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Matt Elliott/CNET
The Christmas season is upon us, a time filled with Bing Crosby, eggnog and shipping deadlines. You can let Bing keep crooning his holiday hits, but it’s time to put down the nog and finish your shopping. Or in my case, start shopping so that I may then finish it. In addition to supporting your local merchants, I’d wager that you’ll engage in a little online shopping to complete your shopping lists this year.
If so, it’s time to get a move on. We put together a list of major tech retailers and their deadlines so you can see from whom you can still order and the increasingly expensive shipping options that you’ll need to use with each passing day.
Before we begin, a quick disclaimer: the deadlines apply to the 48 contiguous US states only, and only on items that are in stock. Online retailers with physical stores may have last-minute in-store pickup options as well. Check out the links to each store’s deadlines for more details.
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Fri 12/12 1:00PM | Super Saver (7-10 business days) |
| Wed 12/17 8:00PM | Standard |
| Fri 12/19 1:00PM | Expedited |
| Fri 12/19 1:00PM | UPS 3-Day |
| Mon 12/22 8:00PM | UPS 2-Day |
| Tues 12/23 8:00PM | UPS Next Day |
See Adorama’s deadlines.
Choose these shipping options by the listed cutoff date to receive your order by December 24. Items must be marked “Ships from and sold by Amazon.com” or “Fulfilled by Amazon.com.”
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Tues 12/16 | Free shipping (non-Prime) on orders $35 or more |
| Fri 12/19 | Standard (arrives 3-4 business days) |
| Mon 12/22 | 2-day |
| Tue 12/23 | 1-day |
| Wed 12/24 | Same-day delivery (where available) |
See Amazon’s deadlines.
Apple is not posting shipping deadlines this year. Instead, it will show you the estimated delivery date once you add an item to your cart and enter your zip code. Apple did tell me that all in-stock items are shipping with free two- or three-business-day delivery, but it would not commit to hard and fast shipping deadlines for Christmas. So, the following dates are my reasoned deadlines based on Apple’s delivery estimates, but your mileage may vary based on where you live and the items you are ordering.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Fri 12/19 | 3-business-day |
| Mon 12/22 | 2-business-day |
| Tues 12/23 | Next-business-day |
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your Nook order by December 24.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Tues 12/16 | Free standard shipping |
| Fri 12/18 | Express |
| Tues 12/23 | Expedited |
See Barnes & Noble’s deadlines.
For many items, Best Buy offers free two-day shipping, but it has not posted its Christmas shipping deadlines this year. The below dates are based on its standard shipping policies.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Wed 12/17 | Standard (3-7 business days) |
| Fri 12/19 | Expedited (3 business days) |
| Mon 12/22 | Express (2 business days) |
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Mon 12/15 | Super Saver |
| Tues 12/16 | Standard, UPS Ground |
| Thurs 12/18 | Priority Mail |
| Fri 12/19 | Expedited, UPS 3-day, FedEx Saver, Priority Mail Express |
| Mon 12/22 | 2-day shipping |
| Tues 12/23 | Next-day shipping |
See B&H Photo and Video’s deadlines.
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Fri 12/12 | Super EggSaver |
| Wed 12/17 | Large item white-glove delivery |
| Fri 12/19 | 3-business-day |
| Mon 12/22 | 2-business-day |
| Tues 12/23 | Next-business-day |
See NewEgg’s deadlines.
Target is offering free standard shipping (three to five business days). Order by December 20 to get your items by December 24. Choose seasonal shipping at checkout. Target also offers Premium (two-day) and Express (one-day) shipping.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Sat 12/20 | Seasonal shipping |
See Target’s deadlines.
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24. In-stock orders normally ship within 1-3 business days.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Fri 12/19 | Standard |
| Sun 12/21 | Expedited |
| Mon 12/22 | Express |
Choose the shipping options by the cutoff date to receive your order by December 24.
| Order deadline | Shipping method |
| Mon 12/15 – Wed 12/17 | Value shipping (date determined by shipping location) |
| Fri 12/19 | Standard shipping |
| Sun 12/21 | Expedited shipping |
| Mon 12/22 | Rush shipping |
See Walmart’s deadlines.
