How reliable is UPS Next Day Air

Q: Is UPS Next day Air Early guaranteed?

UPS Next Day Air® Early gives you guaranteed early morning delivery for time-critical shipments. Guaranteed delivery by 8 a.m. to major cities and by 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. to most cities, with Saturday delivery to some locations as early as 9 a.m.

When it comes to sending packages overnight, no other carrier does it quite as well as UPS. Featuring fast, reliable service and rates that won’t break the bank, UPS is the go-to carrier for overnight shipping. The overnight service UPS offers is known as UPS Next Day Air, and while it’s a pretty straightforward service, there are still some tips and tricks you’ll need to know before buying your labels.

Table of Contents Show

Table of Contents
UPS Next Day Air is the Fastest Overnight Service from All Three Major Carriers
The Three Different Delivery Speeds for Next Day Air
Save Money on UPS Labels with Online Shipping Software
Frequently Asked Questions: Next Day Air
Is UPS Next day Air Early guaranteed?
How quick is UPS Next day Air?
What if my UPS Next day Air is late?

UPS Next Day Air is the Fastest Overnight Service from All Three Major Carriers
The Three Different Delivery Speeds for Next Day Air
Save Money on UPS Labels with Online Shipping Software
Frequently Asked Questions: Next Day Air

UPS Next Day Air is the Fastest Overnight Service from All Three Major Carriers

First thing’s first: if you’re stacking up the fastest service from each major carrier, UPS Next Day Air takes the first place trophy every single time. Why, you might ask? The answer comes down to two factors: speed, and cost.

Priority Mail Express is a similar overnight service from the US Postal Service. Priority Mail Express rates are similar to Next Day Air. However, its on-time delivery reliability isn’t anywhere near the levels of UPS.

FedEx’s next-day shipping service is Priority Overnight Shipping, and while it’s just as reliable as overnight delivery from UPS, it’s way more expensive. FedEx also offers Standard Overnight for shipments that will arrive by 3pm the next business day, but this is still often more expensive than UPS Next Day Air.

The Three Different Delivery Speeds for Next Day Air

UPS Next Day Air features three different delivery speeds, with three different price points. Since this is the case, UPS shippers looking to send packages overnight have a few different options to choose from. We’ve listed the three different speeds of Next Day Air below, along with a brief description of each.

Next Day Air Saver

This is the cheapest option for overnight service with UPS. With Next Day Air Saver, UPS delivers your package to your recipient by the end of the next business day. Shippers should note that the actual time they drop off the package can vary from location to location. In some locations, “End of Day” can be as late as 11pm!

If you’re trying to get your packages to your recipients within one business day but still want to save the most amount of money possible, then Next Day Air Saver is the ideal UPS service for you.

Next Day Air

Next Day Air (with no other words in the title) is the regular, “middle of the road” overnight service that UPS offers. When you choose this service, UPS delivers your package to your recipients either by 10:30am or 12pm on the next business day, depending on where you’re shipping. This option is available for nearly every shipment and every destination within the United States.

Next Day Air Early AM

The sub-service “Early AM” of Next Day Air offers the absolute fastest delivery possible from UPS. Like the name suggests, UPS delivers these packages early in the morning on the next business day. For most major cities in the United States, UPS delivers Next Day Air Early AM packages by 8:00am. To other domestic destinations, delivery takes place around 9:30am.

Shippers should note that this service isn’t available for every destination in the United States. If this service isn’t available, UPS will present you with Next Day Air and Next Day Air Saver.

Save Money on UPS Labels with Online Shipping Software

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You get what you pay for?” No other industry captures that truth more than the shipping industry.

While UPS Next Day Air is the fastest service that UPS offers, it’s also the most expensive. However, you can save a huge amount of money by using shipping software to buy discounted labels online. When you use shipping software, you give yourself access to discounts that the major carriers typically reserve for huge commercial shippers. In some cases, these discounts will save you up to 76% off of what you’d pay to ship the exact same package at your local UPS Store.

When you’re running a small business, taking advantage of these discounts can literally be the difference between winning and losing. Plus, on top of hooking you up with huge savings, shipping software also gives you the option to buy and print postage from the comfort of your own home! Then, once you’ve got your label affixed to your package, you can drop it off at any of the 80,000+ UPS Access Points in the United States, and you can sleep easier knowing you didn’t spend your whole life savings on one shipment.

Frequently Asked Questions: Next Day Air

Here are three of the most frequently-asked questions we receive about UPS Next Day Air:

Is Next Day Air Overnight Delivery?

Yes. Next Day Air is the sole overnight domestic service that UPS offers. This service only applies to domestic shipments, and features three different delivery speeds for three different price points. Shippers can choose from next-day delivery in the early morning (most expensive option), delivery during the middle of the day (mid-level expensive), and delivery at the end of the next business day (least expensive option).

How Much Does Next Day Air Cost?

The cost of Next Day Air depends on how far your package needs to travel, as well as how big it is, and how much it weighs. The smaller your package is, the less it weighs, and the least amount of distance it has to travel, the less it will be to ship it. As a general rule of thumb, you can compare Next Day Air rates to USPS Priority Mail Express prices (but only when you use shipping software to take advantage of discounted labels from both USPS and UPS). That said, Next Day Air will always be cheaper than Priority Mail Express for larger, heavier shipments.

How Can I Save Money on UPS Next Day Air Shipments?

You can save the most money on overnight UPS shipments by using online shipping software to purchase discounted UPS labels. UPS offers special discounts through partnerships they have created with major shipping software companies, and this partner program is known as the UPS Digital Access Program. In some cases, discounts from the Digital Access Program can save you up to 76% off what you’d pay to ship the same package at your local UPS Store.

Is UPS Next day Air Early guaranteed?

UPS Next Day Air^® Early gives you guaranteed early morning delivery for time-critical shipments. Guaranteed delivery by 8 a.m. to major cities and by 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. to most cities, with Saturday delivery to some locations as early as 9 a.m.

How quick is UPS Next day Air?

Next Day Air: UPS will move your package by air on this overnight delivery and says UPS Next Day Air delivery times are around 10:30 a.m. to 12-noon. It services the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Next Day Air Early: If you need packages to arrive early in the morning after overnight travel, this is the option for you.

What if my UPS Next day Air is late?

What happens if UPS does not deliver on time? All UPS ground and express packages are guaranteed to arrive on time, or it's free. Once you identify that a package was delivered late, requesting a UPS Guaranteed Service Refund is the next step to get your money back.