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Get Shopify App >UPS tracking is an online service merchant that customers use to track one or multiple packages. It offers real-time information about the parcel’s location, delivery date, point of delivery, and other details. UPS provides a variety of tracking services for air freight, ground freight, express shipping, and more.
All UPS tracking services enable customers to see their parcel’s status every step of the way, from the moment it leaves the warehouse to when it reaches the customer's doorstep. This adds transparency to shipments and enhances the customer experience.
UPS tracking has a clean and simple interface. With user-friendly features, even novices can navigate it with ease. Users receive timely notifications for package status updates or potential delays. This helps minimize confusion and results in fewer customer questions.
UPS (United Parcel Service) is a renowned shipping and logistics company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It has a workforce of over 500,000 employees and a vast logistics network. UPS delivers packages each business day for over 11 million delivery customers, reaching over 220 territories and countries worldwide.
Although it started as a specialist telegraph company in the 1900s, UPS today is known for its reliable overnight and two-day air shipping, and ground shipping.
As a customer-first organization, UPS strives to provide a seamless customer experience. By focusing on ease and speed, it aims to create a robust digital experience powered by its smart logistics network.
UPS offers a range of tracking services. Here’s a brief overview of the most common services people use with this logistics services provider.
UPS Domestic Shipping service offers reliable and timely parcel delivery solutions within a country, ensuring packages reach their destinations seamlessly across regional boundaries.
Shipping service |
Delivery time |
Destination |
Package Weight & Size |
UPS Ground |
1-5 business days | To businesses and homes in all 50 states and Puerto Rico | Up to 150 lbs. and up to 108” long |
UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.® |
2 business days | To the 48 contiguous states except for Alaska and Hawaii | Up to 150 lbs. and up to 108” long |
UPS 2nd Day Air |
2 business days (available on Saturday) |
To all 50 states and Puerto Rico with some limitations in Alaska and Hawaii | Up to 150 lbs. and up to 108” long |
UPS 3 Day Select |
3 business days (available on Saturday) |
To the 48 contiguous states except for Alaska and Hawaii | Up to 150 lbs. and up to 108” long |
UPS Next Day Air® |
Next day (available on Saturday) |
To the 48 contiguous states and Anchorage, AK | Up to 150 lbs. and up to 108” long |
UPS Next Day Air® Saver |
Next day |
From all 50 U.S. states to the 48 contiguous states | Up to 150 lbs. and up to 108” long |
UPS Domestic Shipping service offers tracking capabilities, allowing senders and recipients to monitor the status and location of their packages in real-time.
UPS® Freight Services provides efficient and dependable transportation solutions for both LTL (less-than-truckload) and full-truckload shipments.
Shipping service |
Delivery time |
Advantages |
Air freight service |
1-3 business days |
|
Ground freight service |
3-10 business days |
|
Ocean freight service |
A week to over a month |
|
Users can track their freight shipments through UPS® Forwarding Hub. This is a customer portal that enables users to book, track, and manage shipments on a user-friendly dashboard.
UPS Express Critical® offers a wide variety of emergency transportation solutions for both light and heavy packages globally.
UPS Express Critical Service |
Geographic Reach |
Special Features |
Next Flight Out |
North America, Europe, and between major metropolitan areas worldwide |
|
International |
International |
|
UPS Express Critical® Surface |
US, Canada, Mexico, Select European countries |
|
UPS Express Critical® Charter |
Worldwide |
|
UPS Express Critical® Secure |
Not specified |
Contingency plans |
UPS Express Critical® Hand Carry |
US and many international locations |
|
For urgent, high-value, or time-sensitive parcels, users can use UPS Express Critical® services. Additionally, users can track these shipments by viewing the UPS Express Critical® tracking page.
UPS Mail Innovations® streamlines and optimizes the delivery of mail and packages by consolidating shipments and leveraging the United States Postal Service (USPS) for final delivery.
UPS Mail Innovations Service |
Delivery time |
Features |
Domestics Mail Services |
24-48 hours |
|
International Mail Services |
1-2 business days to US 2-4 business days to other countries |
|
Returns Mail Services |
Not specified |
|
UPS Mail Innovations is designed for merchants that send a high volume of small packages (i.e., parcels under 1 lb.). It’s a joint venture of USPS (United States Postal Service) and UPS and offers an affordable mailing service. UPS Mail Innovations handles everything from pickup to final delivery of your package.
