Fastest Way to Mail a Letter

Sending something via Priority Mail Express comes with many benefits, like 365-day delivery, insurance coverage, overnight arrivals, free packaging materials, etc. Though UPS and FedEx also let you send mail using their fastest shipping options, USPS tops them all!

This blog covers everything about the fastest domestic mailing options by USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Let us dig in!

TL;DR

• USPS's Priority Mail Express is the fastest mailing option, offering guaranteed delivery within one to two days
• UPS offers several fast delivery options, including 2nd Day Air.
• FedEx provides similar services, such as Standard Overnight delivery.
• Using PostGrid streamlines sending mail with a fast turnaround time.

Priority Mail Express is a type of postal service offered by the United States Postal Service USPS. But, Priority Mail Express isn’t just any postal service, but the fastest way to send a letter via USPS. It enables USPS customers to send postal mail incredibly fast for a considerable price.

How Fast is Priority Mail Express?

At this point, you must be wondering how fast is the fastest way to mail a letter via USPS. Well, you will be happy to know that USPS “guarantees” the delivery of your mail in just two days. To be precise, you can expect your Priority Mail Express to reach its destination before 3 p.m. on the second day.

But, more often than not, it doesn’t take more than a day to deliver Priority Mail Express mailers. So, suppose you ever forget to send an important document and remember it at the last minute. In that case, your best bet is to use Priority Mail Express.
Also Read: How Long Does Regular Mail Take from State to State?

What Are The Benefits Of Using Priority Mail Express?

Apart from being super fast, Priority Mail Express service from the USPS has a lot to offer. The significant benefits of using USPS’s Priority Mail Express include the following.

Guaranteed Next-Day or 2-Day Delivery

The most significant advantage of using the Priority Mail Express service from USPS is guaranteed delivery time. No other USPS postal service “guarantees” that the delivery will be made within the specified time. More than the guaranteed cashback, businesses prefer Priority Mail Express because of its high reliability.

Insurance Coverage

Another crucial factor that plays in favor of Priority Mail Express is the insurance coverage offered by the USPS. There are only a handful of postal mail services that have insurance coverage. USPS provides you a $100 insurance coverage for any mailable matter as long as you use the Priority Mail Express service.

365 Day Delivery

Sundays are one of the things that people dread when sending time-sensitive postal mail. Many postal service providers, including USPS, do not deliver on Sundays unless it is Priority Mail Express. Hence, the sender doesn’t have to needlessly worry about sending the postal mail close to a Sunday or holiday. However, you may have to pay extra for holiday/Sunday deliveries.

Free Packaging Supplies

With USPS’s Priority Mail Express service, you don’t have to worry about spending extra money on packaging supplies. USPS provides all the packaging supplies needed such as envelopes, boxes, tubes, etc., free of charge. You can collect all the packaging material you need from your local Post Office.

Overnight Deliveries

Sometimes, businesses want to deliver their mail overnight, and punctuality is their only priority. In such cases, USPS’s Priority Mail Express is the best option. Companies usually use postal services such as First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, or Priority Mail for their regular mailings.

However, none of them can offer overnight delivery. Hence, businesses use Priority Mail Express for sending vital documents such as contracts and sales orders.

Also Read: How Long Do Letters Take to Mail to Another State

What Is The Cost Of Sending Priority Mail Express Via USPS?

Priority Mail Express from the USPS considers the weight of the mailer and how far it needs to travel to decide its price. However, there is an exception if you are using Priority Mail Express Flat Rate packaging provided by USPS.

Dimensional Weight Price

A few conditions need to be met by your Priority Mail Express mailer if it is to get a dimensional weight price. The mailpiece should be addressed for delivery to zones 1-9 and exceed one cubic foot in dimension.

In such cases, the USPS will either take the package’s actual weight or the dimensional weight, whichever is greater. It is worth noting that the procedure is the same for other similar postal mail services like Priority Mail Commercial Base and Commercial Plus.

You can get more details on retail Priority Mail Express rates here.

Also Read: How to Send a Letter to the USA

Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Packaging

One of the vital advantages of using USPS’s Priority Mail Express service is that you can access flat-rate shipping. However, you need to use a special Flat Rate Envelope that the USPS provides to get the flat rate.

When using Priority Mail Express Flat Rate packaging, it would be best to keep in mind that they have a weight limit. The weight limit for Priority Mail Express Flat Rate is 70 pounds. As long as your mailpiece does not exceed the weight limit, you can send them anywhere, regardless of the weight or distance to the destination.

