Holiday Shipping Guide (for those of us who procrastinate!)

Wondering how late you can wait to order those online presents and have them get here by Christmas? Below are the estimations for some of our favorite stores, so keep this in mind as you make your Internet purchases this year. Remember when shopping online, there are a couple of tips that can help you save money on both your purchases and shipping:

• Sign up for Ebates.  Once you sign up for Ebates (go HERE to signup) and are logged in, if you go to the websites you are planning on purchasing items on, you will receive cash back. (Ebates provides cash back for more online websites. Sadly, they do not offer cash back on Amazon purchases.) The amount of cash back depends on the store, but it can be as high as 10% sometimes, though usually in the 4-7% range.  Ebates will also give you a $5.00 cash back bonus on your first purchase! And, they will send you a check once your credit balance is just $5.01!
• Use coupon codes if available. If you have signed up to be on email lists for any websites, check to see if they have given you any coupon codes. Also – RetailMeNot has a list of coupon codes that may help you save additional money.
• Sign up for Amazon Prime if you plan to buy through Amazon. Go HERE to learn how to score free Amazon Prime. There are numerous ways to sign up. Otherwise, you will have to pay shipping on orders under $25.00. Most orders $25.00 or higher are eligible for Super Saver Shipping which is free 5-8 day shipping.

As for online retailers, here are some shipping expectations to keep in mind (many of these stores will give you cash back so go to Ebates before shopping online there!).  The dates mark the deadlines that you must order by to insure you receive the package by December 24.

Best Buy
Standard: Dec. 20, 11 a.m. EST
Express: Dec. 21, 11 a.m. EST
Fastest: Dec. 22, 11 a.m. EST

Lands’ End
Standard: Dec. 14
Express: Dec. 19
Fastest: Dec. 21

DSW
Standard: Dec. 17, midnight EST
Express: Dec. 21, midnight EST
Fastest: Dec. 22, midnight EST

JCPenney
Ship-to-store: Dec. 19
Standard: Dec. 20
Fastest: Dec. 22, noon CST

Kmart
Standard: Dec. 16
Express: Dec. 21
Fastest: Dec. 22

Joann
Standard: Dec. 13, 11 a.m.
Express: Dec. 15, 11 a.m.
Express Plus: Dec. 20, 11 a.m.

Kohl’s
Standard: Dec. 18 11 p.m. CST
Fastest: Dec. 21, 11 p.m. CST

Nordstrom
Standard: Nov. 30, 3 p.m. EST
Express: Dec. 6, 3 p.m. EST
Fastest: Dec. 7, 3 p.m. EST

Sears
Standard: Dec. 16
Express: Dec. 21
Fastest: Dec. 22

Zappos
Standard: Dec. 16

Thanks TBO Blogs for the cheat sheet!