There are a lot of reasons why you might find yourself needing to send something urgently. Maybe a work project ran longer than expected, and you’re scrambling to send the finished product to a client on time. Maybe you forgot your sister’s birthday until the night before.
Whatever the reason, overnight shipping comes in handy for these “oh no” moments. In this article, we’ll tell you all about FedEx’s overnight shipping options, so you can decide if they’re right for your last-minute shipping needs!
How Fast Is FedEx Overnight In 2024?
All three of FedEx’s overnight options promise next-business-day delivery in 2024. First Overnight is the fastest service and delivers by 8:00 AM to most locations. Priority Overnight delivers by 10:30 AM to businesses and by noon to residences. Standard Overnight delivers by 4:30 PM to business and by 8:00 PM to residences.
If you still have questions when it comes to FedEx’s overnight delivery options, then make sure to read this entire article for more facts!
What Is FedEx Overnight?
Before finding out how fast FedEx Overnight shipping is, let’s first take a look at what exactly overnight shipping is.
FedEx Overnight is FedEx’s expedited delivery service. It promises to deliver your envelope or package to its destination by a specific time the next business day or your money back.
That’s right- all of FedEx’s Overnight services come with a money-back guarantee.
If a package sent through the Overnight network arrives even a minute late, then the customer is entitled to a full refund of the shipping cost.
That being said, FedEx rarely misses a deadline when it comes to its overnight services.
Not only because doing so would get expensive but also because its technologies and infrastructure are some of the best in the business.
Up to this point, it may sound like FedEx Overnight is one single product, but that’s not the case.
In fact, FedEx divides its overnight services into three separate products: First Overnight, Priority Overnight, and Standard Overnight.
All of these services offer next-business-day delivery, but some are faster than others. See the next section to learn the exact delivery times promised by each service.
Which Overnight Services Does FedEx Offer?
FedEx offers three overnight shipping options, each with different guaranteed delivery times.
Check out the table below to find out the names of these services, as well as what time they deliver.
Service Name | Delivery By | Extended Delivery By |
FedEx First Overnight | Next business day morning by 8:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:00 AM, or 9:30 to most areas | By 2:00 PM to certain delivery locations |
FedEx Priority Overnight | Next business day by 10:30 AM to most businesses in the contiguous US
Noon to residences |
4:30 PM to some rural areas |
FedEx Standard Overnight | Next business day by 4:30 to US businesses
8:00 PM to residences |
Which FedEx Overnight Service Is the Fastest?
As its name suggests, FedEx First Overnight is the company’s fastest overnight delivery option. Packages sent through this service arrive the morning of the next business day.
Depending on where an address falls on the carrier’s route, delivery is guaranteed sometime between 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM.
If a delivery address is particularly remote, First Overnight will deliver by 2:00 PM.
Which Days Does FedEx Overnight Deliver?
FedEx’s overnight services are used primarily by businesses. As a result, all three services deliver Monday through Friday.
Saturday delivery is available in certain areas with FedEx First Overnight and FedEx Priority Overnight for an additional $17 fee.
Saturday delivery is not offered with FedEx Standard Overnight; however, packages sent through this service are available for Saturday pickup.
Packages sent through any of FedEx’s three overnight services can be held at a location on Saturdays for no additional charge.
Is FedEx Overnight Faster Than USPS?
When it comes to overnight domestic deliveries, FedEx is faster than USPS when comparing similar services.
Whereas USPS’ overnight delivery option (Priority Mail Express) promises to deliver packages by 6:00 PM the next business day, FedEx’s slowest overnight option (Standard Overnight) delivers by 3:00 PM.
But, as we know, FedEx also offers even faster delivery options through First Overnight and Priority Overnight.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that regardless of which FedEx Overnight service you choose, it will be faster than the Postal Service.
Is FedEx Overnight Faster Than UPS?
Both FedEx Overnight and UPS Next Day Air offer similar delivery times for packages sent within the United States.
Indeed, FedEx First Overnight and UPS Next Day Air Early promise delivery by 8:00 AM in one business day.
What’s more, FedEx Priority Overnight and UPS Next Day Air both deliver by 10:30 AM in one business day.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on FedEx informed delivery, does FedEx delivers on Saturdays, and does FedEx delivers at night.
Conclusion
Regardless of which FedEx Overnight service you choose, you can be confident that your package will arrive by the next business day.
If you’re in a massive hurry and need morning delivery, opt for First Overnight. If you can wait for mid-morning, then Priority Overnight is the way to go. Lastly, if you’re not in too much of a rush, then standard delivery will do the job.