Royal Mail Priority Postboxes for last minute posting

No primary category set

With just a few working days left before Christmas, marketplace sellers will be looking to get as many parcels out of the door as quickly as possible. For many, once they’ve done the Post Office run for the day or their Royal Mail pick up has taken place that’s it. However, the Coronavirus has resulted in Royal Mail introducing a weekend extension for over 15,000 existing priority postboxes.

Priority postboxes have significantly later collection times than standard postboxes. You’ll also find parcel postboxes enabling you to post larger items also with later collection times.

Typically, a normal postbox in my area has a latest collection time as early as 9.00am on weekdays. This means if you drop mail later in the day it’s unlikely to be collected until the next business day. However, priority postboxes have collections times much later in the day – as late as 6.30pm. Plus, due to the Coronavirus, Royal Mail are collecting from 15,000 priority postboxes across the country 7 days a week. Normally they are only emptied Monday to Saturday but with the promise to collect COVID-19 tests seven days a week, many now have a collection on Sundays.

Royal Mail make it very easy to locate services near you with a website where you enter your postcode to find postboxes, parcelboxes, postboxes and Delivery Offices near to your location. Click on any postbox on the map to display the collection times.

If you have some urgent parcels or letters that you need to get sent, simply drop them off before the latest collection time and you can save an entire day out of the transit time to your customer.

19 Responses

  1. Will my covid home test that I post on Tuesday at a priority post box get my fit to fly certificate by Thursday?

  2. If I post Covid tests on Wed this week will they arrive at testing centre on Thurs Christmas eve

  3. If a priority box says Saturday Sunday in red letters does this mean NOT collected on these days or ONLY collected on these days??

  4. I do my covid testing on Thurs and it falls on Xmas eve will it be left in the post box over xmas

  5. I do my covid testing on Thurs and it falls on Xmas eve will it be left in the post box over xmas

  6. As a home carer, I am also wondering if I do my usual weekly test & post it on Christmas Eve ( Thursday) will it sit in the postbox and become unviable , as it’s important that I keep testing , to keep myself and my clients and family safe over Christmas and the new year, I don’t want to do the test if it’s not going to be collected & processed

  7. I have missed N2 priority collection for my covid test (12 noon today 24/12)
    When is next collection & how soon will it arrive to be tested , ?
    Where is the best place to post it & the next priority collection ?
    I live in N2 0GA
    Thank you

    Daphne

  8. The Royal Mail website (linked to in the article) lets you filter the post box search results for boxes still collecting today. Royal Mail is collecting mail on Boxing day (for postboxes which are normally emptied on Saturdays).

    Mail Centres (sorting offices NOT delivery offices) will have the latest collection times however these are relatively few in number.

    As for what happens to COVID tests (and the rest of the mail) once it has been collected is a bit more unknown!

  9. I missed collection time today but posted anyway. I also realised that I didn’t put the box in a clear bag. Will it get ignored? I didn’t know that was what it was for

  10. Are covid tests being collected today?
    The website looks like priority boxes are

  11. I’m doing the test on Monday morning and hope it can get to the lab next day. Do I post this in a local normal post box at 9 am or the priority post box at 7 pm,?

  12. I cannot find any information on Sunday priority collections, where are these boxes located

  13. @ Marion, if you click the link supplied by Chris in his article above it will take you to the Royal Mail page that tells you where there are priority post boxes near you. You put your postcode in and it will show you a map.

    Visually the postbox itself will have a rectangular white sticker on it saying “Priority Postbox” and “Saturday Sunday Collections”. Here is the URL again:

    https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you#/

  14. The little box in the browser is only as good as the information on the site it takes you to! No Sunday collections at all in my area. Be curious to see if anyone has? Over Christmas was a shambles and I am sure many tests were not collected.

RELATED POSTS..

Royal Mail announces nationwide locker service with Quadient

Royal Mail announces nationwide locker service with Quadient

Royal Mail 2020 - 2024 Stamp Prices

Royal Mail 2024 Stamp Prices

Royal Mail green surcharge doubles in 2024 price rises

Royal Mail green surcharge doubles in 2024 price rises

Royal Mail drop off at Collect+ stores

Royal Mail drop off at Collect+ stores

Royal Mail to prohibit all bladed items from April

Royal Mail to prohibit all bladed items from April

ChannelX Guide...

Featured in this article from the ChannelX Guide – companies that can help you grow and manage your business.

Register for Newsletter

Receive 5 newsletters per week

Gain access to all research

Be notified of upcoming events and webinars