Priority Mail Express Commercial

You can get commercial prices for your Priority Mail Express items. However, you will have to ensure that the items meet the eligibility standards defined by the USPS. Additionally, the mailer must also have an Intelligent Mail barcode on it. If you can’t meet these criteria, the USPS may charge you a non-compliance fee.

You can get more details on retail Priority Mail Express rates here.

Note: As we have briefly mentioned above, you may need to pay extra if you want your Priority Mail Express item delivered on a Sunday/Holiday. The additional charge for Priority Mail Express Sunday/holiday delivery is $12.50.

Priority Mail Express vs Other USPS Mailing Options

Also Read: All You Need To Know About Direct Mail API

UPS is another popular choice for sending urgent documents via postal mail. One of the best things about using UPS for business communication is that they ship all across the United States. UPS is pretty close to the United States Postal Service in terms of serviceability in the US.

One of the advantages of using UPS for your postal mail delivery is that they deliver on Saturdays without any extra charges. Unfortunately, UPS does not ship on Sundays. Hence, if you want to send urgent postal mail, you should do it before the weekends or use USPS’s Priority Mail Express.

 How Fast Is UPS Delivery?

UPS offers some overnight delivery options, which are convenient for business communication. The fastest choice for sending postal mail via UPS is UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. shipping. It offers overnight shipping and delivery by 8 a.m. for all major cities in the US.

Furthermore, UPS also claims that their UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. is delivered by 9:30 a.m. in most other cities. However, UPS is not as equipped to handle postal mail deliveries as the USPS is still the primary postal service provider in the US.

Note: UPS services are not accessible everywhere in the US. Some states can not access all the UPS postal mail services listed in the table above. Hence, you should make sure about the accessibility of the UPS services beforehand.

What Are The Benefits Of Using UPS Next-Day Delivery?

There are several benefits of using UPS Next Day deliveries. In some aspects, UPS’s Next Day delivery service is better than USPS’s Priority Mail Express service. Take a look at the benefits of UPS Next Day deliveries listed below to get a better idea about using UPS for fast delivery.

• Multiple Options For Next-Day Delivery
  One of the most noticeable advantages of UPS Next Day deliveries is that you have multiple options. You have different services such as UPS Next Day Air Early A.M., UPS Next Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air A.M., and so on.

• Choose The Delivery Time
  USPS enables you to choose how early you want your mail delivered based on the mailing service you choose. However, early deliveries such as the ones using UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. will cost you more than other services, such as UPS 2nd Day Air.

What Is The Cost Of Sending next-day and 2nd-day deliveries Via UPS?

The following two tables explain the cost of sending Next Day & 2nd Day deliveries via UPS. Furthermore, we have also separated the delivery rate of letters and packages to get a comprehensive idea of the pricing.

Comparison of UPS Mailing Options

Also Read: Best Direct Mail Marketing Services

FedEx is yet another popular postal service provider used for business communication in the US. A significant advantage of using FedEx for your business communication is that it delivers on Saturdays free of charge. However, free Saturday deliveries only apply to some shipping services offered by FedEx.

Similar to UPS, FedEx offers different overnight and two-day delivery options for your postal mail. Another attractive aspect of using FedEx for business communication is that it supports overnight mailing for bulk business mail.

How Fast Is FedEx Delivery?

FedEx offers some high-speed delivery options that can come in very handy for sending urgent business documents. Similar to UPS, FedEx also has multiple fast postal mail delivery options. However, FedEx does not have an Early A.M. type delivery service as we saw in UPS shipping.

There are mainly two types of delivery services offered by FedEx that are ideal for sending time-sensitive or urgent documents. However, the fastest way to send a letter through FedEx is by using FedEx Standard Overnight service. You can also use FedEx 2Day delivery for sending urgent mail if you can afford to spare another day in delivery time.

What Are The Benefits Of Using FedEx Standard Overnight Or 2-Day Delivery?

FedEx offers multiple options for sending urgent postal mail. However, FedEx Standard Overnight is their fastest way to send a letter. Although the service provided by FedEx may seem similar to the ones by UPS, there are some clear advantages of using FedEx, such as:

• Serves To All 50 States
  Unlike UPS, which has some geographical limitations to its postal mail services, FedEx does not have such restrictions. FedEx can deliver your mail to all 50 states in the US. Only certain parts of Alaska and Hawaii are not accessible for FedEx Standard Overnight service. Apart from the minor restrictions, you will face no hurdles if you use FedEx for your business communication.
• Superior Tracking Capability
  FedEx’s tracking capability for their mailers is one of the things that attracts businesses to use their postal mail services. You get a confirmation email every time you send an Overnight Mail, which includes a tracking number inside it. The tracking number enables you to get up-to-date information on the whereabouts of your postal mail.