Individual mail piece tracking is integrated within UPS Mail Innovations. So when users use this service, they can sign into their UPS Mail Innovations account and track up to 25 mail shipments on the UPS mail piece tracking page by using their tracking number, US Postal Service IMPB, or package ID.
UPS SurePost® is an economy shipping service for non-urgent and low-value shipments. Users can track their UPS SurePost packages by entering their tracking number on the UPS’s site. The benefit of this service is affordability combined with the reliability and consistency of UPS Ground with the courier handling the final mile delivery for up to 40% of SurePost packages.
SurePost characteristics |
Description |
Delivery |
UPS or USPS may deliver SurePost packages. |
Delivery Days |
Packages arrive Monday through Sunday. |
Origin and Destination |
Ships from US 48 States to US 48 States, AK, HI, PR, all US Territories, P.O. Boxes, and Military APO/FPO/DPO. |
Estimated Transit Time |
2 to 6 days for US 48 destinations; longer for other areas. |
Tracking |
Full tracking is available on ups.com; USPS exception and end-of-day delivery scan included. |
Manifesting |
Package level detail comes through UPS WorldShip, UPS CampusShip, UPS Shipping API, UPSLink Vendor, Host Vendor, or Host Systems. |
Ideal Package Weight |
Packages weighing less than 10 lbs are optimal. |
Mail Classes |
Supports Parcel Select Lightweight, Parcel Select, Bound Printed Matter, and Media Mail. |
Pricing |
This is a contract service. |
Billing |
Billing appears on UPS small package invoice; no third-party or consignee billing. |
Limitation of Liability |
Maximum liability of $100 up to the point of USPS transfer or UPS final delivery. |
Carbon Neutral Option |
Available with additional fees. |
Value Added Services |
None available. |
UPS Service Guarantee |
None available. |
UPS International offers global shipping solutions, delivering packages and freight to destinations around the world.
Service Type |
Destination |
Transit Time |
UPS Express Critical® |
International and domestic |
Time-definite |
UPS Worldwide Express Plus® |
Worldwide |
1-3 business days |
UPS Worldwide Express® |
1-3 business days |
|
UPS Worldwide Express Freight® Midday |
1-3 business days |
|
UPS Worldwide Express Freight® |
1-3 business days |
|
UPS Worldwide Saver® |
1-3 business days |
|
UPS Worldwide Expedited® |
2-5 business days |
|
UPS Standard |
Mexico and Canada |
Day-definite |
UPS Worldwide Economy |
Worldwide (Enrollment needed) |
5-12 business days |
UPS international tracking allows users to track cross-border shipments with ease. They can see detailed, real-time information about the status of their parcel. This tracking service is popular for tracking shipments to Espanol, Italia, Canada, India, Mexico, Australia, the UK and Europe.
The UPS Store service offers notary, printing, shipping, shredding, personal and business mailboxes, and fax services to merchants. To see the status of any parcel handled by this service, enter the tracking number on the UPS Store tracking page.
You can track your UPS package through different channels. Some of these allow you to track several LSP packages, while others just offer UPS tracking for businesses. Here are the most popular UPS tracking options.
To track UPS packages on the UPS website, follow these steps.
The official UPS website lets you track up to 25 packages. What's more, you can also save up to 50 tracking numbers via the tracking history of your shipments by logging into your UPS account.
Another way to track your UPS package is to use the UPS Mobile app. Available for free, it lets you track shipments, manage packages, find UPS locations, and more. And the next time you’re sending a package, you can use the in-app measurement feature to take package dimensions. It’s available for both Android and iOS devices.
The third way to track your UPS package is to subscribe to UPS My Choice®. This is a membership-based tracking service that offers more insights into shipments. The best aspect of it is that you don’t need to enter a tracking number---a centralized dashboard shows you all the information about your outgoing and incoming shipments.
By using UPS My Choice®, you can benefit from the following advantages.
TrackingMore has a powerful tracking API that can track not only your UPS package but packages from over 1,100 logistics service providers. This is because it has multiple LSP partners worldwide, including UPS, DHL, FedEx, and more. TrackingMore also follows a unified data format, making it possible to know the status of different carrier shipments at a glance.
To track a UPS package with TrackingMore:
While UPS offers various tracking services, you may find TrackingMore to be a more valuable parcel-tracking solution. Below is a table comparing the two.
