Don’t get caught out – here are the final ordering dates for Christmas shopping

If you want to make sure that all of your Christmas presents reach their destination in time then here’s our quick guide to all the final ordering dates in the UK.

Let’s face it, no matter how prepared we are for Christmas and the holiday season, there’s always one or two gifts that get left to the last minute, becoming the epicentre of a rush from one online retailer to another in search of stock. If you’ve found yourself in a similar position then it’s essential that you don’t get caught out – there’s nothing worse than putting in an order and then finding out after the fact that it won’t arrive until New Year.

The problem is, all the major online retailers have their own cut-off dates for Christmas, and that’s before you factor in the ongoing strike action that may affect your delivery. With that in mind, we’ve gone ahead and rounded up all of the relevant information for you right here, so you can get a proper understanding of what to expect.

Amazon

Easily the go-to option for most present buying online, Amazon has December 19 set as the last day to order via standard shipping. However, this date can be extended for some Amazon Prime customers.

For those lucky few who live in eligible parts of the country, you can make use of Amazon’s same-day delivery as late as Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve). Of course, not all Prime subscribers have access to this feature so we wouldn’t recommend relying on it as a given. 

Currys

If you’ve spotted a cheeky tech deal over at Currys then make sure that you get your order in by Sunday, December 18. This should allow small items to reach your intended address by Christmas, but much like Amazon there is an extra step to buy yourself a bit more time.

With next-day delivery you can order as late as Thursday, December 22. Even with this option, we’d still recommend opting for the earlier date just to be on the safe side.

Larger items like white goods or TVs are subject to different rules, with Wednesday, December 21 listed as the final ordering date for next-day and standard delivery.

Argos

For the folks who are in a real last-minute bind, Argos is one of the better options when it comes to Christmas delivery. For instance, some items can be delivered to your house on Saturday, December 24 so long as you select Express Delivery before 1pm.

Just like same-day delivery on Amazon Prime however, the ability to make use of this feature will depend entirely on your postcode so it shouldn’t be relied upon unless absolutely necessary.

John Lewis

There are two cut-off points to be aware of if you’re shopping via John Lewis and Partners. The first is for standard delivery, which is set at 7pm on Tuesday, December 20. The second is for the speedier next-day delivery option, which runs until 4pm Thursday, December 22.

Very

Online retailer Very has just one cut-off date listed for Christmas delivery and it’s 10pm on Wednesday, December 21. This only applies to an unspecified amount of small items available to buy on the site so if you feel as though your desired purchase might not meet this criteria then it’s worth putting in your order well in advance of December 21.

When are the postal strikes?

There are several upcoming postal strikes within Royal Mail that are worth being aware of. At present, strike action has been confirmed to take place on Wednesday December 14, Thursday December 15, Friday December 23 and Saturday December 24.