Halloween decorations have been put up, stores have Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations filling the aisles and pre-Black Friday sales are ramping up, which means it is time to start thinking about sending off holiday letters and packages. Here are some dates to remember so your items arrive on time and at the best rates.
First off, I have some great news, the USPS is not putting in place a temporary price increase this holiday season. Also, the new USPS Ground Advantage service is out and replaces USPS Parcel Select, USPS First Class Package Services and USPS Retail Ground. Here is a link to the USPS Ground Advantage page to help answer all your questions.
The dates that I am listing should allow for your letters and packages to arrive before December 25th for domestic addresses along with Air/Army Post Offices (APO), Fleet Post Offices (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Offices (DPO).
I always like to start out with dates for the APO/FPO/DPO addresses as those are the first to arrive. These letters and packages take a little longer to be distributed worldwide, and the men and women serving our country always look forward to receiving packages as they are away from family and friends during the holiday season.
The dates below are for APO/FPO/DPO addresses:
- USPS Ground Advantage — Nov. 6
- First-Class Mail — Dec. 9
- Priority Mail — Dec. 9
- Priority Mail Express Military Service — Dec. 15*
* PMEMS not available for APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 093
Packages that are going to the continental United States should be in the mail no later than the dates listed below:
- USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
- First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — Dec. 16
- Priority Mail — Dec. 18
- Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20
Dates for sending letters and packages to Alaska and Hawaii are listed below:
- USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
- First-Class Mail — Dec. 16
- Priority Mail — Dec. 18 (Alaska) or Dec. 16 (Hawaii)
- Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20
The USPS also has some new package regulations regarding used electronics and hazardous materials. Those include lithium-ion batteries (used cell phones for example). These items must now be shipped using surface transportation.
Do not forget you can get free Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes at your local post office. You can also get Shipping Supplies at the Postal Store and holiday stamps at USPS.com
I would like to wish everyone a healthy, happy holiday season.
Happy Mailing,
Rob Hanks
