When you need a document or a package to get somewhere tomorrow, it can get really expensive.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself if you truly need it to be there the next day, or if you only need it to be postmarked by today. For example, if you mail your tax return, you only have to have it postmarked by the 15th of April. It doesn’t need to get to the Internal Revenue Service on the 15th. So if you head to the post office thinking you need to overnight it, you can save yourself the money!
Sometimes you do need the package there the very next day. Perhaps it’s a gift or an important document that someone needs.
If that’s truly the case, then you’ll need to overnight it.
We explain what the different names are for the overnight class of service, a comparison of the prices for a mix of different letters and packages, and hopefully, you’ll be able to find the best option for you!
All UPS and FedEx prices were quoted September 2023, USPS prices were updated based on new pricing on January 2024.
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Table of Contents
If you don’t need it overnight and are just looking to find the cheapest way to ship something, this guide on the cheapest shipping option covers a variety of scenarios so you don’t overpay.
USPS vs. UPS vs. FedEx Services
For overnight delivery, the three services you should consider are the post office (USPS), the United Parcel Service (UPS), and Federal Express (FedEx).
With the USPS, the guaranteed overnight service is called Priority Mail Express or sometimes shortened to Express. Regular Priority Mail is not guaranteed. Priority Mail Express delivers 7 days a week and is guaranteed.
NOTE: USPS charges slightly different prices based on where you purchase your shipping. There is Commercial Base rate that is cheaper than the post office itself. To get these, you have to buy your postage through an online postage service provider like Stamps.com. On Priority Mail Express, the Commercial Base discount is 16% on Post Office prices. For our comparison here, we assume you are buying directly from the USPS.
With UPS, the guaranteed overnight service is called UPS Next Day Air. There is a UPS Next Day Air Early if you need the package delivered before 9:30 AM (sometimes as early as 8 AM in a lot of areas). If it doesn’t have to be there until 3 PM or 4:30 PM, you can opt for UPS Next Day Air Saver.
With FedEx, the guaranteed overnight service is called FedEx Overnight. There is FedEx First Overnight for delivery the next morning. There’s FedEx Priority Overnight for delivery by 10:30 AM or the afternoon in more remote areas. Finally, there’s FedEx Standard Overnight for delivery by 3 PM or 4:30 PM for rural areas and 8 PM in residences.
For our purposes, we’re assuming that getting it there the next day is the important part so we’ll compare the cheapest of the three next day options.
Overnight Letters
If it’s a letter, the cheapest option is the USPS because they have a flat rate envelope that starts at $27.90. It ships any distance and any weight (that fits), for the quoted price.
UPS Next Day Air for a half-pound UPS letter starts at $35.29. If you need UPS Next Day Air Early, it costs $67.73! (2nd Day Air drops it to $25)
FedEx Standard overnight in a half-pound FedEx Envelope starts at $32.03 if it gets there by 3 PM. If you need it FedEx First Overnight, delivered by 9:30 AM), it starts at $65.56!
Overnight Packages
For price comparisons on a package, we did a 6″ x 6″ x 6″ package (216 cu. in.) from New York, NY (10001) to San Francisco, CA (94105).
For UPS and FedEx, we have a range because of the different types of overnight services they offer. The most expensive is the class where the package is there in the morning. The least expensive is when it’ll get there sometimes before your recipient goes to bed. 🙂
USPS Priority Mail Express
1-Day Shipping Prices:
- 1 lb. – $54.75
- 5 lb. – $88.50
- 10 lb. – $130.15
- 50 lb. – $404.55
UPS Next Day
Shipping Prices:
- Up to 50 lb. – $45.00
- (UPS offers flat rate shipping on up to 50 lb.)
FedEx Overnight
Shipping Prices:
- 1 lb. – $116.88 – $164.86
- 5 lb. – $141.60 – $190.44
- 10 lb. – $194.96 – $234.45
- 50 lb. – $546.05 – $602.72
Shipping Calculators
Want to see prices for yourself, here are the calculators for each provider:
EasyShip Offer
EasyShip is a shipping company that will help you quickly compare the prices of multiple shipping companies so you can find the cheapest one for your needs. They work with 100,000s of companies and if you run a company that requires high volume shipping, they can help you save even more.
International
If it needs to be overnight internationally, you’re pretty much limited to DHL. This price is quoted from December 2022.
DHL will overnight a half-pound letter (exclusively documents) from New York to London, England (SW1A 1AA) for $104.10 – $130.60, depending on what time of day you need it.
A 10 lb. box measuring 15″ x 11″ x 3″ will set you back anywhere from $221.13 – $247.63.
What Does “Guaranteed” Really Mean?
Each of the services will do their best to deliver packages the next day but no service will be able to do it with 100% success. The guarantee simply means that if the package is not delivered by the time they promise, you will be refunded the shipping fees.
Sadly, they cannot go back in time and ensure it gets there the next day.
If you don’t need it there the very next day, the prices change a bit. This post captures the cheapest shipping options available from each of the carriers for any speed. USPS wins in quite a few cases but reliability can be an issue.
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Can you elaborate on that?
What time is the lastest to take are mail so it could get over night delivered
It depends on which service you use and I would search their website for specific times, or call the nearest location to confirm.
Thank you, Jim! It was excellent to have this comparison all in one place and you have a lot of details that helped too. I appreciate you putting it all together. Your treasure chest of tools look interesting too. I’ll have to dig into those. God bless!
Thanks Scott! Glad you found it useful!
USPS may not be able to guarantee next day delivery. NJ to NC – several overnight letters took two days (at the overnight rate!) For instance: NJ to Asheville – 2 days!
My business experience is that if you are in a small community & sending to another small/rural area, time of day letter or package gets to the courier impacts delivery. This can be true whether shipping to or from residence or business location. If you use a courier service frequently, you can apply to obtain a FedEx account and perhaps negotiate a better rate. With Covid-19 & the Republicans in charge, USPS has had difficulty keeping pace so currently, for the small difference in price, the others are more reliable. UPS & FedEx drivers are paid well to work late;… Read more »
Thank you for your help. I went to nearly three places to send a letter in 1-2 days.. This website saved me $12 dollars and an hour of my time!