Postmarked By vs Received By: Which Sweepstakes Deadline Counts?
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Learn how to read mail-in sweepstakes deadlines, avoid late delivery, and document when USPS accepted your entry.
The sweepstakes' current official rules decide whether the postmarked-by date, received-by date, or both deadlines count. If the rules list both, your mailed entry must meet both to qualify. "Postmarked by" refers to the date the Postal Service marks the mailpiece.
"Received by" means the sponsor must actually get your entry by the stated cutoff.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on September 09, 2026.
How the two deadlines differ
A postmarked-by deadline focuses on the mailing date shown by the postal mark. It does not necessarily tell you when the sponsor received the envelope. A received-by deadline focuses on delivery.
Mailing the entry before that date is not enough if it arrives after the cutoff. Some rules impose only one type of deadline, while others impose both. There is no universal sweepstakes rule that makes one deadline override the other.
When both dates count
Read the mail-in entry instructions as one complete requirement. If they say an entry must be "postmarked by" one date and "received by" another, missing either date can make the entry ineligible. For example, Mastercard's 2026 rules require mailed entries to be postmarked by the applicable postmark deadline and received by the applicable mail-in deadline.
Its third entry period lists October 1, 2026, as the postmark deadline and October 8, 2026, as the receipt deadline. The Cleveland Guardians' 2026 Post-Attendance Survey Sweepstakes rules also require a timely postmark and receipt by the sponsor no later than October 15, 2026. These examples show why a timely postmark cannot cure late delivery when the rules include a separate received-by date.
Why mailing on the last day is risky
A standard postal postmark may not show the day you placed the envelope in a collection box. According to USPS Domestic Mail Manual §608.11, a processing-facility postmark shows the date of the first automated processing operation, which can occur after USPS initially accepts the mailpiece. USPS also explains that not every mailpiece receives a conventional postmark.
A processing-facility mark may differ from the date you used a collection box or retail drop-off. That uncertainty matters when the postmark deadline is close. It also leaves no delivery cushion when the sponsor must receive the entry several days later.
How to protect a mail-in entry
Start by locating the current official rules and reading the entire mail-entry section. Check the exact address, required contents, postmark date, receipt date, and any stated entry-period limits. Then take these practical steps: A Certificate of Mailing documents acceptance but does not prove that the sponsor received the entry on time.
Mail early enough to satisfy both dates whenever the rules impose both deadlines.
- Treat the earlier date as the beginning of your mailing window, not a target for last-minute mailing.
- Allow enough time for the entry to reach the sponsor before any received-by deadline.
- Ask for a free manual local postmark at a Post Office counter if you need the mark to match USPS acceptance.
- Consider requesting a Certificate of Mailing to document when USPS accepted the envelope.
- Keep the certificate and a copy or photo of the completed entry and applicable rules.