CALCURATES BLOG
Shipping on Weekends with UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL in 2025
Nikolay Pasholok
Product Owner, Calcurates
Table of contents
- Do Shipping Carriers Deliver on Weekends?
- Why Do I Need to Pay Extra for the Weekend Deliveries?
- FedEx Weekend Delivery
- Does FedEx Deliver on Sunday?
- USPS Weekend Delivery
- Does USPS Deliver on Sunday?
- UPS Weekend Delivery
- Does UPS Deliver on Sunday?
- Shipping Internationally on Weekends
- DHL Weekend Delivery
- Does DHL Deliver on Saturdays?
- Give Your Customers More Flexibility With Weekend Delivery
- How to Display UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL Estimated Delivery Dates with Calcurates
When planning a shipping strategy for your small business, keep in mind that average order volume varies throughout the week. During weekends, most people don't have to go to work, which results in higher demand for home deliveries, compared to workdays. While it's not too complicated for an e-commerce business to process orders seven days a week, one still relies on third-party shipping carriers for delivery services.
Do Shipping Carriers Deliver on Weekends?
Every major shipping company provides weekend delivery services, yet charges more for weekend shipping. Some ship and deliver packages on Sundays, and others work only six days a week.
If you have ever asked yourself, "How does shipping work on weekends?" let's take a closer look at all the available options and answer this question.
If you have ever asked yourself, "How does shipping work on weekends?" let's take a closer look at all the available options and answer this question.
Why Do I Need to Pay Extra for the Weekend Deliveries?
While weekend deliveries are an excellent option for customers, the western world still operates within a traditional five-day workweek, which applies to employees of the shipping industry, too. Providing the same level of speed and reliability requires many people to work on weekends, and, to the carrier, that means extra spending. Weekend work shifts cost extra in the US and most European countries, which pushes companies to cover their expenses by charging their customers more.
FedEx Weekend Delivery
FedEx recognizes the importance of weekend flexibility in shipping and offers weekend delivery services across various shipping options. Notably, FedEx Express Saver, FedEx 2Day, and FedEx Standard Overnight extend their delivery reach to weekends, providing businesses and individuals with the convenience of Saturday and Sunday deliveries. This service enhancement caters to urgent shipping needs, ensuring that time-sensitive documents and packages reach their destinations promptly. Whether you choose the cost-effective Express Saver or the expedited 2Day and Standard Overnight services, FedEx's commitment to weekend delivery empowers customers to meet deadlines and exceed expectations with reliable and efficient shipping solutions.
Does FedEx Deliver on Sunday?
Yes, FedEx Home Delivery delivers on Saturdays and Sundays. These are standard residential deliveries at no extra cost.
FedEx offers weekend delivery for free. However, packages eligible for free delivery are limited to 150 lbs and can only be shipped to one of 7700 destinations. If your package fits the requirements, you can even use the weekend overnight delivery option.
Where you can't use FedEx Home Delivery you still have the option to ship packages on Saturday (with an extra charge of up to $210 for freight services and $16 for smaller shipments).
FedEx offers weekend delivery for free. However, packages eligible for free delivery are limited to 150 lbs and can only be shipped to one of 7700 destinations. If your package fits the requirements, you can even use the weekend overnight delivery option.
Where you can't use FedEx Home Delivery you still have the option to ship packages on Saturday (with an extra charge of up to $210 for freight services and $16 for smaller shipments).
USPS Weekend Delivery
USPS (United States Postal Service) recognizes the importance of weekend deliveries and provides reliable services to meet diverse shipping needs. Priority Mail Express is the primary USPS service that guarantees Saturday and Sunday delivery for urgent shipments, ensuring timely arrival. This option is particularly beneficial for time-sensitive documents and packages. Additionally, USPS First-Class Package Service, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelopes and Boxes may also be delivered on Saturdays. With a commitment to flexibility, USPS weekend delivery services accommodate both business and personal shipping requirements, offering a dependable solution for those seeking timely and efficient weekend shipments. Explore USPS's range of services to find the best fit for your specific shipping needs.
Does USPS Deliver on Sunday?
Yes, USPS delivers on Saturdays and Sundays but only with certain services. USPS deliveries from Monday to Saturday are with no extra charge.
While USPS weekend shipping is mainly limited to Saturdays, there are some exceptions. USPS Saturday delivery is possible only with Priority Mail & Priority Mail Express.
USPS Sundays deliveries are reserved for parcels from Amazon and for those sent via Priority Mail Express. The latter will cost you an additional $12.50 on top of the regular flat rate of $26.95 for the parcel.
While USPS weekend shipping is mainly limited to Saturdays, there are some exceptions. USPS Saturday delivery is possible only with Priority Mail & Priority Mail Express.
USPS Sundays deliveries are reserved for parcels from Amazon and for those sent via Priority Mail Express. The latter will cost you an additional $12.50 on top of the regular flat rate of $26.95 for the parcel.
UPS Weekend Delivery
UPS prioritizes flexibility in its services, offering weekend delivery options to meet varying shipping demands. UPS Express Critical provides a comprehensive weekend delivery solution for urgent shipments, ensuring packages reach their destinations reliably and on time. For standard shipments, UPS Ground and UPS 2nd Day Air also extend their services to include Saturday deliveries, providing customers with flexibility and convenience. Whether it's time-sensitive documents or routine shipments, UPS's commitment to weekend delivery ensures that businesses and individuals have reliable options to meet their diverse shipping needs. Explore UPS's range of services to find the weekend delivery solution that aligns with your specific shipping requirements.
