# UPS Hold Mail: How It Works, Costs, and What to Know > UPS can hold your packages through free UPS My Choice for up to 7 calendar days at an Access Point or reschedule individual delivery dates for a fee. - **Author**: Charles Helms - **Published**: 2021-05-20 - **Updated**: 2026-10-21 - **Category**: ups - **URL**: https://trackingadvice.com/ups-hold-mail/ --- UPS has no blanket hold mail service for your home. Instead, shoppers use free [UPS My Choice](https://www.ups.com/us/en/track/ups-my-choice) to manage parcels package by package. A UPS Access Point can hold your package for up to seven calendar days at no additional charge. Customer centers hold packages for five business days, and rescheduling a delivery date costs $9.99 on Basic. If you are leaving home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you cannot place a blanket hold on your street address. The table below matches common holiday travel needs with what UPS actually provides. | If you mean... | What UPS offers | Cost on Basic (free) My Choice | | :------------------------------------------ | :----------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Pause all home deliveries while on vacation | Package-by-package holds via UPS My Choice or changing the delivery date | $9.99 per package to deliver on another day | | Pick up parcels near home | Deliver to a UPS Access Point location | $5.99 per package; no charge with an Access Point Preference | | Pick up at a UPS facility | Hold for pickup at a UPS Customer Center | Held up to 5 business days (UPS lists no fee) | | Send a box to an alternate address | Deliver my packages to another address | $14.99 per package (transportation charges may apply if outside delivery area) | | Have someone nearby accept the box | Leave packages with a neighbor | Free | _Verified on the carrier's website._ ## UPS hold limits and fees in 2026 UPS hold options come with specific time limits and fees depending on whether you have a Basic or Premium membership. Basic membership is free, while Premium costs $19.99 per year. Basic includes delivery alerts, estimated arrival times, proof of delivery photos, inbound and outbound visibility, driver release authorization, and designating a neighbor at no charge. But Basic members pay fees for individual delivery changes, while Premium members get unlimited changes at no extra cost. | Option | How long / what it does | Basic (Free) | Premium ($19.99/year) | | :--------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------- | | Deliver my packages on another day | Reschedules delivery to a specific date once you return home | $9.99 per package | Included (unlimited changes) | | Deliver to a UPS Access Point location | Holds your box for up to 7 calendar days at The UPS Store or another UPS Access Point location | $5.99 per package (free with UAP Preference) | Included (unlimited changes) | | Hold for pickup at a UPS Customer Center | Holds your box for up to 5 business days at a customer center | Not listed in the UPS fee table | Not listed in the UPS fee table | | Deliver my packages to another address | Reroutes the package to a different destination address | $14.99 per package (transportation charges may apply outside local area) | Included | | Leave packages with a neighbor | Instructs the driver to deliver to a neighbor | Free | Free | | Confirmed 2-hour delivery window | Designates a specific 2-hour delivery window | $14.99 | Two free requests per year; a fee for more | | Get packages faster with UPS Ground | Faster delivery for a UPS Ground package | $7.99 per package | Included | _Verified on the carrier's website._ **A UPS Access Point can hold your package for up to seven calendar days at no additional charge, but after seven calendar days the parcel is returned to the sender.** Customer centers hold parcels for up to five business days. If you reroute to an address or an Access Point outside the original local delivery area, additional transportation charges may apply. ## How to hold UPS packages before a trip Holding UPS packages before a trip requires setting up your account early and managing each tracking number individually. Order matters here. Because UPS manages shipments one package at a time, take care of your deliveries before leaving home: 1. Enroll in UPS My Choice for free on the official [UPS My Choice](https://www.ups.com/us/en/track/ups-my-choice) page. 2. If UPS asks for an activation code, enter it as soon as the welcome letter arrives by postal mail. Full features like address changes unlock only after you enter it (see the holiday timing below). 3. Choose how UPS holds your boxes. Set the Access Point Preference in your My Choice preferences, or open the Delivery Planner in UPS My Choice (or the My Choice delivery notification) to change each package, or use [Change My Delivery](https://www.ups.com/us/en/track/change-delivery) on a single package. 4. Track each package on our [UPS tracking page](https://trackingadvice.com/carriers/ups/) and confirm it shows "Awaiting Customer Pickup" before you go to the Access Point; remember the 7-calendar-day limit. 