What Is The Cost Of Sending FedEx Standard Overnight Or 2-Day Deliveries?

The cost for sending FedEx Standard Overnight mail is calculated similarly to the shipping rate for USPS. Generally, as the distance to the destination and weight of the package goes up, the mailing rate also goes up for FedEx Standard Overnight mail.

The price for FedEx Standard Overnight starts at $29.82. You can apply the same standard for calculating the shipping cost of FedEx 2-day deliveries. It means the shipping price rises as the distance to the destination and the weight of the package increases.

Comparison of FedEx Mailing Options

Best Options for 3 Different Mailing Needs

For Guaranteed Overnight Delivery

Mail a Time-Sensitive or Legal Letter

For Budget-Conscious Overnight Letters

Lesser-Known Mailing Tips to Speed Up Letter Delivery

Drop off the Mail at the USPS Processing Facility Instead of the Local Post Office

The local post office will have to send the mail to the USPS processing facility, adding a day or two to the delivery time. You can use the USPS Find Locations tool to find your nearest mail distribution center or regional processing facility. You can hand the letter over there, saving 12-24 hours of transit time.

Deposit Letter Early in the Day

When you deposit mail before the local pickup time, it will likely be processed the same day. If you drop the mail after the last collection, it will be scheduled for pickup the next day. Keep tabs on the local pickup timing mentioned on the collection boxes.
If you live in a rural or suburban area where the packages are picked up only once, try to drop off the mail by noon. This is because carriers only check mailboxes in these areas once daily, often early in the afternoon. They won’t collect your letter until the next day if you miss that window.

Avoid Mailing on Fridays or Before Holidays

If you mail on Friday or before a federal holiday, the item might sit in the processing facility until the next business day. Try to send the letters in the early days of the week. If mailing around the weekend or a holiday is unavoidable, use USPS Priority Mail Express or FedEx Standard Overnight for Saturday delivery options.

How to Ensure Fast Letter Delivery in Exceptional Situations?

During Peak Seasons

The networks of all three major carriers get saturated with volume spikes during the special mailing season or when the tax deadline is approaching. We advise sending the mail 3-5 days in advance to ensure quick delivery, even if you use Priority Mail Express or FedEx Overnight.
You can also use USPS Priority Mail Express, UPS Next Day Air Early A.M., and FedEx Standard Overnight for guaranteed delivery. If the carrier delivers the package later than what was estimated, you will receive a complete refund. You can also add a “Time-Sensitive” label to alert the handlers and speed up processing when packages compete for attention.

Areas With Limited Postal Services

The poor road access and longer transport routes in rural or remote areas make it challenging for the post office to operate like it would in urban regions. In such places, USPS is the only mailing service provider; include the ZIP+4 code to ensure precise delivery. If the recipient uses a street address, write the street address and the ZIP code on the envelope to avoid the mail sitting in the facility.
Remember not to ask for a recipient's signature in such areas unless necessary. Mail with special instructions often goes undelivered in the facility if the recipient is not home.

Mailing to High-Security Destinations

Regions like government buildings, hospitals, and airports have internal mail processing facilities. These facilities typically delay the handoff by 72 hours, even if they receive the mail at the right time.
To ensure swift delivery, clearly write the person’s full name along with their department. Using the USPS Certified Mail service, you can create a sense of urgency in this tightly controlled environment.

Also Read: What Is UPS Surepost

If you are wondering what’s the fastest way to mail a letter, then there are several options available for you. We have discussed some of the best and fastest ways for sending postal mail using three of the major postal service providers in the US.

UPS and FedEx offer similar services and faster options than USPS for sending urgent postal mail. However, UPS and FedEx sometimes tend not to meet the delivery time they promise. On the other hand, USPS offers a similar delivery time as UPS and FedEx and provides a money-back guarantee.

Related Article: How Much Does it Cost to Send A Letter Overnight

You can use direct mail automation tools like PostGrid to speed up your USPS mailing process further. PostGrid enables you to personalize, print, and deliver direct mail within a matter of minutes. Even bulk mailing is made more accessible with the advanced automation capabilities of PostGrid.

Hence, if you want the fastest way to mail a letter, you need to use PostGrid along with USPS’s Priority Mail Express service.