UPS has offered limited Sunday package delivery in certain major metropolitan areas across the United States since 2017. As we enter 2023, UPS Sunday delivery service remains available, though with some important limitations and extra costs that customers should understand.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about UPS Sunday delivery in 2024, including:
- Exact locations where Sunday delivery is available
- Additional fees and charges for Sunday delivery
- How Sunday delivery works during the busy holiday season
- The relationship between UPS and Amazon Sunday delivery
- UPS SurePost as the most affordable Sunday shipping option
Let‘s take a close look at the ins and outs of UPS Sunday delivery.
Limited Geographic Availability of UPS Sunday Delivery
As of 2023, UPS Sunday delivery remains limited to only certain major metropolitan areas across the United States. It is not a nationwide offering available to all addresses.
Specifically, UPS Sunday delivery in 2024 is only available in parts of:
- New York/New Jersey
- Philadelphia
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Houston
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington D.C.
If you don‘t see your city listed above, UPS Sunday delivery is unfortunately not an option where you live. Even in cities where it is offered, Sunday delivery still depends on your specific zip code and address.
Essentially, UPS Sunday delivery remains extremely limited in scope as we enter 2023. It is restricted to only residential packages in certain urban metro areas. Sunday delivery for commercial packages or rural addresses is not available.
UPS 2023 Holiday Schedule
In addition to geographic limitations, it‘s important to note the holiday schedule UPS follows when assessing Sunday delivery in 2024.
While Sunday delivery helps expand UPS‘s weekly schedule, the company still recognizes major holidays where no pickups or deliveries occur:
- New Years Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
UPS is entirely closed on these holidays each year. However, the company‘s Express Critical service does continue operating 24/7/365 to offer urgent same-day delivery options even on holidays.
Besides these major holidays, UPS delivers 7 days a week, including Sundays, across eligible zip codes and metro regions.
Sunday Delivery and Peak Holiday Season
The 4th quarter peak holiday shipping season from October to January is the busiest time of year for UPS. While Sunday delivery helps UPS expand capacity to handle extra holiday packages, some limitations still apply.
Most notably, Sunday delivery must be specifically selected and paid for per package. It is not automatically applied to all holiday packages freely.
So if timely holiday delivery is essential and you live in an eligible metro area, be sure to actively select and pay for the UPS Sunday delivery option when shipping holiday packages. Don‘t assume Sunday delivery will just be automatically added during the busy holiday peak.
The UPS and Amazon Sunday Delivery Relationship
Amazon offers customers free 7 day per week delivery on many items, including Sundays. To help accomplish this promise, Amazon leverages partnerships with major carriers like UPS.
Through negotiated contracts, UPS provides Amazon Sunday delivery support in the form of extra trucks, logistics, sortation support, and regional transportation of packages. However, local last mile Sunday delivery duties often still fall on the USPS.
Essentially, UPS helps Amazon increase overall capacity and efficiency for Sunday delivery operations. But unless you specifically select UPS as the carrier at checkout, your Amazon Sunday packages likely move through USPS for final mile delivery.
Significant Costs for UPS Sunday Delivery
A major drawback to standard UPS Sunday delivery is the additional fees charged. All residential deliveries incur surcharges to cover "last mile" costs. For Sunday‘s this fee doubles to $16 extra per package on top of all other delivery fees.
So for a 5 lb package going 10 miles, normal Monday-Saturday ground delivery may cost $8, but Sunday delivery jumps to $24. The extra $16 surcharge applies per package, every time.
The only way to get UPS Sunday delivery without the major upcharge is through UPS SurePost explained next.
UPS SurePost: Affordable Sunday Delivery Option
For budget-focused shoppers, UPS SurePost represents the most affordable way to access UPS Sunday delivery.
SurePost utilizes both UPS and USPS networks collaboratively to reduce costs. UPS handles long distance transportation while USPS provides local last mile delivery.
Since USPS already delivers on Sundays for free, no additional fees apply for Sunday SurePost deliveries. This makes SurePost the only truly low-cost avenue for UPS Sunday shipping currently available.
Just keep in mind USPS handles the final mile, so UPS driver uniforms won‘t be doing the actual Sunday handoffs on SurePost packages. But behind the scenes, UPS plays an instrumental role transporting those packages across states and regions throughout each week.
The Bottom Line
In summary, UPS does offer limited Sunday delivery capabilities across select major metro regions as of 2023. However, geographic availability remains very restricted. Plus, substantial residential surcharges apply to standard UPS Sunday shipping.
The only affordable way around these major limitations is leveraging UPS SurePost service which taps into the USPS Sunday infrastructure already in place.
As UPS continues expanding and upgrading facilities in coming years, the company hopes to further extend and enhance Sunday delivery. But for now, options remain limited so be sure to temper expectations and understand all restrictions.
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