5. Pick up your boxes with a government-issued photo ID. The last name on the ID must match the package; UPS has extra rules if the address does not match. ## Holiday travel: set up UPS My Choice two weeks early UPS My Choice needs about two weeks of lead time before Thanksgiving or Christmas travel, because UPS may verify your account by postal mail. That is the trap. If UPS asks for an activation code, the welcome letter comes by postal mail about 7 to 14 days after you enroll. The activation code expires 45 days after the letter date. **Until you verify that code online, the "Delivery to Another Address" option remains locked.** Holiday schedules also pause transit. UPS operations pause completely on Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26, 2026), Christmas Day (Friday, December 25, 2026), and New Year's Day (Friday, January 1, 2027), with no pickups or deliveries scheduled. You can verify holiday operating dates on our [UPS holiday closures](https://trackingadvice.com/ups-holidays/) calendar. During the seasonal rush, drivers work extended hours. UPS indicates drivers deliver as late as 9 p.m., and during the holiday season, drivers may deliver even later. That leaves late-evening packages sitting on empty porches overnight. Check retailer shipping deadlines on our [holiday shipping deadlines](https://trackingadvice.com/holiday-shipping-deadlines-2026/) schedule so orders do not arrive while you are away. If an item is delivered, many UPS residential deliveries now include a proof-of-delivery photo, which My Choice members can see. ## Which UPS hold option fits your trip Finding the right UPS hold option for your trip depends on how many days you will be away from home. Match your travel length to the right hold: ### Short trips under seven days If you are away for a long Thanksgiving weekend, redirecting deliveries to a UPS Access Point makes the most sense. The hold itself is free for 7 calendar days, but on Basic, moving a package to an Access Point costs $5.99 unless you set the Access Point Preference. ### Trips longer than seven days **If your trip lasts longer than seven calendar days, redirecting to an Access Point will fail because UPS returns packages to the sender once the seven-day window expires.** Customer centers hold parcels for only five business days. For longer trips, use "Deliver my packages on another day" to schedule delivery after your return date ($9.99 on Basic, included on Premium). ### Leaving packages with a neighbor My Choice lets you tell the driver to leave boxes with a neighbor at no charge. Simple, if a trusted neighbor is home. (Worth knowing: the holidays are when neighbors travel too.) ### Rerouting to another address If you are visiting family or staying at a vacation rental, you can reroute parcels with "Deliver my packages to another address" ($14.99 on Basic, included on Premium). This requires full account authentication, and shippers may restrict rerouting on high-value goods. Additional transportation charges may apply if the address is outside the original delivery area. ## UPS My Choice Basic or Premium: the math The math between UPS My Choice Basic and Premium turns on how many packages you need to reschedule during your trip. Basic membership is free, while Premium costs $19.99 per year. On Basic, rescheduling a package to deliver on another day costs $9.99. Do the math. **Two date changes on Basic cost $19.98, one cent less than a year of Premium at $19.99, so Premium costs less from the third rescheduled package.** Premium includes unlimited delivery changes, two complimentary 2-hour confirmed delivery window requests per year (normally $14.99 each), and eliminates the $14.99 fee for rerouting to another address. However, if you simply want all packages held safely near your home for a short trip, setting a UPS Access Point Preference on a free Basic account redirects all packages at no charge, completely avoiding the individual $5.99 redirection fee. ## UPS hold vs USPS Hold Mail Comparing a UPS hold to USPS Hold Mail reveals clear differences in scope, time limits, and cost. (Worth knowing: submitting a USPS hold does nothing to stop a brown UPS truck.) USPS Hold Mail pauses delivery only for postal mail and USPS parcels. UPS operates independently and requires package-by-package handling through My Choice. | Feature | UPS (via My Choice) | USPS Hold Mail | | :--------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Scope | Package by package (requires individual tracking numbers or account matching) | All USPS mail for the address | | Minimum duration | None (single package date change or immediate redirection) | 3 days | | Maximum duration | 7 calendar days at Access Points; 5 business days at Customer Centers; no 30-day option | 30 days | | Cost | Hold at an Access Point: no extra charge for 7 calendar days; moving a package there: $5.99 on Basic unless you set an Access Point Preference; date change: $9.99 on Basic | No fee shown on the USPS Hold Mail page | | Request advance window | Per package, before delivery | Up to 30 days in advance, or as early as the next scheduled delivery day | | Carrier coverage | UPS shipments only (does not stop USPS, FedEx, or DHL) | USPS mail only (does not stop UPS deliveries) | _Verified on the carrier's website._ **USPS can hold your mail for up to 30 days through the [USPS Hold Mail page](https://www.usps.com/manage/hold-mail.htm), but UPS offers no 30-day hold.