UPS My Choice is worth it for almost anyone who gets UPS packages, because the Basic membership is free and covers tracking, delivery alerts, delivery photos, driver instructions and online signatures. The paid Premium membership is only worth it if you’d otherwise pay for more than one or two delivery changes a year, such as moving a delivery date or sending a package to another address.
The deciding factor is how often you change deliveries. Basic charges per package for most changes, while Premium includes them for one annual fee. Here’s what each tier includes, according to UPS’s own My Choice page, and how to decide.
What Does UPS My Choice Basic Include for Free?
UPS My Choice Basic is free and gives you visibility over every UPS package coming to your address. UPS lists these features at no charge:
- A view of inbound and outbound packages, with a calendar of deliveries from the past four months and any scheduled ones
- Delivery notifications by email or text
- Delivery photos showing where the package was left
- Estimated delivery times
- Delivery instructions for your driver, such as “leave at back door”
- Signing for eligible deliveries online, so you don’t have to be home
- Asking UPS to deliver to a neighbor
For most people these free features solve the common problems: not knowing when a package will arrive, missed signature deliveries and packages left in the wrong place. Our guide on how to sign for a UPS package online walks through the signature feature step by step.
What Do You Get With UPS My Choice Premium?
UPS My Choice Premium is a paid annual membership that makes delivery changes free. UPS describes it as offering “unlimited changes to your deliveries at no additional cost.” On Basic, each of these is charged per package, while Premium includes them:
| Feature | Basic (free) | Premium (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| Track packages, alerts, delivery photos | Included | Included |
| Driver instructions and online signature | Included | Included |
| Deliver to a neighbor | Included | Included |
| Change the delivery date | Per-package fee | Included |
| Upgrade a package to UPS Ground for faster delivery | Per-package fee | Included |
| Redirect to a UPS Access Point location | Per-package fee | Included |
| Redirect to a different address | Per-package fee | Included |
| Confirmed 2-hour delivery window | Per-request fee | Two free requests a year, then a fee |
UPS notes that redirecting a package outside its original delivery area can add transportation charges, even for Premium members. If you set a standing preference to send all your packages to a UPS Access Point, UPS doesn’t charge Basic members for those redirects.
When Is UPS My Choice Premium Worth Paying For?
Premium pays for itself once you’d make more than one or two paid changes in a year. Under Basic, a single date change or address redirect is charged per package, and the Premium annual fee is in the same range as one or two of those charges. UPS lists the current fees on its My Choice page.
Premium usually makes sense if you:
- Travel often and regularly move delivery dates around trips
- Have packages sent to home but frequently need them redirected to work or another address
- Receive many Ground Saver packages and want to upgrade the urgent ones to UPS Ground
- Need a confirmed 2-hour delivery window a couple of times a year, for example for a signature delivery
Basic is enough if you mostly want alerts and photos, are usually home or have a safe place to leave packages, or can redirect everything to a nearby UPS Access Point through a standing preference.
How Does the 2-Hour Delivery Window Work?
UPS first gives members a 4-hour estimated delivery window, and you can then pick a confirmed 2-hour window inside it. You can make the choice from two days before the scheduled delivery date until the morning of the delivery day.
Basic members pay for each confirmed 2-hour window, and Premium members get two free requests a year with their membership. UPS says it doesn’t charge for the window until the package is actually delivered within it. The window is useful for signature-required or high-value deliveries, but for everyday packages the free estimated time is usually enough.
Can UPS My Choice Hold Packages While You’re Away?
Yes. UPS My Choice members can have The UPS Store and other UPS Access Point locations hold a package for up to seven calendar days at no additional charge, and UPS customer centers can hold it for up to five business days. You can also leave it with a neighbor or, in some cases, send it to another address.
These options are set up from your delivery notifications or the Delivery Planner. Our guide to UPS locations and Access Points explains how to find a pickup point near you, and the UPS holiday schedule shows which days locations and deliveries pause.
How Do You Sign Up for UPS My Choice?
You create a free account on ups.com and add your delivery address. If UPS needs to confirm the address, it mails a welcome letter with an activation code about 7 to 14 days after you enroll, and the code expires 45 days after the date on the letter.
- Go to the UPS My Choice page and choose to sign up for free.
- Enter your name and delivery address, and set your notification preferences.
- Verify your address, by activation code if UPS asks for one.
- Upgrade to Premium later if you find you’re paying for changes often.
Businesses can use UPS My Choice for Business, a separate free program for managing packages coming to a company address. For other common questions about accounts and deliveries, see our UPS frequently asked questions.
Does UPS My Choice Help When You’re the One Shipping?
Only a little. My Choice is designed for receiving packages, and it shows your outbound shipments alongside incoming ones. It doesn’t change what you pay to send a package.
If you ship often, the bigger saving comes from the label price itself. ParcelPath is free, with no subscription or per-label fees, and gives you up to 85% off UPS and up to 89% off USPS retail rates. You can compare both carriers for your package in the ParcelPath rate calculator, and our UPS shipping guide covers the services you’ll see there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UPS My Choice free?
Yes, the Basic membership is free. It includes package tracking, delivery notifications, delivery photos, estimated delivery times, driver instructions, online signatures and delivery to a neighbor. Changes like a new delivery date or a different address are charged per package on Basic, and UPS My Choice Premium includes them for an annual fee.
Is UPS My Choice Premium worth it?
UPS My Choice Premium is worth it if you’d pay for more than one or two delivery changes a year. Premium includes date changes, redirects to another address or UPS Access Point, and Ground upgrades at no extra cost, plus two free confirmed 2-hour delivery windows a year. Occasional users are usually fine on the free Basic plan.
Does UPS My Choice Premium include the 2-hour delivery window?
Partly. Premium members get two free confirmed 2-hour delivery window requests a year, and UPS charges a fee for any requests after that. Basic members pay for each request. In both cases you choose the window inside UPS’s original 4-hour estimate, between two days before delivery and the morning of the delivery day.
How long will UPS hold packages for My Choice members?
UPS says The UPS Store and other UPS Access Point locations can hold a package for UPS My Choice members for up to seven calendar days at no additional charge. UPS customer centers can hold a package for up to five business days. Transportation fees may apply depending on where the package goes.
Does UPS My Choice work for packages from any sender?
Yes, as long as the package is shipped with UPS. My Choice links deliveries to your address, so it shows UPS packages from any retailer or individual sender. It doesn’t cover USPS or other carriers’ packages, though some UPS Ground Saver packages may show a handoff to the Post Office in tracking.
Sources
- UPS: View All Shipments With UPS My Choice (memberships, features and FAQ)
- UPS: Understanding Tracking Status
Explore more in our Shipping Services and Solutions hub.
Part of our UPS Frequently Asked Questions guide. Related: How to Refund UPS Labels on ParcelPath, What You Need to Know When Using UPS on ParcelPath, Difference Between UPS and USPS.
