When it comes to delivery, couriers ship mostly during business days. Does this mean popular shipping companies like USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL do not ship items on weekends?
Shipping companies or couriers ship packages on weekends. However, such services are more expensive than standard and are best for time-sensitive packages.
This guide explains how popular shipping companies have made it possible for you to ship on weekends and other alternatives you may need to consider.
Popular Couriers That Ship Items on Weekend
1. Amazon
Most Amazon shipping options deliver items every day of the week, with a few exceptions. For example, Sunday will only appear (during checkout) for locations eligible for Amazon Sunday deliveries.
The same applies to Amazon Prime, with the few exceptions being Two-Day and Release-Date Delivery options. These Prime services do not ship on weekends.
2. USPS
The USPS service that allows you to ship items on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) is Priority Mail Express (delivers within 48 hours).
This service is available 365 days a year and guarantees overnight delivery to most U.S. destinations, including weekends and holidays. It also does it at no additional cost for specific zip codes.
3. UPS
UPS is another shipping company that operates on weekends. However, you can only enjoy this service when you choose the UPS Next Day Air and UPS 3 Days Select.
UPS Next Day Air delivers packages as early as 8 am the next day (from Monday to Saturday), including holidays. Only residential packages are delivered on Sunday.
On the other hand, the 3 Days Select option delivers packages within 3 days, excluding Sundays. Both services are more expensive than standard shipping and only appear for eligible locations.
4. FedEx
FedEx First Overnight and Priority Overnight are the FedEx services that allow you to ship on weekends. Please note that these services only support Saturday deliveries and will only appear for eligible locations during checkout.
The only service that allows FedEx to ship or deliver packages on Sunday is the FedEx SameDay®, which was recently canceled.
4. DHL
DHL offers weekend delivery via DHL Express Worldwide and Express Easy services. Both services only allow you to ship packages during weekends (especially on Saturdays) and holidays in eligible countries (usually outside the U.S.).
Such shipments must be scheduled for weekend delivery earlier than you do for standard delivery and must fulfill specific weight and size requirements. You should also consider the destination country’s regulations.
Alternative Ways to Ship Packages on Weekends
If your shipping company does not offer weekend delivery services or the fees for such services are higher than your budget, these are the alternatives to consider:
On-demand couriers
If you run a small business or wish to deliver packages faster within a city and on weekends, on-demand couriers such as Shipday and DoorDash. They differ from popular shipping companies because they attend to requests immediately — no queues.
Local stores
Aside from shipping companies, local stores like Walmart and Macy’s also offer same-day delivery. This service can be handy for the weekend delivery of packages domestically.
Personal delivery
This works best when the destination address is not too far. You can request a ride on Uber and deliver the package whenever you want.
FAQs
Is FedEx faster than UPS?
In terms of speed, FedEx is the better option. The only UPS service that may be faster than FedEx is UPS Ground.
Does UPS 3-day shipping include weekends?
UPS 3 Days Select supports only Saturday deliveries for eligible locations within the United States.
Does UPS Ground travel on weekends?
It all depends on the location and destination of the package—ground deliveries within the U.S. support this.
Wrapping Up
Shipping items on weekends are becoming increasingly common, especially for customers with time-sensitive shipments. As a result, popular shipping services such as USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL have unique service(s) that attends to this demand.
While these services are usually more expensive than regular shipping, they deliver faster and provide better insurance for your package.
However, USPS and other popular shipping companies are not the only carriers that can help you ship items on weekends. On-demand courier services and personal delivery are alternative ways retailers can also consider.
I hope you found this guide helpful. You should also check out the meaning of a delivery exception on FedEx and how to avoid it.
Thanks for reading.
