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In a prior post, we detailed the holiday schedule of UPS Canada, and this time around we are going to focus on the FedEx US holiday schedule. Obviously, this time of year is positively buzzing for courier services like UPS and FedEx, as retailers and consumers, reticent to trust the regular post with their precious holiday packages, turn to these alternatives for reliability and expedience.

For our part, we here at netParcel are available year-round to help you get the cheapest international shipping from Canada and the US. However, around the holidays, courier services like FedEx experience changes to availability, policy changes and occasional weather delays. In this article, we will walk through what days FedEx will close, when the last days to ship for the 24^th will be, and changes to the Money Back Guarantee policy.

Holiday Closures for FedEx

Like most businesses, FedEx observes certain national holidays. As a last minute planning guide for eCommerce retailers and customers, here are the days in which FedEx will experience changes to availability:

• On December 22^nd, FedEx SmartPost will experience modified service (which just means that no pickups will be made).
• On December 23^rd, most FedEx services are closed. The exceptions are FedEx Office, FedEx Trade Networks, and – the service that is open 365 days a year – FedEx Custom Critical.
• On December 24^th, Christmas Eve, FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx Freight will be closed. FedEx Express will close certain services, like on-call pickups. FedEx Office will have modified hours, closing by 6pm. The rest is business as usual.
• On December 25^th, Christmas Day, all but the Custom Critical service will be closed.
• On December 26^th, Boxing Day, all services will be open and available.
• On December 29^th, FedEx Ground, Smart Post and Freight will be closed.
• On December 30^th, most FedEx services are closed. The exceptions are Office, Trade Networks and Custom Critical.
• On December 31^st, New Year’s Eve, Express will close early in some areas. The office will close by 6pm. FedEx Home Delivery will be unavailable. Freight will only be open with prearranged pickups. The rest are open.
• On January 1^st, New Year’s Day, all but the Custom Critical Services will be closed.

2018 Last Days to Ship

At netParcel, it’s our job to negotiate the cheapest shipping with the US for you and your business, but the timing is all up to you. To stay prepared, here are the last days to ship for arrival on or before December 25^th:

• For US to US packages, FedEx says the following: Ground and Home Delivery should ship by December 17^th; Express Saver should ship by December 19^th; FedEx 2-Day should ship by December 20^th; FedEx Overnight should ship by December 21^st.
• For US to Canada Packages, they say the following: International Ground Delivery should ship by December 13^th; International Economy should ship by December 20^th; International First or International Priority should ship by December 21^st, And International Next Flight can ship on December 25^th.

Changes to the Money Back Guarantee

This is just a quick note that FedEx’s Money Back Guarantee will be suspended between December 18^th and December 24^th The change in policy applies to the majority of their services – you can see what services the suspension applies to here.

Hopefully, this article will be of some help, either to you last-minute shippers or last-minute shoppers out there. Remember, for any small parcel shipping services you need, netParcel is here to help, negotiating the cheapest rates available. Happy holiday, and a happy New Year!