How Much Does It Cost To Overnight A Letter

Whether you are sending a letter to a customer or to a family member, whether it may be near or far, there are instances when you really need to send it overnight. Here is some information regarding the question: how much does it cost to overnight a letter. This article will compare three major shipping carriers – the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx.

USPS

USPS leads the Overnight Delivery category with its Priority Mail Express service. USPS is the lowest-cost option for most weights/zones in which they compete. USPS also provides free Saturday delivery while UPS and FedEx charge additional fees.

It is quite a challenge to compare the three carriers when it comes to on-time deliveries. It appears that there is a similarity when it comes to punctuality in deliveries.

If you are opting for USPS, it is significant to note that their Priority Mail Express Flat Rate envelopes are the best choice for any shipment that will fit into them. Standard envelopes are priced with ($21.18) while padded envelopes cost $21.64. These envelopes have a dimension of 12.5” x 9.5.” Legal flat-rate envelopes that measure 15” x 9.5” cost $21.28. All of these rates are lowest on the 2017 zone chart for parcel shipped via UPS or FedEx.

FedEx

FedEx also offers shipment. If you are wondering about how much does it cost to overnight a letter, here are the express mail price.

FedEx First Overnight has an 8:00 a.m. delivery to A1 areas. Delivery is available on Mondays to Fridays.

FedEx Priority Overnight delivers parcels at 10:30 a.m. for AA areas, 12 noon for AM areas, and 4:30 p.m. for PM areas. Delivery is available on Mondays to Saturdays.

FedEx Standard Overnight delivers parcels at 3:00 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays for AA and AM areas and 4:30 p.m. for PM areas.

FedEx Envelope is the solution to packaging for standard-size and legal-size documents. FedEx® Envelope has the capacity of 60 unfolded pages of standard A4 paperwork. Maximum weight must be 500 grams and these include documentation, contents, and the envelope. Height is 24.1 cm and width is 31.8 cm.

The fastest way to ship to select cities in the United States and Europe is through FedEx International First. Basically, it can reach within 1,2, or 3 business days. Deliveries are at 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., respectively.

FedEx serves more than 220 countries. There is Zone A, Zone D, Zone E, Zone F, and Zone H. FedEx envelope costs at $79.40, $68.80, $101.50, $110.40, and $110.30 for the zones, respectively. These are their respective express mail cost.

FedEx has special handling services. It costs $13.20 to have an address correction, $22.50 to have a Saturday delivery, $18.75 to have a Saturday pick-up, $26.40 or $0.26 per pound for out of delivery area, whichever is higher, and $25.20 or $0.50 per pound for out of pickup area, whichever is higher.

United Parcel Service (UPS)

This major shipping carrier also provides express services. This includes same day, overnight, and next day shipping. UPS boasts of operating one of the world’s largest fleet of aircrafts. Thus, it guarantees on-time, more overnight, and guaranteed deliveries in the U.S.

Same Day Express Services

UPS Express Critical offers a wide range of urgent and same-day express services for lightweight to heavyweight shipments in the U.S. and globally.

Air, Charter, Surface, Hand Carry, International, and Specialized services are the same-day delivery express services provided by UPS Express Critical Services.

You can opt for Express Services (Next Business Day) and have your mail delivered as early as 8:00 a.m. Another option would be to have UPS Next Day Air Early if you want to have your shipment sent at 10:30 a.m. the next business day. Another is UPS Next Day Air wherein you can have your parcel delivered at 3:00 p.. the next day. You can opt for this when you desire to have the next afternoon to meet your need. You can track all of the express service options online.

UPS Express Freight

UPS has 15 freight zones. Zones 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 411, 412, 413, 420, 421, and 484. There are different price per pound for 151-199 lbs and 1,000 lbs or more. It costs $5.48 per pound for the former while it costs less with the latter with $5.07 per pound. Since letters belong to express mail, the express mail cost for the different zones include the following: $5.48 for Zone 484, $9.21 for Zone 401, $8.85 for Zone 402, $10.90 for Zone 403, $13.38 for Zone 404, $12.82 for Zone 405, $16.49 for Zone 406, $20.12 for Zone 407, $20.96 for Zone 408, $8.88 for Zone 409, $12.19 for Zone 411, $11.43 for Zone 412, $9.07 for Zone 413, $8.85 for Zone 420, and $10.75 for Zone 421. These are the express mail price for the respective zones.

UPS also has air freight rates between U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. For a letter that costs from 151-199 pounds, Zone 102 costs $1.42 per pound, Zone 103 is $2.02, Zone 104 is $3.51, Zone 105 is $5.06, Zone 106 is $5.30, Zone 107 is $6.37, and Zone 108 is $7.03. These rates are all with guaranteed service.

UPS has an express delivery that is a non-guaranteed service. UPS Next Day Air Freight NGS has the following rates for the respective zones. For parcels that weigh from 151-199 pounds, which includes letters and documents, $1.32 for Zone 102, $1.88 for Zone 103, $3.26 for Zone 104, $4.71 for Zone 105, $4.71 for Zone 106, $5.92 for Zone 107, $6.54 for Zone 108, $7.32 for Zone 124, $5.45 for Zone 125, $7.68 for Zone 126, $4.57 for Zone 81, and $4.87 for Zone 82.

Conclusion

Each major shipping carrier has its own advantages. Variable rates apply for shipping parcels, both for domestic and international rates. It is your prerogative on what carrier you opt to choose. Whatever you choose, just make sure that you get the best rate that these services can offer.