Australia Post Christmas cut-off date for gifts is December 20 and December 23 for express post

Australia Post has reintroduced weekend deliveries ahead of an expected surge in demand coinciding with the Christmas period and there is only a week left before the cut-off.

Deliveries are being made on Saturdays and Sundays in Australian capital cities and select regional areas.

Australia Post has reiterated that parcels should be sent by Friday December 20 to ensure they arrive before Christmas Day.

Packages sent with express shipping should be shipped before December 23.

People sending to or from Western Australia and the Northern Territory, as well as outside a metro area should allow additional time.

Weekend deliveries will remain in place up until Christmas, depending on volume.

Australia Post executive general manager Parcel, Post and eCommerce Services Gary Starr said weekend deliveries were essential to ensure packages arrived before Christmas.

“With the holiday season just around the corner, we know how important it is for our customers to receive their parcels on time,” he said.

“By bringing back weekend deliveries, we’re not just meeting customer demand, but hopefully making holiday shopping easier for everyone.

“We’ve been preparing all year for another busy peak season, recruiting thousands of new team members to ensure operations run as smoothly as possible. Last year, we delivered nearly 100 million parcels.

“With the cost-of-living crunch, customers are expected to make the most of major shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so we anticipate early Christmas shopping will drive another record-breaking year.”

Earlier this year, data revealed that online retail therapy was still booming despite the cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on Australian wallets.

In the June quarter, there was a 4.4 per cent jump in online purchases compared with the same period last year.

The splurge was attributed to events such as end-of-financial-year sales luring consumers with bargains.

Fashion, apparel, health, beauty and recreational goods were the main things people bought.

More than 5.7 million Australian households made an online purchase every month in the last quarter.

Tasmanians, Northern Territorians and Queenslanders spent the most time shopping online during this period.

However, despite Australians shopping online frequently, they are buying less.

The data revealed the number of items in the online basket had decreased by 2.6 per cent year-on-year.