Fastest FedEx Shipping Methods (5 Best Options)

Whether you forgot a birthday or had an unexpected work project come up, you find yourself scrambling and in need of a fast shipping option.

Luckily, FedEx knows all about urgent, last-minute shipments, and offers plenty of options to help your shipment get where it needs to go. So, check out the rest of this article to learn about the 5 fastest FedEx shipping options!

What Are FedEx’s Fastest Shipping Methods in 2024?

FedEx’s fastest delivery options include the company’s overnight and 2 Day services in 2024. First Overnight is the fastest and delivers by 8:00 AM to most locations. Priority Overnight is the second-fastest and arrives by 10:30 AM. Finally, Standard Overnight comes in third place and by 4:30 PM to businesses and 8:00 PM to residences.

There is so much more to know about FedEx’s fastest shipping options, so you won’t want to click away from this article!

How Fast Can You Ship With FedEx?

FedEx shipping times vary based on the selected service. Express shipments (i.e. those transported by airplane) are the fastest services available.

Currently, express shipments offer delivery in 1 to 3 business days, depending on the type of service.

Otherwise, FedEx Ground shipments (i.e. those transported by truck) offer delivery in 1 to 5 business days within the contiguous United States, and 3 to 7 in Alaska and Hawaii.

Which Is Faster – FedEx Express or FedEx Ground?

As its name suggests, FedEx Express is faster than FedEx Ground on average.

Indeed, FedEx Express has delivery times ranging from overnight to 3 business days, while Ground can take 5 or more business days to deliver.

That said, there are plenty of cases where the two services can have similar delivery times.

For instance, FedEx Express’ slowest option, Express Saver, delivers on the third business day by 8:00 PM.

A Ground package that’s traveling in zones 1 to 3 (0 to 300 miles away) could arrive in the same amount of time, or even faster.

What Is FedEx Overnight Shipping?

Overnight shipping is a general term used to describe packages that arrive 24 hours or less after shipping.

FedEx has three different overnight shipping options – First Overnight, Priority Overnight, and Standard Overnight, each with a different guaranteed delivery time.

Does FedEx Have 2-Day Shipping?

Does FedEx Have 2-Day Shipping?

In addition to overnight shipping, FedEx also has a couple of 2-day options.

FedEx 2Day A.M. is the faster option and (as the name suggests) is delivered in the morning of the second business day.

As well, Standard 2Day shipping delivers packages on the second business day, but delivery doesn’t usually happen until 4:30 PM or later in most areas.

Now that you’ve got a better understanding of the shipping options available at FedEx, let’s dive in and see what the 5 fastest services are:

1. FedEx First Overnight

FedEx’s fastest shipping option is First Overnight.

When you choose this option, you can expect your package or envelope to be delivered by 8:00 AM the next business day in most areas.

In some locations, delivery may occur at 8:30 AM, 9:00 AM, or 9:30 AM. Additional extended delivery locations may receive deliveries until 2:00 PM.

When it comes to Alaska, the earliest delivery time is 9:00 AM (to metropolitan areas) or 10:00 AM (to rural areas).

Currently, FedEx First Overnight is not available for shipments from the contiguous United States to Hawaii.

2. FedEx Priority Overnight

After First Overnight, Priority Overnight is FedEx’s second-fastest delivery service.

This service offers delivery the next business day by 10:30 AM to most businesses in the contiguous United States.

Additionally, it provides delivery by noon to residences and by 4:30 PM to some rural areas.

In Alaska, Priority Overnight delivers by 10:30 AM to metropolitan areas, and by 12:00 PM to rural areas.

When it comes to Hawaii, the earliest Priority Overnight delivers is 5:00 PM (to both metropolitan and rural areas).

3. FedEx Standard Overnight

In third place is FedEx Standard Overnight, which offers next-business-day delivery by 4:30 PM to U.S. businesses and by 8:00 PM to residences.

These delivery hours hold true for shipments within the contiguous United States and to rural and metropolitan Alaska. 

However, note that Standard Overnight is not available for shipments from the contiguous United States to Hawaii.

4. FedEx 2Day A.M.

After FedEx’s three overnight services, 2Day A.M. is the next-fastest service available.

With 2Day A.M., your shipments arrive by 10:30 AM on the second business day to most locations. However, rural locations may have to wait until noon for their shipments to arrive.

FedEx 2Day A.M. is available for shipments going to metropolitan areas of Alaska and delivery usually occurs by 10:30 AM. Unfortunately, this service isn’t available in rural areas of Alaska.

Similarly, 2Day A.M. is not available for packages going to Hawaii.

5. FedEx 2Day

Last, but not least, on the list of FedEx’s fastest shipping options is 2Day.

When you use 2Day, your shipments arrive by 4:30 PM in most areas. That said, some locations may have to wait until 8:00 PM for delivery.

Shipments headed to Alaska (both metropolitan and rural locations) respect these delivery times, while those headed to Hawaii don’t get delivered until 5:00 PM or later.

To know more, you can also see our posts on FedEx shipping restrictions, what are FedEx shipping zones, and does FedEx ship to Germany.

Conclusion

Even if you’re way behind on your work or personal commitments, I hope this article has made you feel better about your shipping options.

If speed is the main concern, then any of the overnight options are a good choice. On the other hand, if you have a bit more flexibility, then choosing a 2-day service also ensures fast service, albeit with a smaller price tag.

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Florence Howard

Florence Howard has been freelance writing for over a decade, and has a vocational background in retail, tech, and marketing. Outside of work, she enjoys listening to rock and metal, and playing with her dog and cat.

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