The Post Office has released final posting deadlines for Christmas cards and gifts, with guaranteed next-day delivery services accepting parcels until December 23. The announcement comes after a survey revealed 67% of Britons received festive mail after December 25 last year, with 17% admitting they posted too late.
The tightest deadline is Wednesday December 17 for Royal Mail 2nd Class post. Most other services accept parcels through the week before Christmas, with Royal Mail 1st Class closing on Saturday December 20 and standard tracked services on Monday December 22.
For those leaving it to the last minute, Royal Mail's Special Delivery Guaranteed and DPD Gold both offer next-day delivery until Tuesday December 23 with a money-back guarantee. Most international deadlines have already passed, though some carriers still offer Christmas delivery to select countries until December 15.
Postmaster advice
Arif Patel, a postmaster with 15 years of experience, urged customers to prepare parcels properly. «After 15 years as a postmaster, I've seen it all when it comes to festive sending, and a little preparation really helps everything go smoothly so here are my top tips to ensure precious gifts arrive on time.»
He explained that staff must check parcel contents for safety and destination restrictions. «When you're posting a parcel, we'll always ask what's inside as we need to find out if it's safe to post and make sure your item can be sent to its destination. For example, perfume can be sent within the UK but not overseas.»
Staff also assess value, delivery speed preferences and tracking requirements to recommend the optimal service, Patel added.
Collection service
Candice Ohandjanian, mails and parcels director at the Post Office, highlighted the Pick Up and Drop Off service for busy customers. «We know customers want to make the most of the festive season – not wait at home for deliveries. That's why our convenient Pick Up and Drop Off service continues to be a favourite, especially during this busy period.»
The service allows customers to choose their local Post Office branch as a delivery address and collect parcels at their convenience. «By choosing your local Post Office branch as a delivery address, customers can collect parcels at a time that suits them, with the reassurance that we'll keep everything safe and secure,» Ohandjanian said.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
