Small business retailers frantically trying to deliver customer orders in December need to be aware of the last posting dates for Christmas. Whether you’re a high street business or an online shop, keep your customers happy and informed with a reliable delivery service.
Royal Mail has published the last recommended postage dates for international and UK parcels to arrive in time for 25 December 2023.
This guide includes all the dates to remember along with tips for communicating with your customers during this busy time of the year.
Last posting dates for Christmas 2023
The table below shows the dates to remember if you’re using Royal Mail services.
If you’re using an alternative courier service then some companies are offering collections up until 21 December – but be sure to check with individual couriers for exact dates.
And keep an eye out in your local Post Office as they may be offering DPD and Evri delivery services over the counter too.
UK
These are the last posting dates for delivering parcels and letters in the UK:
Date | Postage option |
|---|---|
Monday, 18 December | 2nd Class 2nd Class Signed For Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
Wednesday, 20 December | 1st Class 1st Class Signed For Royal Mail Tracked 24 |
Thursday, 21 December | Special Delivery Guaranteed |
Friday, 22 December | Special Delivery Guaranteed (or pay an extra fee for Guaranteed Saturday Delivery) |
International
You’ll need to leave more time if you’re posting internationally.
These are the last posting dates for using international and tracking and signature services:
Personal customers posting at Post Offices | Royal Mail business account customers | Destination |
|---|---|---|
Wednesday, 6 December | Wednesday, 13 December | Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Bulgaria, Caribbean, China (People’s Republic), Far and Middle East, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain |
Thursday, 7 December | Thursday, 14 December | Cyprus and Malta |
Friday, 8 December | Friday, 15 December | Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA |
The dates for using online services for international delivery have now passed for businesses and personal customers.
Tips for communicating with your customers
Keeping your customers informed about when they can expect to receive parcels is particularly important during December.
Here are some things to keep in mind to keep online shoppers happy:
- update your website – include a ‘last order’ date for items to arrive in time for Christmas (this could be a banner or an update on your homepage, as well as on your delivery page)
- be transparent in order confirmation emails – make sure it’s clear when deliveries are expected
- use a tracked service – this helps customers follow their parcel and reduces the risk of something going missing
Are you on track to meet the last posting dates for Christmas? Let us know in the comments.
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Looking for self-employed insurance?
With Simply Business you can build a single self employed insurance policy combining the covers that are relevant to you. Whether it’s public liability insurance, professional indemnity or whatever else you need, we’ll run you a quick quote online, and let you decide if we’re a good fit.
Photograph: Mino21/stock.adobe.com
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