What are the last posting dates for Christmas Day 2024?

Marie-Claire Dorking, Emma Elms and Kate Ng
·3-min read
Christmas post 2022 dates
The Royal Mail has a range of options if you still haven't posted a card or present to someone special. (Getty Images)

Worried you’ve left it too late to post a card or present to a loved one in time for Christmas? Don't fret - you've still got some time to get those cards and parcels out there!

However, with Christmas fast approaching, your window to hustle down to the post office is growing smaller, so it's really time to get it together.

This year, your latest posting dates with Royal Mail are:

For 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For

For 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail Tracked 48

For Royal Mail Tracked 24

For Special Delivery Guaranteed

If you have a printer at home, you can save a little bit of time by buying postage online and printing it at home. You must stick the label to your parcel before handing it to your local post office.

If you do miss the last posting dates for Christmas, you can still get your post delivered - but there'll be a price to pay.

The postal service has been affected by strikes this year. (Getty Images)
The postal service has been affected by strikes this year. (Getty Images)

So what will it cost you? Here are a couple of examples to help you decide if it’s worth paying for:

  • A large letter weighing up to 750g would cost you £3.60 with Tracked 24 delivery (rising to £5.30 if you'd like a signature on receipt).

  • A small parcel weighing 2kg would cost you £4.99 with Tracked 24 delivery (rising to £6.39 with signature required).

  • A medium parcel weighing 20kg would cost you £13.49 with Tracked 24 delivery (rising to £14.89 with signature).

Check out the Royal Mail website to see exact parcel measurements and look for promotional offers.

If you’re looking for gold-star, super-speedy postage, then you may want to consider Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed service, which aims to deliver by 1pm the next day. This includes compensation cover for parcels between £750-£2,500 (depending on how much insurance you’re looking for), whereas Tracked 24 delivery only includes compensation cover of up to £100.

To help you decide just how much that package matters to you, here are some cost examples:

  • The starting cost for a 100g package is £8.35, up to £18.35 depending on compensation cover.

  • A 20kg package would set you back £22.55 online with insurance of up to £750, rising to £32.55 with insurance of up to £2,500.

This year, five new stamps were released to celebrate Christmas, each featuring an exclusive illustration by British artist Judy Joel.

Each stamp features a scene of a UK cathedral covered in snow, including Edinburgh, Liverpool, Armagh, Bangor, and Westminster.

Read more about Christmas:

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