Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2019: FedEx, UPS, USPS, Walmart, Target and More

We’re not quite at the wire yet for holiday shopping, but Christmas is fast approaching. And if you’re not careful, you might find yourself in a dilemma when it comes to having that online order delivered in time.

Your best bet to have things arrive with time to spare is to pay close attention to the shipping deadlines of major online retailers and shipping companies. And, frustratingly, those vary from place to place. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the dates you need to know.

One note, though: When it comes to shipping there are no real guarantees. Amazon’s next-day delivery often takes a bit longer at this time of year. And one unexpected Arctic blast can disrupt things across the country. While these dates are a good guideline, your odds of a successful shipment increase the earlier you send the package.

Shipping deadlines for Christmas 2019

FedEx

Dec. 9: SmartPost

Dec. 16: Ground and Home delivery

Dec. 19: Express Saver

Dec. 20: FedEx 2 Day

Dec. 23: FedEx Standard, Priority, and First Overnight

Dec. 25: FedEx SameDay, FedEx SameDay City Direct, and City Priority

See other deadlines at FedEx.com

UPS

Dec. 13: Select UPS Ground packages

Dec. 19: UPS 3 Day Select

Dec. 20: UPS 2nd Day Air

Dec. 23: UPS Next Day Air

See other deadlines at UPS.com

U.S. Postal Service

Dec. 14: USPS Retail Ground shipments

Dec. 18: Alaska to continental U.S. First-Class Mail

Dec. 19: Hawaii to continental U.S. Priority Mail and First-Class Mail

Dec. 20: First-Class Mail Service

Dec. 21: Priority Mail

Dec. 23: Priority Mail Express

See other deadlines at the USPS Website.

Amazon Prime

The retailer has announced shipping deadlines for Prime members, but has not yet addressed non-Prime customers. Typically, standard shipping for non-prime members is 4-5 days, meaning you’d want to order no later than Dec. 19.

Dec. 22: Last day for free delivery on tens of million of items.

Dec. 23: Last day for free one-day delivery on over 10 million items.

Barnes & Noble

Dec. 18: Standard shipping

Dec. 19: Free B&N member shipping; last day for non-member express shipping

Dec. 23: Expedited shipping

See other deadlines at the B&N Website

Belk

Dec. 12: Shipping to P.O. Box

Dec. 18: Ground shipping

Dec. 20 (1 p.m. ET): Second-Day Air

Dec. 23 (1 p.m. ET): Overnight

See other deadlines at the Belk website

L.L. Bean

Dec. 9: Shipping to P.O. Box

Dec. 22 (noon ET): Shipping to a street address

See other deadlines at the L.L. Bean website

Other retailer shipping deadlines

While not every retailer has listed its final deadlines for the 2019 holiday season, BlackFriday.com, which extensively tracks retailer actions during this time of year, has an extensive list of expected final days for free and expedited shipping. Here’s a sample of some of the best-known stores.

Apple

Dec. 20: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 23: Expedited shipping

AT&T

Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20: Expedited shipping

Bed Bath & Beyond

Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20: Expedited shipping

Bloomingdale’s

Dec. 16 (5 p.m. ET): Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20 (5 p.m. ET): Expedited shipping

Dillard’s

Dec. 20: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 21: Expedited shipping

Disney Store

Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20 (10 a.m. PT): Expedited shipping

Gap

Dec. 13: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 23: Expedited shipping

Home Depot

Dec. 11: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20: Expedited shipping

J.C. Penney

Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20: Expedited shipping

Kohl’s

Dec. 16: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 19: Expedited shipping

Lowe’s

Dec. 16: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20 (noon ET): Expedited shipping

Old Navy

Dec. 12: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 23 (3 p.m. ET): Expedited shipping

Sam’s Club

Dec. 11: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20: Expedited shipping

Shutterfly

Dec. 10: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 20: Expedited shipping

Target

Dec. 20 (12 p.m. local time): Free/standard shipping

Dec. 21: Expedited shipping

Walmart

Dec. 20: Free/standard shipping

Dec. 23: Expedited shipping

Ordering Online or Sending Gifts by Mail This Christmas? These Are the Shipping Deadlines You Need to Know