We’re now less than two weeks from Christmas, which means it’s time to start thinking about final delivery dates. This year more than ever, we’re relying on online retailers and delivery services to get our gifts under the tree on time. We’ve gathered all the latest information from Royal Mail, Amazon, eBay and Currys PC World so you can make sure to place your orders before it’s too late.
Christmas shopping is never easy, and 2020 has presented us with a host of new challenges in this department. From closed stores to cancelled meetups and delayed shipping times, the pandemic has definitely made it harder to cross out our Christmas lists.
Luckily, you’ll find all the important dates to mark in your calendar in this guide. Make sure to keep checking back too as we update this page in the lead up to the 25th.
Read on to find all the crucial cut-off dates for Royal Mail, Amazon, eBay and Currys PC World’s delivery services.
Related: The Trusted Reviews Christmas Gift Guide
Royal Mail
Royal Mail recommends you get any 2nd Class or 2nd Class Signed For packages sent by December 18 – exactly one week before Christmas Day.
If you’re willing to pay a little extra for 1st Class or 1st Class Signed For delivery, you’ll have three more days to send your presents. Just make sure you mail them by December 21. This date also applies to Royal Mail’s Tracked 48 service.
If you’re using Royal Mail Tracked 24, you’ll have until December 22 to send your package, and, if you really want to cut it close to Christmas Day, you can use Special Delivery Guaranteed to mail your gifts by December 23.
It’s important to note that Royal Mail warns customers to post items – particularly international deliveries – early this year, as shipping may be impacted by Covid restrictions, winter weather and more.
Amazon
Amazon hasn’t confirmed its final shipping dates for Christmas 2020, so your best bet is to check individual product listings ahead of time.
Last year, the retailer cut off Free delivery on December 20, Standard on December 22, One-Day on December 23 and Same-Day on December 24 (not Christmas Day).
Amazon also offered two-hour Prime-Now delivery on items worth £40 or more up until December 24 in a small number of major cities last year.
However, it is unclear how Covid will affect these dates in 2020. Your best option right now is to check individual listings and get your orders in as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment this Christmas.
Related: Best game consoles
eBay
Because eBay is built up of millions of individual sellers and not one warehouse, there’s no single date that can be applied across the retailer.
Some sellers even offer multiple delivery options so you can pick out the one with the fastest arrival date during checkout.
While this may seem confusing, it’s actually relatively straight forward if you know what you want. Just check the estimated delivery date on any specific listing before you shop to make sure your gifts will arrive on time.
Currys PC World
We reached out to Currys PC World to confirm the retailer’s final Christmas delivery dates for 2020.
For larger items – this generally includes major kitchen and laundry appliances and TVs over 40-inches – the cut-off date for free Standard delivery before the 25th is December 16. You can order large items up until December 20 with Next Day delivery, but this speedier service is subject to availability.
For anything smaller, you’ll be able to order up until December 17 with free Standard delivery and December 22nd with Next Day delivery (again, this is subject to availability).
If you’re happy to venture out to your local store, Click and Collect will be available up until 3pm on Christmas Eve with collections to be made on the same day. However, this will only be available on select products and depends on your store’s opening hours.
If you’re buying a product you would like installing in your home, your final chance will be on December 21 for laundry and TVs, and December 19 for specialist electric and gas appliances.
The retailer has also extended its returns policy this Christmas, meaning you’ll actually have until January 14 to return any unwanted gifts bought between October 29 and December 24.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
