How to Reroute a Package Already Shipped for the Holidays
Change a holiday delivery address, date, or pickup spot through UPS, FedEx, and USPS tools before it reaches the door.
To reroute a package already shipped for the holidays, sign in to the carrier's recipient or sender tool and choose a new address, date, or pickup location before final delivery. Recipients generally use UPS My Choice, FedEx Delivery Manager, or USPS Package Intercept, while senders use separate intercept services. Package Intercept means the carrier stops a parcel in transit and redirects, holds, reschedules, or returns it.
Holiday volume makes early action important because options narrow once a parcel leaves for the door.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 13, 2026.
What can UPS recipients change?
UPS says a free UPS My Choice profile lets recipients reroute eligible in-transit packages to a different address, a new date, or a UPS pickup location through Delivery Options, as described on its UPS My Choice page. That page also lists UPS My Choice Premium at $19.99 per year, with unlimited eligible delivery changes and two confirmed 2-hour windows yearly. Use this option when a gift is heading to the wrong house or will arrive while no one is home.
A pickup location can work well for apartment buildings, work schedules, or travel plans. Premium may help when several holiday parcels need changes, since Basic users face per-request fees. Check eligibility on each tracking result because service type and shipper settings affect choices.
What if you sent the UPS package?
UPS says shippers can use UPS Delivery Intercept to reroute, return to sender, hold, or reschedule a package already tendered to UPS before final delivery. This sender-side control is separate from what the recipient sees. Senders should act when the address has an error, the buyer moved, or the order needs to come back.
The request must reach UPS early enough to catch the parcel in its network. Keep the tracking number and original shipment details ready. Tell the recipient about the new plan so someone can receive or collect the parcel.
How do FedEx redirects work?
FedEx says recipients using free FedEx Delivery Manager can redirect an in-network package to thousands of retail pickup locations including Walgreens, FedEx Office, and Dollar General at no charge, according to FedEx Delivery Manager. Pickup helps when porches are exposed or holiday travel changes plans. A home-to-home address change costs more.
FedEx charges recipients from $5.55 per package to reroute to another residence within 120 miles, with higher tiered fees for longer reroutes and specific date or time windows, as listed on its FedEx delivery options page. Choose pickup for a fast, lower-cost fix. Choose a residence reroute only when someone must receive the parcel at another home.
When can USPS stop a package?
USPS says Package Intercept lets the sender or authorized representative stop or redirect certain mail that is not out for delivery or already delivered, with a $19.45 charge only if the item is intercepted plus applicable postage, as explained on its USPS Package Intercept page. The request must enter the system before the carrier takes the item out. USPS limits the service to most domestic mailings bearing a tracking or extra-services barcode.
It excludes international mail, APO/FPO/DPO destinations, customs-form items, hazardous or perishable contents, and oversize items over 130 inches in length plus girth. Use this path for a wrong address, wrong postage service, or a sender-requested return. If the item is already out for delivery, plan for pickup or redelivery instead.
Why does timing decide the outcome?
UPS and FedEx state that shippers can restrict delivery-change options, and parcels already out for delivery or delivered are generally too late to reroute. Holiday backups add another limit because a parcel may move from a facility to a truck with little warning. A morning request can succeed where an evening request fails on the same route.
- Check tracking as soon as you see a problem.
- Use the recipient tool for holds and pickup changes.
- Ask the sender for an intercept when you lack recipient access.
- Confirm the new address, date, or store before cutoff times.