The run-up to Christmas is always a busy time of year. Fortunately, this winter will not see a repeat of last year's Royal Mail strikes that caused so much friction and delayed the Christmas post and the Royal Mail is taking on extra staff to deal with the rush. Grant McPherson, Royal Mail's chief operating officer, has said: "We are pulling out all the stops to deliver Christmas for our customers. It's our busiest time of the year and we know how important it is for people that we deliver letters and parcels on time."
Much better news than in 2022, but still, the days and weeks can fly by and deliveries often take longer than you think so don’t forget to get your cards and gifts in the post in good time and beat those last-minute snake-like queues in the post office.
And, if despite all your best-laid plans, your parcel is delayed or goes missing, we've got the details on what to do and how to claim.
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Last posting dates for Christmas 2023
Remember posting dates can be changed at any time by Royal Mail as a response to to changing circumstances. That’s why it's a good idea to beat the rush and send your cards and packages off well before the last posting dates for Christmas deliveries.
Last posting dates for Christmas delivery in the UK
| Date | Delivery |
|---|---|
| Monday 18 December | 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For and Royal Mail 48 |
| Wednesday 20 December | 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail 24 |
| Wednesday 20 December | Parcelforce Express48 and Express48 Large |
| Thursday 21 December | Special Delivery Guaranteed |
| Thursday 21 December | Parcelforce Express24 and ExpressAM |
Last posting dates for Christmas – International tracked and signed
| Date | Destination |
|---|---|
| Monday 11 December | Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Bulgaria, Caribbean, China (People’s Republic), Far and Middle East, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain |
| Tuesday 12 December | Cyprus and Malta |
| Wednesday 13 December | Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA |
Last posting dates for Christmas – International untracked
| Date | Destination |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 5 December | Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, China (People’s Republic), Far and Middle East, New Zealand |
| Wednesday 6 December | Cyprus and Malta |
| Thursday 7 December | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic and Poland), France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey |
| Friday 8 December | Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA |
How to claim if letters or parcels go missing
Generally, you have to wait between five and ten working days before you can report an item as missing with Royal Mail. This doesn’t include weekends or public holidays. Claims for lost parcels or letters need to be made to the Royal Mail within 80 calendar days from posting.
To claim for a damaged, lost or delayed item you can fill in an online form on the Royal Mail website providing: full details of the sender, recipient, service used, date and location as well as proof of postage and proof of value. You could then be eligible for compensation. Compensation depends on the value of the product that's been lost and the service you've paid for.
If you have paid for a premium service, such as Special Delivery, you could get your postage fee refunded alongside compensation for the cost of the item posted. This can be up to £2,500, but you can also buy “consequential loss cover” at the time of posting. That covers up to £10,000.
For full details of the compensation available, see Royal Mail's retail compensation policy.
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