If you have gifts to ship, Monday may be the day to stop procrastinating.
More than 1,500 retailers are expected to participate in Free Shipping Day. It's a promotion started in 2008 to make people aware that they still get packages where they're going by Christmas — even if they've put things off.
But there is a downside, too. Some retailers place restrictions on which items qualify for free shipping; others require minimum orders.
You'll also want to make sure that any free shipping offer isn't masking an inflated price.
If you're doing the shipping yourself, here are the deadlines guaranteed to get your package where it's going by Christmas Day:
- UPS: December 21 (next-day air)
- FedEx: December 25 (same-day service)
- U.S. Postal Service: December 22 (Express Mail)
All of the shippers have deadlines this week if you want to take advantage of slower service but cheaper rates.
