Need It Fast? Everything You Need To Know About Expedited Shipping

Imagine this: You’ve just realised it’s your mother-in-law’s birthday in two days, and you totally forgot to order a gift. Or maybe you left your phone or wallet at the cabin you rented over the weekend, and the host has offered to send it to you. It’s situations like these that expedited shipping was made for. 

In this article, we’ll break down: 

• What “expedited shipping” means
• How it works
• Why it’s a good fit for carriers 
• How it differs from standard shipping options

What is expedited shipping?

Expedited shipping gets an order from point A to point B faster than usual — at a cost. 

This premium shipping method is offered by delivery businesses and ecommerce retailers to customers who are willing to pay more than standard shipping costs for delivery within a specific timeframe. 

And, let’s face it, speed is a priority for the modern consumer. As Jeff Bezos once said: “It's impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where a customer comes up and says, 'I love Amazon; I just wish you'd deliver a little more slowly’.” 

It’s not just Amazon — as the Statista graph below shows, one of the main priorities for online shoppers is fast delivery. 

How fast is expedited shipping?

So, how fast is expedited shipping exactly? The frustrating, but true, answer is: it depends. “Expedited” means “faster than usual”, so the exact shipping time depends on what’s usual for the carrier and the service you’ve chosen. At different points in the supply chain, this could mean shipping time measured in weeks, days, or even hours. 

Let’s look at an imaginary example to illustrate the process:

Expedited shipping in (not quite) real life: The story of a Santa hat

Let’s imagine a US online retailer wants to offer Santa hats with custom embroidery in their e-commerce store in time for the December holiday season. They find a factory in China to do it, but they’ve left their order a bit late. No problem — they can make up shipping time by choosing a direct service that will get the hats from the factory to the US warehouse in two weeks instead of the usual three weeks. That’s expedited shipping. 

Now the retailer has the hats in their warehouse, but a popular influencer wore a similar hat in a viral Tiktok last week and now they’re swamped with orders. They usually send weekly replenishment shipments to their regional distribution centers, but now they expedite a truckload to leave tomorrow instead of next week. That's expedited shipping too.

Now imagine you were the person tasked with buying the viral Santa hats for the entire extended family — except you forgot, it’s three days to the big celebration dinner, and the only store you can find that still has them in stock is on the other side of the country. You don’t want to face the wrath of your mom and your little cousin’s tears, so you pay extra to get the hats delivered to your house within two days. That’s also expedited shipping. 

So, the actual speed of expedited shipping depends on where you are in the supply chain, whether you’re dealing with domestic or international shipments, what shipping rates you’re prepared to pay, and a number of other factors. 

Expedited shipping vs express shipping vs overnight shipping

Shipping companies use lots of different words to describe their fast shipping options, which can be confusing. Here’s a quick explanation of some terms you might see, roughly in order of cost:

• Same day delivery: This is a clear promise that an order will be delivered on the same day it’s placed. It doesn’t count as expedited shipping because the standard offer is already very fast. 
• Overnight delivery / next day delivery: Again, this makes an explicit promise about how long the shipping time will be. It’s fast, but it’s not expedited.
• 2-day shipping: Like overnight shipping, this is a specific service with a guaranteed delivery window. Think Amazon Prime's standard 2-day shipping — it's not expedited, because it's already the baseline service.
• Express shipping: This usually means faster than standard shipping, with a specific guaranteed delivery window. Express delivery services often include tracking and insurance. While express shipping is faster than standard shipping, it's not necessarily expedited — for example, if you always use FedEx Express, that's just your normal shipping method.
• Expedited shipping: This is any shipping that's faster than your usual method. A company that normally uses ground shipping might expedite by using air freight. A company that normally uses express shipping might expedite by upgrading to same-day delivery. The key is that it's faster than whatever you usually do.

How does expedited shipping work?

Here's an outline of the expedited shipping process:

• Order: The sender/customer needs to get their order quickly so they opt for expedited shipping when placing their order.
• Transportation method: Because the customer/sender has selected expedited shipping, the order will be sent using the fastest mode of transport. In some cases— like when a package has to travel a long way—the order will be shipped by air or if the package is only travelling a short distance, ground shipping will be used. Either way, there will be fewer, or no, pick-ups or stops at fulfillment centers along the way.
• Handling and processing: Expedited orders receive priority treatment, which means that they’re processed, sorted and loaded and unloaded more quickly than other orders.
• Tracking: Most expedited services offer advanced tracking and monitoring so that the customer/sender can track the package's journey in real time.
• Delivery: Depending on the type of expedited delivery and the specific courier or delivery business you use, your delivery time is guaranteed, or at least near guaranteed. This could mean that the order arrives on the same day, the next-day (especially for domestic shipments) or within one to three business days.  

