2026 Holiday Shipping Guide
19 October 2023 | Editor's Pick | Most Popular | Business | Parcel Deliveries | Tips and Guides
Author: Parcel2Go.com
With a lot of holidays coming up, here’s our guide on when to ship your parcels so they arrive exactly when you want them to.
If you’re planning on sending gifts for Christmas, you’ll need to book your collection by 20th December for collection on 21st December. Or, if you want to use a drop-off service, you’ll need to drop your parcels off before 11am on 21st December to guarantee they’ll be under the tree on time!
See our last posting dates for Christmas 2026.
Do Couriers Deliver on Bank Holidays?
No, couriers don’t deliver on bank or public holidays, but you can still drop your parcel off at the weekend and they will collect it the next working day.
If you want to plan the best time to send your parcel around a bank holiday, here’s a list of the upcoming bank holidays in England and Wales for 2026.
Black Friday Shipping
This year, Black Friday falls on Friday 27th November 2026.
If you’re a small business, you can get ready for the increase in parcels you’ll be sending out by making use of tools such as Smart Send which helps SMEs manage their online orders and deliveries in one place. Smart Send’s easy-to-use dashboard is 100% free to use and guarantees the cheapest rates from over 100 services.
See how Smart Send can help your business save time and money!
Couriers will usually operate their normal services around Black Friday. But, because of the high volume of parcels being sent at this time, we always recommend allowing a few extra days for delivery.
What is the Last Day to Send Packages for Christmas?
The last day to send packages on a collection service in time for Christmas 2026 is 21st December, so make sure you book your collection by 20th December.
If you want to use a drop-off service, the last day to send a package to arrive in time for Christmas will be Monday 21st December (before 11am for most services).
Holiday Shipping Schedule For Couriers
Couriers will be closed on holidays such as Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. So, if you want your parcels to arrive in plenty of time, you’ll need to know the last posting dates.
Don’t forget that this year Christmas Day is on a Friday and Boxing Day is on a Saturday, so the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28th December. Some couriers don’t deliver at weekends, so you may need to send those Christmas presents a little earlier. Learn more about weekend delivery with Parcel2Go.
Our top tip is to always try to send your parcel as early as possible to make sure your parcel arrives when you want it to.
Last collection day for next day delivery is:
FedEx Next Day Collection: 20th December
UPS Access Point, DPD Collection, DPD Drop Off, FedEx Next Day Drop Off, Evri and Royal Mail 24: 21st December
DHL UK, UPS Express, Parcelforce and DX24: 22nd December
Royal Mail Special Delivery and DPD Gold: 23rd December
You will need to book your next day delivery collection the day before the last posting date to guarantee delivery in time.
Last collection for 2 day delivery is:
UPS Standard: 22nd December
Parcelforce Worldwide Express 48: 21st December
Evri ParcelShop, Evri ParcelShop Postable, FedEx Drop Off, InPost Shop to Home, InPost Lockers and DX48: 19th December (some before 11am)
For more detail on holiday shipping, take a look at our last posting dates for Christmas.
Evri Holiday Shipping
If you want to use Evri to ship by Christmas, your last posting dates are:
Next day: 21st December
2 day: 19th December
3+ day: 19th December
Evri Super Sundays
To help with your holiday parcel shipping, Evri has introduced Super Sundays which allows parcel collections from Parcelshops to happen on specific Sundays leading up to Christmas!
Keep an eye on your inbox for updates on the specific dates leading up to Christmas!
Last Posting Dates 2026
If you’re sending out lots of Christmas cards, Whistl's mass mailing service can help you save up to 21% on the cost of second-class postage. All you do is:
Address your envelopes normally.
Put your Christmas cards together in a box and seal it with a delivery label.
Take it to your nearest drop off point.
Your Christmas cards will be delivered as normal by your postman.
The last posting date for 2026 is Saturday 12th December for getting your Christmas cards delivered by Whistl.