The Cheapest Overnight Shipping Options: USPS vs. UPS vs. FedEx

When you need a document or a package to get somewhere tomorrow, it can get really expensive.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself if you truly need it to be there the next day, or if you only need it to be postmarked by today. For example, if you mail your tax return, you only have to have it postmarked by the 15th of April. It doesn’t need to get to the Internal Revenue Service on the 15th. So if you head to the post office thinking you need to overnight it, you can save yourself the money!

Sometimes you do need the package there the very next day. Perhaps it’s a gift or an important document that someone needs.

If that’s truly the case, then you’ll need to overnight it.

We explain what the different names are for the overnight class of service, a comparison of the prices for a mix of different letters and packages, and hopefully, you’ll be able to find the best option for you!

All UPS and FedEx prices were quoted September 2023, USPS prices were updated based on new pricing on January 2024. USPS prices are set to go up on July 14th, we will update the pricing when that increase has taken effect.

If you don’t need it overnight and are just looking to find the cheapest way to ship something, this guide on the cheapest shipping option covers a variety of scenarios so you don’t overpay.

USPS vs. UPS vs. FedEx Services

For overnight delivery, the three services you should consider are the post office (USPS), the United Parcel Service (UPS), and Federal Express (FedEx).

With the USPS, the guaranteed overnight service is called Priority Mail Express or sometimes shortened to Express. Regular Priority Mail is not guaranteed. Priority Mail Express delivers 7 days a week and is guaranteed.

NOTE: USPS charges slightly different prices based on where you purchase your shipping. There is Commercial Base rate that is cheaper than the post office itself. To get these, you have to buy your postage through an online postage service provider like Stamps.com. On Priority Mail Express, the Commercial Base discount is 16% on Post Office prices. For our comparison here, we assume you are buying directly from the USPS.

With UPS, the guaranteed overnight service is called UPS Next Day Air. There is a UPS Next Day Air Early if you need the package delivered before 9:30 AM (sometimes as early as 8 AM in a lot of areas). If it doesn’t have to be there until 3 PM or 4:30 PM, you can opt for UPS Next Day Air Saver.

With FedEx, the guaranteed overnight service is called FedEx Overnight. There is FedEx First Overnight for delivery the next morning. There’s FedEx Priority Overnight for delivery by 10:30 AM or the afternoon in more remote areas. Finally, there’s FedEx Standard Overnight for delivery by 3 PM or 4:30 PM for rural areas and 8 PM in residences.

For our purposes, we’re assuming that getting it there the next day is the important part so we’ll compare the cheapest of the three next day options.

Overnight Letters

If it’s a letter, the cheapest option is the USPS because they have a flat-rate envelope that starts at $27.90. For the quoted price, it ships any distance and any weight (that fits).

UPS Next Day Air for a letter starts at $35. If you need UPS Next Day Air Early, it costs $87.26! (2nd Day Air drops it to $21). I got a quote to send a letter from New York to San Francisco. Here are the results of that.

• Next Day Air – $79.13
• Next Day Air Saver – $78.48
• Next Day Air Early – $114.01
• 2nd Day Air – $55.50

FedEx has a few names for their overnight shipping. FedEx First Overnight will be delivered by 8:00 am. FedEx Priority Overnight will be delivered by 10:30 am. FedEx Standard Overnight will be delivered by 5:00 pm.

They also offer a two-day service with two options. FedEx 2Day AM will deliver by 10:30 a.m. on the second day, and FedEx 2Day will deliver by 5:00 p.m. on the second day.

Lastly, they have a five-day option with delivery by 5:00 pm called FedEx Express Saver.

A quote for a letter being sent overnight from New York to San Francisco gave these results:

• FedEx First Overnight – $118.92
• FedEx Priority Overnight – $82.73
• FedEx Standard Overnight – $78.26
• FedEx 2Day AM – $60.57
• FedEx 2Day – $56.58
• FedEx Express Saver – $52.57

USPS offers overnight shipping on their envelopes with delivery by 6:00 pm. They do not have a morning option. The cost to send an envelope overnight from New York to San Francisco is as follows:

• Overnight – $30.45
• 2 day – $9.85

Overnight Packages

For price comparisons on a package, we did a 5-pound package that was 6″ x 6″ x 6″ (216 cu. in.) in dimensions for UPS and a 5 pound medium box for FedEx. Both shipped from New York, NY (10001) to San Francisco, CA (94105).

USPS offers flat-rate shipping that is not based on weight called Priority Mail, for this service you must use a USPS provided box, but anything you can fit in the box will ship for the same price. You can also provide your own box, but that will likely cost more.

Shipping a 5 pound medium box from New York to San Francisco.

Shipping Calculators

Want to see prices for yourself, here are the calculators for each provider:

• USPS shipping calculator
• UPS shipping calculator
• FedEx shipping calculator

International

If it needs to be overnight internationally, you’re pretty much limited to DHL.

For envelopes you have three 2 day options. It can arrive by 9:00 am, noon, or by end of day. They do not offer an overnight option and the envelope can only contain documents. For the quote we estimated the weight of the envelope to be 1 ounce.

• 2 day by 9:00 am – $115.52
• 2 day by noon – $94.33
• 2 day by end of day – $87.26

For packages, we estimated a 5-pound package that was 6″ x 6″ x 6″ (216 cu. in.) in dimensions.

• 2 day by 9:00 am – $221.56
• 2 day by noon – $200.36
• 2 day by end of day – $193.30

What Does “Guaranteed” Really Mean?

Each of the services will do their best to deliver packages the next day but no service will be able to do it with 100% success. The guarantee simply means that if the package is not delivered by the time they promise, you will be refunded the shipping fees.

Sadly, they cannot go back in time and ensure it gets there the next day.

If you don’t need it there the very next day, the prices change a bit. This post captures the cheapest shipping options available from each of the carriers for any speed. USPS wins in quite a few cases but reliability can be an issue.