USPS Ground Advantage: Alaska and Hawaii now 10+ days

Shopify merchants shipping between the contiguous US and Alaska, Hawaii or US territories should review their delivery promises. USPS now sets a 10-days-or-more expectation for affected Ground Advantage parcels, with some routes taking significantly longer.

The change took effect on 1 October 2026, according to the USPS service notice dated 25 September. It covers parcels travelling in either direction. A lightweight package is no longer a reason to assume that Ground Advantage will use air transport.

Which routes are affected?

The notice lists Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Freely Associated States: Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau. The new Ground Advantage expectation applies between these locations and the contiguous US.

Packages below one pound previously used a mixture of air and surface transport. USPS says affected Ground Advantage parcels will now primarily travel by surface regardless of weight. Its current FAQ distinguishes these routes from the 2–5-business-day standard within the contiguous US.

Check the promise customers actually see

Our recommendation is to test a representative checkout for each affected destination, then compare it with your shipping-policy page and any delivery-date app. A generic nationwide estimate can leave a buyer expecting mainland transit times even when the correct postage service is selected.

• Review rate descriptions and delivery widgets. Remove any unsupported 2–5-day promise for these routes.
• Separate dispatch from transit. Warehouse handling time still comes before the carrier journey.
• Give support staff the same wording. Order confirmations and replies about late parcels should match the published policy.
• Check alternatives by ZIP Code. Compare the available services, price and expected date before highlighting a faster option.

USPS also adjusted Priority Mail expectations: 2–4 days for Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands; 2–6 days for Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Freely Associated States. It says this aligns expectations with performance rather than changing Priority Mail transport. Priority Mail Express is unchanged by this adjustment.

Do not turn a holiday recommendation into a guarantee

Updated 15 October 2026: The current USPS holiday table no longer supplies one Ground Advantage send-by date for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories. It directs customers to route-specific service expectations, noting that affected parcels can take 10 days or more and that offshore ZIP codes may have extended estimated delivery dates.

Our 5 October check found a 16 December recommendation in the earlier holiday announcement. Use the current table and the origin, destination and mailing date for your planning instead. Add warehouse handling time and a buffer; an estimated delivery date is not a guarantee.

Value Added Resource reported the service change and highlighted the earlier holiday-date mismatch. For merchants also reorganising delivery rules, our Shopify market-driven shipping guide covers the separate platform rollout.