Related Articles
Martin Lewis, 48, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com shared the advice in his most recent newsletter, addressing the last order dates for Christmas delivery for a selection of stores. With the news that parts of England are heading into Tier 4, meaning non-essential retail shops will have to close, can shoppers still order presents in time for the big day?
Standard delivery for Next is still available and is priced at £3.99 according to the MoneySavingExpert newsletter.
Orders can be placed up until December 22 for delivery before Christmas.
Click & Collect is also free from Next and orders can be made up until December 23.
John Lewis has a variety of options available including express delivery and Click & Collect.
“This can really help with heavier gifts as Royal Mail and parcel firms charge by weight, while shops don’t tend to – it’s normally based on the underlying cost of the item. Even where there’s a charge it’s usually only a few quid.
“For example, when we looked at sending a ‘Baby Yoda’ toy worth £57 via standard delivery, Amazon was free (on orders over £20 if you don’t have Prime), ShopDisney was free (as our order was £50+, £3.95 otherwise), and Zavvi was £1.99.”
Those who may be looking to send off their gifts this week due to their Christmas plans changing may be wondering what the cheapest courier is.
Martin Lewis’ newsletter says that Royal Mail tends to be the best delivery service.
It explained: “A small item less than 1kg? Royal Mail usually wins. For an idea of items under 1kg, a reusable aluminium water bottle, a large page-a-day daily diary or a 1,000-piece jigsaw should all fall within this bracket.
“We’ve checked hundreds of examples over the years, and Royal Mail usually wins. It’s not a universal rule though, so it’s worth checking before you send.
“To be on the safe side we tried again this year and when we tested 10 examples we found that Royal Mail was cheaper for parcels under 1kg on seven occasions. For example, in one of our checks, using standard delivery cost £8 via Royal Mail vs £10 for the cheapest discount courier site.”
To find out more and sign up to Martin Lewis’ weekly newsletter, visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip.
