS: that's Buy Online, Pick Up In Store. You eliminate the middle man completely by picking up yourself or sending your loved recipient to a store or in their area to pick up their gift directly.

SHIPPING DEADLINES TO KNOW:

FedEx Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Dec. 14: FedEx Ground deadline.

Dec. 20: FedEx Express Saver, FedEx three-day freight.

Dec. 21: FedEx two-day, FedEx one-day freight.

Options exist at the VERY last-minute, too

UPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Ground: UPS isn't providing a cutoff for ground shipping - you'll need to get an estimate via UPS's website, and that estimate will vary depending on where you are and where you're shipping to.

Dec. 20: UPS 3 Day Select.

Dec. 21: UPS 2nd Day Air.

Dec. 22: UPS Next Day Air.

USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Dec. 17: USPS Retail Ground.

Dec. 17: First-Class Mail.

Dec. 19: Priority Mail.

Dec. 23: Priority Mail Express.

Military Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2022

If you need to send a gift to a loved one stationed at a military base, plan to ship much earlier. Shipping deadlines, as provided by USPS (the only carrier authorized to deliver to bases), vary by the base's ZIP code.

Hanukkah 2022 Shipping Deadlines

The first night of Hanukkah is Dec. 18 this year, which is a Sunday. A few stores have announced Hanukkah shipping deadlines. For those that haven't announced specific deadlines, please check the retailer's shipping guarantees to see how long it takes to ship packages.

Kwanzaa 2022 Shipping Deadlines

The celebration of Kwanzaa begins on Dec. 26. Because Dec. 25 is a national holiday (and therefore a day on which all U.S. carriers cease shipping and delivery services), it won't be possible to receive your packages on that day. Plus, Sunday, Dec. 26 is not a regular shipping day for FedEx, UPS and USPS. So, for Kwanzaa, we suggest planning for delivery on Dec. 23 at the latest. In other words, use our Christmas deadlines above to ensure on-time Kwanzaa delivery.

Store Shipping Deadlines 2022

Amazon

Free/Standard shipping deadline: See delivery estimate at checkout for free economy shipping and free two-day shipping

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 23 for one-day delivery (free for Prime members, no minimum). Dec. 24 for same-day delivery (available in select areas)

American Girl

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 12

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 20

Apple Store

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Shipping deadline varies by item

Expedited shipping deadline: Shipping deadline varies by item. Expedited shipping fees vary based on weight

Barnes and Noble

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 17 by noon EST

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 20 a.m. by 11:59 a.m. ET for expedited

Bass Pro Shops

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 14

Expedited shipping deadline: Check website

Bath & Body Works

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 16 for Standard

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 for Expedited

Bed Bath & Beyond

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 19. for Standard

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 for Expedited, Dec. 22 for Express

Belk

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 16

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 for overnight (fees apply)

Best Buy

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 20 by 10:30 a.m. CST

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 24 by noon local for same-day

Cabela's

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 14

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. EST for Two-Day; Dec. 23 at 4 p.m. EST for Overnight

Costco

Free/Standard shipping deadline: See shipping estimate at checkout

Expedited shipping deadline: See shipping estimate at checkout

Dell

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 14 by 2 p.m. CT

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 by 2 p.m. CT (next-day)

Gap

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 15

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 22 by 1 p.m. EST for priority shipping

Harry & David

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 18 for standard

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 20 for 3-Day Express; Dec. 21 for 2-Day Express; Dec. 22 for Overnight

Home Depot

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 16

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 16

JCPenney

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 15

Expedited shipping deadline: See website for options

Kohl's

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 19 by 1:00 p.m. CST

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 20 by 1:00 p.m. CST for one-day shipping (fees apply)

L.L.Bean

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 18 by midnight ET

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 18 by midnight ET

Lowe's

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 14

Expedited shipping deadline: Check website

Macy's

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 21 by 5:00 p.m. EST

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 22 by noon EST for express

Old Navy

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 15

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 22 by 1 p.m. EST for priority shipping

Overstock

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Look for "Delivered by Christmas" icon

Expedited shipping deadline: Look for "Delivered by Christmas" icon

Pottery Barn

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 18 by 10:00 p.m. PST

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 by 11:00 p.m. PST for next-day shipping

REI

Free/Standard shipping deadline: See shipping estimate on the website

Expedited shipping deadline: See shipping estimate on the website

Sam's Club

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 18 for Ground; Dec. 8 for freight

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 23 or 24 at 12 p.m. local time for same-day ($12 for Club members)

Sephora

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 20 by 6:00 a.m. EST

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 21 by 6:00 a.m. for flash two-day

Target

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 22

Expedited shipping deadline: Same-day delivery available, but slots may be limited on Dec. 24

Walmart

Free/Standard shipping deadline: Dec. 20 for non-Walmart+ members

Expedited shipping deadline: Dec. 22 for next-day (Walmart+ members)

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