💡Fun fact: You know that moment in a heist movie when someone yells “step on it!” at the getaway driver? There’s a link with the term ‘expedite’ — in Latin, the word expedire means “to free the feet” or move faster. The Latin root ped-, meaning foot, is preserved in many English words, from pedestrian and pedicure to impediment and centipede.

How does expedited shipping differ from standard delivery?

While speed is the main difference between expedited shipping and standard shipping, there are a few other differences:

1. Cost

Expedited shipping is generally more expensive than standard shipping (one of the most cost-effective, and slowest, shipping methods). But as is the case with standard shipping, prices also depend on the package size, package weight and delivery location.

2. Tracking

With expedited services, customers have access to real-time tracking, notifications and, depending on the type of expedited service, they may even get a guaranteed delivery window. 

3. Delivery Priority

Expedited packages are prioritized over standard shipments, ensuring faster handling, quicker transit times and fewer delays,

When does expedited shipping make sense?

If your order isn’t urgent and you aren’t in a big rush to get it, expedited shipping isn’t necessary. It is, however, useful if:

1. Your order is time-sensitive: If you have a tight deadline—be it finishing a project on time, delivering a gift to someone for a special occasion or sending important legal or business documents—expedited shipping ensures your package will arrive on time.
2. Your order is last minute: Expedited deliveries are ideal for customers who’ve left things to the last minute and need their delivery without delay.
3. Your order is an emergency: If your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and you need a specific car part to get it up and running again, shipping speed is a big priority. 
4. Your order is fragile/perishable/expensive: If you're shipping anything that requires special care—something fragile, perishable or high-value items—expedited shipping is ideal because handling is kept to a minimum so there’s a lower chance that your package will be lost or damaged because it’s handled less.
5. Your order is going international: International shipping typically takes longer but if you need faster delivery, expedited shipping can significantly reduce transit times.

What are the pros and cons of expedited shipping for shippers?

While offering faster shipping definitely has its benefits, expedited shipping services do also come with a few drawbacks. Before you decide to offer expedited shipments to your customers, consider the following.

Expedited shipping options from major carriers

Major carriers offer different strengths when it comes to expedited shipping:

• UPS: Reliable domestic delivery with strong time guarantees
• FedEx: Premium overnight services, especially for business deliveries
• USPS: Budget-friendly expedited options within the US
• DHL: Specializes in international express shipping

💡 Pro tip: Expedited shipping rates and delivery times vary based on your location, account status, and shipping volume. Carriers update their prices often, and may offer special rates for business accounts. Always check current rates on carrier websites.

Same-day and overnight delivery

Need it there tomorrow? These services guarantee next-day delivery:

Premium Overnight (by morning)

• FedEx First Overnight: By 8am to 9:30am on the next business day
• UPS Next Day Air Early: By 10:30 am next business day
• DHL Express: By 9:30 to noon next business day

Standard Overnight (by end of day)

• USPS Priority Mail Express: By 6:00 pm next business day
• FedEx Priority Overnight: By end of next business day
• UPS Next Day Air: By end of next business day

2-3 day delivery

More flexible timeline? These services balance speed and cost:

Two-day options

• FedEx 2Day: 2 business days
• UPS 2nd Day Air: 2 business days
• USPS Priority Mail: 1-3 business days

Three-day options

• UPS 3 Day Select: 3 business days
• USPS First-Class Mail: 1-5 business days ($0.55+)

International Express

Shipping overseas? These services specialize in international delivery:

Premium International

• DHL Express Worldwide: 1-3 business days 
• UPS Worldwide Express: Next business day to major cities ($50+)
• FedEx International Priority: 1-3 business days ($40+)

Each service comes with tracking and delivery guarantees, but delivery times may vary for rural areas or during peak seasons like holidays. Prices shown are starting rates for small packages—actual costs depend on size, weight, distance, and destination.