Only weeks left to send parcels across the country to reach their destination in time for Christmas

Only a few weeks remain to make sure parcels are sent in time reach their destination for Christmas Day. Australia Post has ramped up its service over the festive period with deliveries taking place seven days a week in the lead up to Christmas. Last year, the company delivered almost 100 million parcels to customers across Australia during November and December. An Australia Post spokesperson recommended people send their Christmas parcels as early as possible to help ensure they reach their destination on time. What is the cut off day? For most areas within Australia parcels should be sent before December 20, Express Post by December 23 and letters and cards by December 13 if they are going interstate or December 16 for the same state. People living in Western Australia or the Northern Territory should allow an extra few days to send their parcels. People sending parcels overseas have a tighter deadline. For major European destinations, the cut-off date is 9 December 2024. For parcels going to New Zealand, the cut-off date is December 5, while the United States is December 11. For those sending parcels to China and parts of Asia the cut-off date is December 6. International Express deliveries will allow people a bit more time with last sending dates between December 2 and 16. Australia Post executive general manager of parcel, post and eCommerce services Gary Starr said people should check the dates so they could plan ahead. “We understand how crucial these deadlines are for ensuring cards and gifts reach loved ones in time for Christmas,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for the Christmas rush all year and are bringing on thousands of new team members across our network, plus enhancing delivery updates through the Australia Post app. “While we’ll do our best to deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as possible, they may not arrive until after Christmas.”