What is UPS Next Day Air Saver? Ship Quicker (and Cheaper) Overnight  (2024)

When it comes to shipping, most ecommerce businesses try to strike a balance between speed and cost. Customers want their products as fast as possible, but they also want affordable shipping rates – so somehow, brands must find a way to meet both expectations.

One way to lower costs on expedited shipping and next-day deliveries is with services like UPS Next Day Air Saver®. In this article, we’ll dive deep into this popular shipping option, and answer common questions ecommerce brands have about it.

What is UPS Next Day Air Saver?

UPS Next Day Air Saver is an expedited, overnight shipping option that UPS offers. UPS Next Day Air Saver is different from UPS Next Day Air, as it provides next-day shipping at a slightly lower rate but guarantees delivery before end-of-day (as opposed to Next Day Air’s promise of 12:00 noon) the day after shipping.

Is signature required on UPS Next Day Air Saver?

Unless you are shipping to a commercial address, a signature is not required to receive a UPS Next Day Air Saver package.

Where can UPS Next Day Air Saver ship?

UPS Next Day Air Saver ships to the 48 contiguous states, plus certain areas in Alaska and Hawaii. However, it’s not available in locations where UPS Next Day Air is committed only to an end-of-day delivery (rather than a morning delivery).

How much does UPS Next Day Air Saver cost?

UPS Next Day Air Saver is cheaper than regular Next Day Air. In 2024, to ship a letter to the nearest shipping zone, it would cost $32.97 through regular next-day air, and $31.91 through UPS Next Day Air Saver.

This savings seems small, but the farther the shipping zone and the larger the package, the more you’ll save. For ecommerce businesses shipping a large volume of packages, using Next Day Air Saver can also generate significant savings. For example, if your brand ships 1,500 letter-sized packages in a month, shipping them all through Next Day Air would cost $49,455, while Next Day Air Saver would only cost $47,865 – a whopping $1,590 in savings.

Other UPS Next Day Air service options

UPS offers other next-day air delivery services, including regular UPS Next Day Air and UPS Next Day Air Early®. Each service option correlates to a specific guaranteed next-day delivery time. The earlier you want the package delivered, the more it will cost.

Which of the delivery options will best suit a customer will depend on their shipping needs – in particular, what guaranteed delivery time they want and how much they are willing to spend. Here’s a quick comparison:

How can I offer affordable shipping to my customers?

Next-day delivery always delights customers – but it can be expensive. To convert more customers without breaking the bank, it’s important to find a way to make shipping affordable as well as fast.

Brands rely on several strategies to minimize both shipping costs and speeds. These include:

• Increasing AOV to offset shipping costs: Setting a spend threshold that is significantly greater than your current AOV lets your business absorb shipping costs when it makes sense to do so, while protecting your profit margin.
• Distributing inventory: By utilizing multiple strategically-located fulfillment centers across different regions of the US, your business can drastically shorten the distance packages must travel, and put more customers in the 2-day shipping range of ground coverage.
• Partnering with a logistics expert: Fulfillment partners like ShipBob have extensive distribution networks and relationships with major carriers, which brands can leverage to save money on ecommerce shipping.

ShipBob 2-Day Shipping and Next Day Air Saver: a winning combination for ecommerce

Whether your shipping strategy is built around next-day delivery or just uses it occasionally, ShipBob can help you optimize your shipping operations for cost, speed, and efficiency.

In addition to string your inventory and fulfilling ecommerce orders, ShipBob partners with major carriers (including UPS) to help provide cost-effective shipping to customers in the US and beyond.

Here are just some of the ways that merchants can leverage ShipBob for quick and easy shipping.

Achieve 2-day shipping nationwide

For brands looking to offer 2-day shipping, ShipBob’s 2-Day Express solution enables you to achieve 100% 2-day coverage across the continental US, even from just one fulfillment center. With this option, you can also display 2-day badges and estimated delivery dates on your ecommerce store and product pages to further increase conversions and boost sales.

The 2-Day Express Program can also be used in conjunction with services like UPS Next Day Air Saver. ShipBob even negotiates with major shipping carriers like UPS to secure bulk discounted shipping rates, so you can achieve even more cost-savings. ShipBob even tracks transit times for major carriers weekly, so you have access to up-to-date data on carrier performance.

Integrate seamlessly with existing ecommerce platforms

ShipBob’s platform connects with dozens of major ecommerce platforms and tools, including Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and more. Leveraging ShipBob’s direct integrations, you can easily manage your shipping strategy across carriers and channels from a single source.

Scale cost-effectively

ShipBob’s technology and fulfillment network gives brands the tools they need to grow to new heights, and enter new channels and marketplaces.

Through ShipBob’s dashboard, you can access real-time data on shipping performance, as well as breakdowns across shipping methods, transit times, states, and more. This information empowers ecommerce brands to make more strategic, data-driven decisions, and optimize their order fulfillment and shipping strategy.

ShipBob merchants also have access to a network fo dozens of domestic and international fulfillment centers. By storing products and fulfilling orders from these 50+ locations, brands can place their inventory closer to end customers to reduce the average shipping zone they ship to. This not only reduces shipping costs, but also helps customers get their orders faster.

To learn more about how ShipBob can help you manage carrier relationships and boost customer satisfaction through fast and affordable shipping, click the button below to speak with a fulfillment expert.

UPS Next Day Air Saver FAQs

Below are answers to common questions about UPS Next Day Air Saver.