About Expedited Shipping

When you apply for a standard credit card, once you are approved, the issuer still has to produce the card by printing your name and card number on it before mailing it out. Most cards are sent by regular mail via USPS to the address you provided. As everyone in the U.S. knows, USPS usually takes about 3-7 days, and there is always some chance of lost or misdelivered mail. I’ve personally had a card delivered to a neighbor by mistake. Adding everything up, it often takes about a week from application to actually receiving the card. Meanwhile, the spending requirement for a new card starts counting from the moment you are approved, so you effectively lose about a week to work on the minimum spending requirement for no reason. Even though I already have dozens of cards, I still look forward to receiving each newly approved card as soon as possible. The faster, the better. This is especially true when I’m about to travel or have a large upcoming purchase—I’m basically waiting for the USPS mail carrier to show up so I can take the card with me. Also, if your card is lost, stops working, or might have been compromised, you can ask the bank to issue a replacement card. In those situations, getting it quickly is also a big plus.

So in this article, I’ll summarize how to get your credit card issuer to ship your card faster so you can receive it sooner and start using it. One important note: the card production process itself usually cannot be sped up; the main difference is in the shipping method. If a credit card issuer offers expedited shipping, they usually do not use USPS. Instead, they use commercial carriers such as FedEx or UPS (though replacement cards may sometimes still go via USPS First Class Mail). This is generally referred to as Expedited Shipping. Delivery is usually within 1-3 days. If you want extra peace of mind, you can also ask customer service for the tracking number after it ships and follow it in real time. You can also use the tracking methods summarized below:

However, different credit card issuers have different rules for expedited shipping: some cards can be rushed, some cannot, and some require a shipping fee. So this article summarizes the expedited shipping policies for several banks. Some information comes from DOC, and some comes from my own experience and reports from readers.

AMEX

AMEX is very generous when it comes to card shipping. The example I remember most clearly is that I applied for a Platinum card one day, and UPS delivered it to my door for signature the very next day. The general rules are:

  • Premium cards such as the Platinum get free expedited shipping;
  • For other cards, contact customer service immediately after approval and you may be able to get free expedited shipping; if they want to charge you, you can hang up and try another representative to see whether they can waive the fee.

For replacement cards, premium cards such as the Platinum also get free expedited shipping, and you can usually handle that yourself under account service.

Other cards are typically sent via USPS First Class, which is a bit more secure and a bit faster than regular mail. If you are in a hurry, you can probably also contact customer service to request expedited shipping.

Chase

You can call customer service and ask them to expedite your card. I’ve personally done this before with the UA Explorer card, and when it arrived it was mailed inside a UPS envelope. Sapphire Reserve normally comes by UPS by default, while Sapphire Preferred is sent by regular mail.

  • Phone number: 1-800-432-3117

Alternatively, you can send a secure message right after your application is approved. Once your application is approved, your Chase account will show the last four digits of the new card along with its information. In the secure message center, select the new card and write that you need expedited shipping. It is also best to include a reason, such as upcoming travel and needing the card urgently.

Other Banks

  • Bank of America: Usually sends cards by regular mail. If you have an urgent need, you can call customer service and ask for expedited shipping. A helpful representative may waive the fee for you.
  • Barclaycard: Expedited shipping requires a $15 fee, though customer service may waive it.
  • BBVA: Expedited shipping costs $50. They can expedite your shipping, but they will charge a $50 fee, unsure if it’s possible to get this fee waived or not.
  • Capital One: New cards cannot be expedited. For replacement cards, it may be possible to pay for expedited shipping after speaking with customer service.
  • Citi: Cards are normally sent by regular mail, and you generally cannot request expedited shipping. Each time, the card arrives in a thick packet together with the terms and conditions. If the card is lost or stolen, expedited shipping may be possible.
  • Discover: New cards are automatically shipped free with expedited shipping (in my personal experience it was regular mail, so this may have changed in recent years).
  • US Bank: The premium Altitude Reserve card is sent by UPS, while others are sent by regular mail. You can request expedited shipping for $10, and chatting with customer service may get the fee waived.
  • Wells Fargo: Personal cards can be expedited for $16; business cards cannot be expedited.

Shipping Outside the United States

Sometimes you may need your card while you are outside the U.S. In that case, you can also contact customer service and ask them to mail it overseas. We summarized that topic in the article below: