You are looking to ship an item via UPS 2nd Day Air on a Thursday and you’re wondering if you will have guaranteed delivery by Saturday.
Does Thursday count as one of the transit days? Will UPS deliver on the weekend?
Let’s take a look…
Summary: UPS 2nd Day Air Shipped on Thursday
To put your mind at ease, packages shipped via UPS 2nd Day Air will have guaranteed delivery by Saturday. However, a limited number of rural areas may not have UPS Saturday delivery available so you should check details of the destination address before you send.
Determining a UPS 2nd Day Air Delivery Day
It can be confusing trying to work out when a UPS package will be due to arrive.
As a rule of thumb, you do not include the shipment day as one of the 2 days it takes for the package to be delivered.
So, even if you post the item via UPS on Monday morning, the guaranteed 2-day delivery period would begin on Tuesday and end on Wednesday at the end of business hours.
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UPS 2nd Day Air Shipped on Thursday
Using this logic, a mail item shipped on Thursday using UPS 2nd Day Air would have a guaranteed delivery window between Friday morning and end of business on Saturday.
However, as mentioned in the summary above, this can only apply in areas where UPS carries out Saturday deliveries.
Thankfully, the majority of locations both in the USA and across Europe have coverage for Saturday deliveries via UPS.
If the destination address is close to a metropolitan area, a Thursday shipment will certainly be delivered by Saturday’s end of business.
The problem lies in a limited number of remote, rural areas that are not serviced by UPS for Saturday delivery.
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How to know if Saturday Delivery is an Option?
Unfortunately, here things can get a bit vague.
There is no online resource via the UPS website that will give a definitive list of which rural areas do not have Saturday delivery.
If it is of utmost importance that you clarify this issue, you will need to contact UPS customer services to check the destination address for Saturday coverage.
That being said, the vast majority of locations are serviced by UPS on a Saturday, so you should have no issues with any 2nd Day Air item shipped on Thursday.
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Monday Delivery After Thursday Shipped Date
To clarify, UPS will not count Monday as a late delivery if Saturday delivery is not available at the destination address.
This information will be provided after the shipment order is made; i.e. at the time of sending the item (assuming you do so on a Thursday) you will be informed if the destination isn’t serviced by UPS on a Saturday.
On the other hand, if Saturday delivery is available and the item arrives on Monday, the UPS guarantee will come into force, and you will be able to claim a refund on the cost of the shipment.
In this scenario, the item has arrived late.
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Can You Track UPS 2nd Day Air Shipments?
Absolutely.
Once a shipment is made a tracking number will be provided that can be entered onto the UPS website to monitor the current location and progress of your package.
If you are the sender you should share this number with the recipient so that they can also keep track of the arrival time and date.
You should always keep the tracking number handy, as it will be required to request a refund in case the delivery guarantee is not fulfilled, (as in the example in the previous section).
Are UPS 2nd Day Air Shipments Insured?
Unfortunately, that is a firm no.
The UPS 2nd Day Air service does not include insurance, and it’s currently not possible to add insurance to items shipped this way.
If you are shipping a valuable item, you might want to explore third-party insurance options that can provide coverage for its value.
Although the risk of a package becoming lost is typically low when dealing with tracked shipments, obtaining insurance for valuable items can offer added peace of mind.
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Important Restrictions to be Aware of
The main restriction on UPS 2nd Day Shipments is the weight and girth of the package.
You cannot utilize the service to ship items exceeding 150 pounds in weight.
It is also essential that your packages do not exceed 119 inches in length or a combined length and girth of 165 inches.
Needless to say, anything outside of these stipulations will need to be sent via an alternative shipping method.
I’m a 25 year veteran of USPS. I’m retired now, but as the editor of Mailbox Master, I can’t quite remove myself from the carrier industry just yet. 🙂