Features/Services |
UPS Tracking |
TrackingMore |
Number of Carriers |
UPS Only |
Over 1100 carriers |
Shipment Visibility |
Standard |
Clear visibility |
Website Performance |
Can be slow during high traffic |
Consistently fast |
Carrier Detection |
Manual Selection |
Auto-detect function |
Multi-Carrier Shipments |
Multiple tracking systems may be needed |
Seamless tracking even when changing couriers |
As you can see, TrackingMore has several advantages over UPS tracking, making choosing it a no-brainer.
A UPS tracking number is a unique identification code UPS assigns to each parcel just before it is shipped. It allows the sender and the recipient to locate and track their package from the origin to the final destination.
A UPS tracking number is 18 digits long. It begins with '1Z', followed by a 6-character shipper code, and a 2-character service code, and ends with 8 unique digits for the package, which looks like 1Z XXX XXX YY ZZZZ ZZZC.
Here are some examples of UPS tracking numbers.
- 1ZE356F8YW01937117
- 1Z9295250492885033
You can find your UPS tracking number on the exterior of the package you're shipping and on the receipt or confirmation email provided to you when you dispatched the item with UPS. If you made the shipment online or through a UPS account, the number would also be available in your shipment history or order details.
If you’ve lost your UPS receipt or tracking number, don’t worry. You can still track your packages by following the steps below.
Before tracking your UPS package, make sure to familiarize yourself with each UPS tracking status.
Label Created
- UPS has the sender's billing and shipment details. The status updates when UPS dispatches the shipment.
Shipped/On the way
- UPS handles the shipment and sends it through its network. The shipment has a delivery date, and further scans may only occur at major hubs.
Out for Delivery
- The local UPS facility received the shipment and dispatched it for final delivery. Residences can expect it between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., whereas businesses can expect it by the end of their working day. If the sender chose a time-specific air delivery, the timing might vary.
Delivered
- UPS has delivered the package to its destination (with a delivery recorded timestamp). If no signature is needed, drivers aim to leave packages in secure spots like porches or garages.
Delivered to a UPS Access Point
- The receiver can collect the shipment from the designated UPS Access Point.
Transferred to Post Office for Delivery
- The sender requested delivery through the local post office. This typically extends the delivery time by a day or two.
Exception
- The shipment remains within the UPS network, but an unforeseen issue may alter the delivery date. The exception reason along with an updated delivery update will appear in the "Shipment Progress" section of your UPS Tracking Detail page.
UPS also offers a tracking API that you can use to track your shipments in real-time. However, this API has some limitations, such as only tracking a single package with each tracking request. That’s why it’s better to use powerful third-party tracking APIs, like TrackingMore.
TrackingMore's parcel tracking API offers advantages over UPS and other third-party tracking APIs.
GET TRACKINGMORE API FREE TRIAL
It’s currently not possible to track a UPS parcel by the destination address. The typical way to track a UPS parcel is to enter the tracking number you received upon finalizing the shipment. This tracking number allows for real-time tracking and is unique to each package.
You can tell if a UPS tracking number is fake by entering it on UPS.com/track. If it doesn’t show up on the UPS portal, it’s likely a fake number. Always cross-check tracking numbers and read the delivery information carefully.
If your UPS tracking number doesn't work, consider these possibilities.
In a scenario like this, you’ll want to contact UPS support directly. They will provide you with the latest information on the status of your package.
UPS updates tracking whenever a parcel enters and departs from a specific location. So tracking updates may take a few hours as the package moves from one stop to another.
UPS tracking is very accurate. Your customers can expect to receive their package near the estimated delivery time shown on the tracking page. If you opt for text notifications, you'll receive an alert as soon as the package reaches the recipient’s door.
Need information about UPS delivery days or want to inquire about UPS live tracking? Reach out to UPS’s customer center via Phone. Here’s a table with the list of phone numbers you can dial based on your country.
Contact Method |
Details |
Phone number |
Domestic: 1-800-742-5877 (Sun-Sat 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. EST) International: 1-800-782-7892 (24/7) |
|
To Email UPS, access your UPS account and send an email to the UPS support team. |
Live chat |
Begin with the UPS virtual assistant. This is ideal for those seeking instant responses. |
Track your packages across different carriers
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