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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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Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
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
Swipe to scroll horizontally
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
Swipe to scroll horizontally
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
Last posting dates for Christmas – International untracked
Swipe to scroll horizontally
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.
Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Nic studied for a BA in journalism at Cardiff University, and has an MA in magazine journalism from City University. She has previously worked for MoneyWeek.
