When to Mail a Birthday Card So It Arrives on Time
A card that lands on the day says you planned ahead. Here is how far ahead to post it, what stamp it needs, and how to get a reminder early enough to write it.
The short answer
Mail it about a week before the birthday. In the US, USPS says First-Class Mail is delivered in 1 to 5 days, so a week covers the slow end and a weekend. In the UK, Royal Mail aims to deliver 1st Class the next working day, so three or four days is usually enough, and a week is safer. For a card going abroad, allow two weeks or more, and set your reminder early enough to write it.
In the US
- How long: USPS says First-Class Mail is delivered in 1 to 5 days. Count back five days from the birthday, add a day or two for a weekend, and you're at about a week.
- The stamp: one First-Class Mail Forever stamp covers a standard rectangular envelope up to 1 ounce. Forever stamps never expire, even when the price of postage goes up, so it's worth keeping a few at home.
- Square and bulky cards cost more. USPS charges extra for square, lumpy or rigid envelopes, and for ones with clasps, string or buttons, even under 1 ounce. So a square card needs more postage than one Forever stamp; ask at the counter if you're not sure.
- A postmark on the day you mail it: ask at a Post Office counter to hand-cancel it, which USPS does for free.
In the UK
- 1st Class: Royal Mail aims to deliver it the next working day, Saturdays included. Posting three or four days before the birthday is usually enough; a week is safer.
- 2nd Class: Royal Mail aims to deliver it within three weekdays, and 2nd Class letters are moving to delivery every other weekday. Under the new schedule, a card posted 2nd Class on a Friday is due the following Wednesday, so post it a week before.
Sending a card abroad
International post takes longer, and it varies a lot from country to country. Allow two weeks or more, and ask your post office for the right stamp and how long it usually takes to that country. If it's cutting close, send a message on the day and let the card follow.
Get the reminder early enough to write it
The hard part isn't the post, it's remembering a week ahead. A reminder on the day is too late for a card.
- Your phone's calendar: add the birthday as a yearly event with an alert a week before, or two weeks for a card going abroad.
- Write it when the reminder comes, address the envelope, and post it that day or the next.
- Keep a few cards and stamps at home, so the reminder doesn't turn into a trip to the shop.
For what to write inside, see how to write a birthday card.
A reminder a week before, with the words ready
Greetigo is one option. Save a birthday and choose when to be reminded: the day before by default, or on the day, or 1, 3, 7 or 14 days before, and you can pick more than one. For a card, add 7 days before (14 for a card going abroad), and keep the day before for a message or a call. The email comes in the morning, your time, and each one repeats every year.
Each reminder comes with a message already written: a free template with their name, or on Plus and Premium the AI-written draft you saved for that date. Copy it into the card by hand, change a line to make it yours, and post it. If you'd also like to send it by email, you can send it from Greetigo. Nothing is sent until you click Send.
Greetigo doesn't sell or mail cards. It's free for up to 10 saved dates, and it works in any browser, including your phone's; there's no iPhone or Android app.
If the card will be late
Send a message on the day, so they know you remembered, and let the card follow: "Happy birthday. Your card is on its way, a little behind me." A message on the day and a card a few days later still shows you remembered. For the words: short birthday messages and belated birthday wishes.