You’ve written your heartfelt message and placed the letter [or card] in the mail –– now what? How long does a letter take to arrive?
You can send really nice cards in minutes without leaving your home. Postable will print, address and mail them for you.
When will my card arrive?
**This timeframe is not applicable Mid-November-January 1st. (Holiday rush)
So unlike email, snail mail takes a bit longer to deliver. According to the First Class USPS, first-class envelopes will take 1-3 business days to get delivered.
While this is usually true, in our experience it can take up to 7 days for the cards to arrive. This of course, is mostly outliers but it does happen from time to time.
How long does a letter (or card) take to arrive during the holidays?
While the regular 1-3 business day time frame normally accounts for all snail mail delivery times, the holiday rush is a different story.
If you’re placing things in the mail during the holidays, be prepared for the delivery times to be extended. The USPS will likely get overwhelmed with the volume and that’s when things tend to slow down.
We’ve seen mail delivery times slow down upwards of two weeks so it’s always a good idea to get ahead of the game during the holidays and mail things earlier than you normally would.
During the 2020 Holiday season, the mail delivery times were even slower due to COVID-19 related impacts. This shouldn’t be the precedent moving forward, but it’s always a good idea to get ahead of the holiday rush and mail holiday cards/mail early.
Can I track my card so I know when my card arrives?
Individual first-class letters aren’t yet equipped with tracking. Most things are still pretty old school when it comes to snail mail and to some, that’s part of the charm.
Rest easy knowing your card will arrive within the week of placing it the mail for domestic deliveries and around two to three weeks for international (international mail delivery times vary widely).
When will my international card arrive?
Speaking of international mail –– delays are common. International mail is extra tricky to pinpoint since it depends on the recipient country’s postal service. Some countries’ postal services are quick and make the delivery within about two weeks while others may have a hard time finding its destination at all. It ranges quite a bit.
So there you have it. Snail mail is still the charming and sometimes slower than expected form of communication that we all love!
