Press releases
Mail letters and parcels in good time
For Swiss Post, the run-up to Christmas is the busiest time of the year. It handles millions of parcels and letters every day. To ensure that they arrive in time for Christmas Eve, Swiss Post would like to draw your attention to the recommended mailing deadlines. Inpayments and payment orders are also subject to final deadlines if the amounts are to be credited and debited to the accounts in question before the end of the year. Switzerland’s 80 biggest post offices will remain open for postal business until 4 p.m. on 24 and 31 December.
Rich Content Section
Swiss Post handles record amounts of mail during the Christmas period. On peak days, up to one million parcels and up to 20 million letters pass through its sorting centres. To ensure that Christmas mail arrives in time for the holiday period, Swiss Post advises its customers to observe the following deadlines:
| Shipping option | Letters | Parcels | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Swiss-Express “Moon”[1] ,[2] | 23.12.2013 | 23.12.2013 |
| A Mail / PostPac Priority | 21.12.2013 | 21.12.2013 | |
| B Mail / PostPac Economy | 19.12.2013 | 20.12.2013 | |
| Swiss-Courier “Standard”, “Rapid” and “Turbo”[3] / “Lightning”[4] | 24.12.2013 / 23.12.2013 | 24.12.2013 / 21.12.2013 | |
| Europe | URGENT | 20.12.2013 | 19.12.2013 |
| Priority | 16.12.2013 | 10.12.2013 | |
| GLS parcels[5] | - | 11.12.2013 | |
| Other countries | URGENT | 19.12.2013 | 18.12.2013 |
1 ↑ Mail your items by the evening cut-off time and we’ll guarantee delivery by 11 a.m. on 24.12.2013, instead of by 9 a.m.
2 ↑ If you mail your items by the cut-off time on the evening before, we’ll guarantee delivery by 11 a.m. on 21.12. or 31.12.2013, instead of by 9 a.m.
3 ↑ Accepted by Swiss-Courier “Standard”, marked “Direct Delivery”, “Rapid” and “Turbo” on 24 and 31.12.2013 up until 11 a.m.
4 ↑ Swiss-Courier “Lightning” is not available on 24. and 31.12.2013.
5 ↑ You can get information about exact transport times per country at www.swisspost-gls.ch (not available in English) or tel. +41 (0)848 858 686.
Inpayments made on time
The following final deadlines apply to payments, which must be debited from a customer’s account and credited to the recipient’s account by the end of 2013:
| Inpayments at the post office counter | 27.12.2013 |
|---|---|
| Written payment orders | Received by PostFinance by 26.12.2013 (mailing of A Mail: 24.12.2013 / mailing of B Mail: 22.12.2013) |
| E-finance payments | Approved by 29.12.2013, midnight |
| Payments to retirement savings account 3a | At the post office counter: 27.12.2013 Paper payment orders: received by PostFinance by 26.12.2013 (mailing of A Mail: 24.12.2013 / mailing of B Mail: 22.12.2013) E-finance: 29.12.2013, midnight |
Extended opening hours over the holiday period
Swiss Post will be extending its post office opening hours over the holiday period. On 24 and 31 December, the counters at Switzerland’s 80 biggest post offices will remain open until 4 p.m. The detailed opening hours can be found at the entrance to every post office and online at www.swisspost.ch/locations.
Ensuring a trouble-free service
To ensure your mail is processed smoothly, please address and package your items correctly. Swiss Post would like to remind its customers that the address should be placed at the bottom right-hand corner of the parcel and that bright, single-colour packaging materials are particularly well suited to automatic processing. It is also important that parcels are only sealed using adhesive tape, not with string. Swiss Post offers the PostPac as a robust alternative to your own packaging. Swiss Post also recommends that letters containing valuable or fragile items be sent by “Registered” post and parcels be sent using the “Signature” value-added service. Over the Christmas period, the Swiss Post product range also includes seasonal stamps and a broad selection of matching stationery.