Every year, as Christmas approaches, courier companies across Australia release their final cut-off dates, the deadlines for sending parcels that need to arrive before the holidays.
Most major couriers stop taking new parcels about a week before Christmas to ensure all deliveries are completed on time. However, not all providers close early. Zoom2u, for example, continues operating right up until Christmas Eve, offering same-day, on-demand deliveries well into the evening.
Here’s a clear summary of the main 2025 courier cut-off times:
| Courier | Christmas cut-off | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia Post | 19 December 22 December | Insterstate Same state |
| FedEx (Aus) | 19 December 22 December | Interstate Same state (Priority Express) |
| Aramex (Aus) | Between 12 December and 22 December | Interstate |
| Courier Please | 19 December Between 15 December and 18 December | Interstate (Metro to metro) Regional or country areas within the same state |
| SEKO | 19 December | Most interstate and same state |
| Zoom2u | 24 December | Same-day, on-demand until late evening |
Why Relying on One Courier Isn’t Enough
With courier networks under massive pressure in December, it makes sense for retailers and small businesses to look beyond traditional delivery options. When every courier network is at capacity, delays are almost guaranteed. And your customers feel it first.
Many companies are now building their own seasonal delivery teams, instead of depending entirely on third-party couriers. It might sound overwhelming, but it’s actually quite simple to set up.
You can quickly find temporary drivers on platforms like Gumtree, Seek, or even through student platforms.
With the recruited team, you can assign drivers daily routes. These routes can be divided based on the suburbs and according to the volume of data you have.
The drivers don’t need to know the area. When they have access to route optimisation software on their mobile phones, like Locate2u, they can instantly create efficient delivery routes.
The drivers can easily complete those deliveries. Traditional couriers needed an in-depth knowledge of their delivery areas to plan routes effectively. Today, route optimization software automatically creates routes, and drivers can simply follow the optimized paths provided to them.
With this setup, your business can run just as smoothly as a professional courier service, without having to worry about outside cut-off times. You can keep delivering parcels later in the evening when everyone else has stopped. Imagine being able to deliver up until 9 o’clock at night or on Christmas Eve.
One of the great things about managing your own deliveries is that allows you to provide your customers with a live tracking experience. You can share live tracking links and send SMS updates. It’s a great way to offer something special during the busy Christmas season.
Once the delivery is complete, an SMS is sent to customers. Customers can rate their experience, helping you build valuable feedback loops and long-term loyalty.
You can even consider offering premium services, such as a try-on or instant return option for high-value customers. This personal touch not only adds convenience but helps create memorable brand experiences that encourage repeat orders into the new year.
How Warehouse Sortation Can Speed Up Christmas Deliveries
If you’re planning to build your own delivery team, one of the most important things to consider is how you’ll sort your parcels inside the warehouse.
The key is to build route areas, groups of suburbs or delivery zones that represent each driver’s daily route. As each parcel moves through your pick-and-pack process, it should be scanned and automatically assigned to its designated route area.
This allows you to immediately sort the parcel into the right delivery run. When a driver arrives at the warehouse, they simply scan their assigned parcels, and each one is automatically onboarded to that driver’s route.
This makes the process simple and efficient for both warehouse staff and drivers. Staff no longer need to manually allocate parcels, and drivers can collect everything they need quickly and confidently with their routes already built and ready to go in Locate2u.
By digitising this process, your team can handle large volumes of deliveries with ease, even as parcel numbers double or triple during the Christmas period.
Other Things To Keep In Mind This Season
Plan early. If you have large delivery volumes, engage a courier company or 3PL for backup before the rush begins.
Optimise routes. Even if you’re handling 20+ deliveries a day, route optimisation software will save you hours of manual planning.
Keep customers informed. Use SMS and tracking updates to reduce “where’s my order?” calls and improve satisfaction.
Think beyond December. Use the Christmas period as an opportunity to win new customers and capture repeat business going into the new year.
About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
