OMAHA, NE — Encouraging customers to mail early this holiday season, the Omaha Post Office has released suggested mail-by dates to ensure holiday cards and packages reach their destinations in time.

Holiday cards and packages destined for military addresses in Iraq/Afghanistan/Middle East should be in the mail no later than Dec. 3. The mail-by date for all other military addresses is Dec. 10. To help the families and friends of U.S. military personnel, the USPS offers a $2 discount on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes.

For international destinations, mail-by dates range from Dec. 1 to Dec. 11 depending on the destination, with Global Express Guaranteed service available through Dec. 19 for most countries. Suggested mail-by dates for cards and packages destined for U.S. addresses are: Dec. 15 for Standard Post; Dec. 19 for First-Class Mail, Dec. 21 for Priority Mail, and Dec. 23 for Priority Mail Express.

The Postal Service expects to deliver more than 15 billion cards, letters and packages this holiday season, including nearly 600 million packages – a 10.5 percent increase compared to 2014.

“Customers can count on the Postal Service and our more than 600,000 dedicated employees to deliver their holiday gifts, cards and letters on-time this holiday season,” said Omaha Postmaster Keith Reid, who reminds customers they likely have a 24/7 Post Office inside their home or business. They are encouraged to skip the trip to the Post Office and ship their packages from the comfort of their home at usps.com.

In time for the holidays, the Postal Service will offer real-time delivery notifications – meaning customers who sign up for alerts at myusps.com will receive email notification within a few minutes of the delivery scan for select packages.

Go online to usps.com/holiday for information on holiday shipping dates, print shipping labels, schedule a Free Package Pickup, order free Priority Mail boxes delivered to your door, download the USPS mobile app, and more.  

2015 Mail-by Dates for Delivery Before Christmas

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1 PMEMS is available to selected military/diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address.
2 PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. PAL is available for Standard Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.
3 SAM parcels are paid at Standard Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

***GXG Notes: 1) Cutoff date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance. 2) Should allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm. A complete list of the holiday shipping deadlines can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.

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For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.