What is FedEx’s 2024 holiday shipping service schedule?

What is FedEx’s 2024 holiday shipping service schedule?

As December sees the most shipping of the entire year, FedEx maintains regular services during that time, shutting down for only three days: December 25, 26 and January 1. But due to higher volumes, you can expect slightly slower delivery times from December 2 until January 6. With the increase of volume comes higher base shipping rates, as well as boosts to surcharges applied by FedEx for when packages are oversized, require additional handling, or exceed accepted limits. But there is some good news in all of this, and that is Secureship – Canada’s foremost shipping broker, who can reduce the base cost of your shipments with FedEx, and other couriers, by up to half.

Table of Contents

• FedEx’s 2024 Holiday Schedule
• Holiday Surcharges
• Reducing Shipping Costs
• Conclusion

FedEx’s 2024 Holiday Schedule

During the very busy holiday shipping season, FedEx maintains all of its regular services for Canadian customers until December 24, but closes its offices for December 25 and 26 as well as for January 1, 2025.

While the peak shipping season starts in September, the volume of packages shipped and received is notably higher in December. As a result, FedEx customers can expect a 90-minute extension to the published delivery commit time from December 2 until January 6, 2025 during the period of 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. for the following FedEx services:

• First Overnight and Priority Overnight
• International First
• International First and International First Express
• International Priority Direct Distribution

Holiday Surcharges

The dramatic increase of shipments during the holiday season also causes a boost to courier’s costs and the price of shipping in general. But year-round, FedEx, along with other carriers, apply surcharges for oversized parcels or those requiring special handling, and if the shipment exceeds set weight and size limits. And those surcharges also increase during peak season, and are in effect from the end of September until the 19th of January 2025.

Examples of the range of surcharges and their effects on shipping costs for the 2024 peak season are shown below:

• Oversize parcel: plus $50 CAD/parcel for a total of $152 CAD
• Additional handling: plus $6 CAD/parcel for a total of $27 - $33 CAD
• Residential delivery: depending on destination (domestic vs. international) total increase of $1 - $2.50 CAD per parcel
• Unauthorised package fee*: $450 CAD/parcel for a total of $1,570 CAD

*The unauthorised package fee is incurred when a parcel is heavier than 68 kg or longer than 274 cm or has a length + girth greater than 419 cm

While these extra costs are unwelcome whether it is peak season or not, using Secureship as your broker is a simple way to reduce shipping costs.

Reducing Shipping Costs

There are several ways of reducing shipping costs – avoid the peak season, select slower delivery times, and if possible minimise the size of the parcel. But perhaps the biggest impact will occur when you use Secureship’s shipping calculator. This online, intuitive tool will find a number of shipping options with FedEx, but also with Purolator and UPS. And due to Secureship’s bulk buying agreements with those couriers, you could save up to 50% off of a courier’s retail price.

Shipping costs can also creep upwards due to other factors – insurance, residential delivery, additional handling, to name a few. Secureship’s website offers tips and suggestions to lower or eliminate these fees and thereby reduce your shipping costs overall at any time of the year.

Conclusion

The volume of shipments during the holiday period keeps FedEx operating as normal except for three days – December 25, 26 and January 1, although you may have delivery times extended a bit starting on December 2 and through to January 6. As can be expected, shipping costs notably increase during peak season (from late September until mid-January), and this includes the surcharges that are applied to parcels that need additional handling or those deemed oversized or bigger or heavier than set limits. So, while it may be difficult to avoid shipping during the holiday period, one way of reducing your shipping costs is to take advantage of Secureship’s bulk buying deals with FedEx, Purolator, UPS, which could slash half of your shipping costs compared to a courier’s retail price.