Does USPS Deliver on Sunday?
UPS delivers from Monday to Saturday, and at no extra cost. Sunday residential packages delivery is offered via SurePost service.
UPS continues shipping on Saturdays. For air and international packages, you must put a special Saturday Delivery sticker on each parcel. With UPS, shipping on weekends will cost you roughly the same amount of money as FedEx, with a slight saving on the freight option.
UPS continues shipping on Saturdays. For air and international packages, you must put a special Saturday Delivery sticker on each parcel. With UPS, shipping on weekends will cost you roughly the same amount of money as FedEx, with a slight saving on the freight option.
Shipping Internationally on Weekends
When shipping internationally, both rates and services vary and change substantially. Many businesses resort to renting a local storage unit overseas just to save on the shipping, but if you are not at this point yet, there are still many excellent options.
While keeping the surcharges relatively low even for the international services, FedEx does not offer its seven-day delivery and limits weekend shipping only to Saturdays. UPS provides a similar service with more options. USPS is relying on local services like Royal Mail or Canada Post for the last-mile deliveries.
While keeping the surcharges relatively low even for the international services, FedEx does not offer its seven-day delivery and limits weekend shipping only to Saturdays. UPS provides a similar service with more options. USPS is relying on local services like Royal Mail or Canada Post for the last-mile deliveries.
Turn on cost-effective shipping
Let's check if Calcurates meets your shipping needs!
If you want to save on weekend deliveries overseas, try combining your packages into one large shipment, and also make use of all the discounts and special offers major carriers usually have.
DHL Weekend Delivery
DHL understands the significance of timely deliveries and provides comprehensive weekend delivery services to meet diverse shipping requirements. DHL Express, the primary service for international shipping, includes Saturday and Sunday delivery options, ensuring the flexibility needed for urgent shipments. This extends to both DHL Express Worldwide and DHL Express Envelope services. Whether it's important documents or packages, DHL's commitment to weekend delivery caters to the dynamic needs of businesses and individuals globally. Explore DHL's suite of services to discover reliable weekend delivery options tailored to your specific shipping demands.
Does DHL Deliver on Saturdays?
DHL weekend delivery is not available in North America.
DHL provides minimal weekend shipping services, keeping them for urgent packages and charging extra on top of it. However, the carrier might be the right solution for delivering out of the usual workweek if you ship within a few select countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, or the United Arab Emirates.
If your business or its branch is located on one of the territories covered by DHL's Saturday Delivery service, be prepared to pay up to 50% extra. Here's a comparison for workday/weekend delivery of a compact package between German cities Berlin and Cologne (approximately 370 mi):
DHL provides minimal weekend shipping services, keeping them for urgent packages and charging extra on top of it. However, the carrier might be the right solution for delivering out of the usual workweek if you ship within a few select countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, or the United Arab Emirates.
If your business or its branch is located on one of the territories covered by DHL's Saturday Delivery service, be prepared to pay up to 50% extra. Here's a comparison for workday/weekend delivery of a compact package between German cities Berlin and Cologne (approximately 370 mi):
While the coverage for this service is very limited, the rates are low enough to edge out the competition.
Calcurates Related Features
Give Your Customers More Flexibility With Weekend Delivery
Shipping on weekends is the option your audience looks for when shopping online. For many, paying a little extra for the added comfort of receiving their order on Saturday or even Sunday is a sensible thing to do, and adding the option to your online business is a no-brainer. Making sure your online store offers weekend deliveries on most of your products may become the competitive advantage you need to boost your sales.
How to Display UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL Estimated Delivery Dates with Calcurates
Estimated Delivery Dates for Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce
The calculation of shipping rates and estimated delivery dates becomes more complicated when factoring in the increased weekend delivery rates. You may manually check the availability and the charges of one service or the other for every order, but that would take up time better spent on strategic planning. A far easier way is to install an automated solution like Calcurates that does all the heavy lifting for you.
1. Connect your UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL accounts to Calcurates
By connecting your own UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL account Calcurates will be able to request real-time shipping rates and estimated delivery dates per service from carriers on your behalf and display accurate delivery information at checkout.
2. Add a Carrier Shipping Option and enable certain carrier services
Create a Carrier Shipping Option for UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL and enable certain services you'd like to display at checkout (i.e. UPS Ground, USPS Priority Mail, FedEx International Priority, DHL Express Worldwide). For weekend delivery you will need to select only those services, that allow delivery on Saturdays and Sundays.
3. Specify additional days quantity for order processing
Adding additional days quantity needed for order processing is optional and will help you send the correct dispatch date to UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL. Order dispatch date will affect the estimated delivery date returned by UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL. If additional days quantity is not specified then Calcurates will assume that the order will be dispatched on the same day.
4. Specify non-dispatch days and dates
Adding non-dispatch days (i.e. Sundays and Saturdays) and dates (i.e. public holidays) is optional and it also affects the dispatch date sent to UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL.
5. Specify cut-off time for same day dispatch
Adding cut-off time is optional and it also affects the dispatch date sent to UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL. After the cut-off time Calcurates will add one more day when calculating the dispatch date.
Having those settings completed will help you get accurate estimated delivery dates from UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL and display this information at your store's checkout, giving your customers clear information when they deliver their order. Having this information at checkout may significantly increase your sales conversion rate.
Did you like this article?