** Seven days. Not thirty. Packages left unclaimed past seven days at an Access Point return to sender. ## Already missed a UPS delivery Handling a missed UPS delivery while away from home means acting quickly before the driver burns through all three attempts. If a delivery arrives while you are traveling, the driver leaves a physical slip. **UPS makes up to three delivery attempts before returning an unclaimed package directly to the sender.** 1. Note your notice number from the slip or copy the tracking number from your alert. 2. Go to the [UPS Change a Delivery](https://www.ups.com/us/en/track/change-delivery) page or sign in to UPS My Choice. 3. Select "Change My Delivery" to see available options (guest users can verify via email passcode). 4. Redirect the parcel to an Access Point for a seven-calendar-day hold, or ask to pick it up at a UPS Customer Center (UPS must receive the request by 7 p.m.). 5. Sign the paper notice and leave it where the driver left it. That authorizes release on the next attempt, unless an adult 21+ signature is required. You cannot sign it online, so someone must be home to put the slip back. The [UPS InfoNotice](https://trackingadvice.com/ups-infonotice/) guide and the official [UPS Delivery Notice page](https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/tracking-support/where-is-my-package/how-to-use-infonotice) explain the notice. ## When a UPS hold will not help A UPS hold cannot fix delivery problems once a package has already left the driver's hands or started heading back to the sender. A hold request will not solve your issue under these conditions: - Package already marked delivered: A hold cannot recall a package already sitting on your porch. If the box is missing, see how to handle [UPS delivered to wrong address](https://trackingadvice.com/ups-delivered-to-wrong-address/) claims. - Shipper restrictions: Merchants can lock delivery changes on high-value items or imports. If restricted, delivery change options will not appear. - Adult signature required: Parcels requiring an adult 21+ signature cannot be released by signing the delivery notice or left unattended; an adult must be present in person. - Package already returning to sender: If an Access Point hold expires or three attempts fail, see how [UPS return to sender](https://trackingadvice.com/ups-return-to-sender/) procedures work. | Contact Method | Details | Notes | | :--------------------------- | :---------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | UPS Customer Service Phone | 1-800-742-5877 | General customer support; [speak to a real person at UPS](https://trackingadvice.com/talk-real-person-ups/) for restricted package escalations | | UPS Vacation Hold Phone Line | None | UPS publishes no separate vacation-hold phone line; use the main customer service line | | Online Account & Tracking | ups.com / UPS My Choice | Delivery changes, preferences and tracking history | _Verified on the carrier's website._ ## FAQ ### Can you put a mail hold on UPS? No, UPS does not participate in the postal mail hold system and offers no blanket hold for an entire street address. Instead, you must manage individual packages through a free UPS My Choice account by redirecting shipments to an Access Point or rescheduling delivery dates. ### Can you set a vacation hold for UPS? Yes, you can hold deliveries while traveling by using UPS My Choice to reschedule delivery dates or redirect incoming boxes to a local pickup facility. You must apply these changes to each incoming package or establish an ongoing Access Point delivery preference. ### How long is a UPS vacation hold? UPS Access Point locations hold packages for up to seven calendar days at no additional charge, while UPS Customer Centers hold packages for up to five business days. UPS does not offer 30-day holding windows, and packages left beyond the maximum holding limit are returned to the sender. ### Will UPS hold my package for free? Yes, for up to seven calendar days at The UPS Store and other UPS Access Point locations, for My Choice members. On a Basic account, moving a package to an Access Point costs $5.99 unless you set an Access Point Preference, and a new delivery date costs $9.99. ### What does a vacation hold mean at UPS? At UPS, a vacation hold means redirecting an individual package to a UPS Access Point or Customer Center or choosing a future delivery date after you return from your trip. Unlike a postal hold that stops all incoming mail automatically, UPS requires managing shipments package by package through your online account. ### Can UPS hold packages for longer than 30 days? No. The longest hold UPS lists is seven calendar days at a UPS Access Point location; Customer Centers hold for up to five business days. After seven calendar days at an Access Point, the package goes back to the sender. ### Is there a UPS vacation hold phone number? No, UPS does not publish a dedicated vacation hold phone number. To manage delivery holds or inquire about held packages by telephone, you must call standard UPS customer service at 1-800-742-5877.