Match the address first
My Choice is only as good as the address on the profile. Update it before a move, not after a package has already been routed to the old one.
Recipient control
How to add delivery instructions on UPS
The tool is UPS My Choice, and it belongs to the recipient, not the sender. Once a member's delivery address matches an inbound package, UPS lets them set where at home to leave it, hand it to a neighbor, or authorize release without a signature, described on ups.com and read 2026-08-31. Everything past that free tier — a different address, a different day, a UPS location — carries a published fee unless the member has upgraded.
UPS My Choice, sourced 2026-08-31Free tier vs paid tierRecipient-side only
Set it before the truck loads
An instruction filed against the tracking number travels with the stop plan. One filed after the driver leaves the building does not.
What My Choice controls, free and paid
UPS splits the program into a Basic tier at no cost and a Premium tier billed 19.99 USD a year. The dividing line is not which controls exist — it is which ones carry a per-request fee until the annual tier removes it. Figures below are UPS's own published prices, read from ups.com on 2026-08-31, not a SMKlog charge.
| Control | Basic (free) | Premium (19.99 USD/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Leave-at spot on your own porch, door or side entrance | Included | Included |
| Leave with a named neighbor | Included | Included |
| Authorize release without a signature | Included | Included |
| Reschedule to a different day | 9.99 USD per request | Included, unlimited |
| Reroute to a different address | 14.99 USD per request | Included, unlimited |
| Route to a UPS Access Point location | 5.99 USD per request | Included, unlimited |
| Confirmed delivery windows | 14.99 USD per request | Two per year free, then 14.99 USD each |
There is no charge for members with a UAP Preference to redirect all packages directly to a UPS Access Point location.UPS My Choice, ups.com/us/en/track/ups-my-choice, read 2026-08-31
That standing preference is worth setting if a household misses deliveries often — it turns every future Access Point reroute free without a per-package request, on either tier.
Setting the instruction, step by step
- Join UPS My Choice with the right address. Sign-up is free, and the delivery address on the profile is what UPS matches against inbound tracking numbers. A mismatch is the most common reason a package shows no options.
- Wait for the package to appear. An eligible inbound UPS shipment surfaces on its own once the tracking number and the profile address line up; nothing needs to be entered manually.
- Open it from the notification or the account. UPS describes opening the control by logging in, selecting the package and choosing to change the delivery, which is the same starting point whether it is reached from the app, the site or a delivery notification email.
- Pick the instruction. A leave-at spot, a neighbor's name, or an authorized release covers the free tier; a different address, a different day or an Access Point carries the fee in the table above unless Premium is active.
- File it before the stop is planned. UPS's own change-delivery page describes rerouting to another address as available in certain cases rather than as a standing right, and a same-day change can miss the driver's board entirely if it lands after the route is built.
What the instruction will not do
- It will not attach to a package the profile cannot match. A parcel addressed to a workplace, a friend's house or an address not on the My Choice profile does not pick up the controls, because the whole system runs off that address match.
- An authorized release is not a promise of compliance. It changes the default the driver works from; whether the named spot looks safe on the day is still the driver's call.
- A reroute can add distance charges. UPS states plainly that additional transportation charges may apply if outside original delivery area, so a redirect across town is not always the flat fee in the table.
- It is a recipient tool, not a sender tool. A seller who needs to redirect their own outbound UPS shipment uses UPS Delivery Intercept instead, covered on our carrier redirect guide alongside the USPS and FedEx equivalents.
A closing boundary on our own role: SMKlog sells US domestic parcel labels without an account. My Choice lives inside a UPS.com account, and we have no way to set or view a recipient's My Choice preferences from our side.
Cost context for the parcel itself
My Choice changes handling, not the base postage. For a sense of what the shipment underneath is worth, these are live SMKlog quotes for a 12 x 10 x 6 in carton at 6 lb going Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to Chicago, IL 60601, captured 2026-08-31.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Transit window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $13.51 | 4 days estimated, no window |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $14.02 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $17.38 | 2-3 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $17.61 | 4-5 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $19.99 | 2-3 business days |
A Premium My Choice year, 19.99 USD, costs about as much as the gap between UPS Ground and UPS 3 Day Select on this single box. For a household that redirects or reschedules more than once or twice a year, the math favors Premium quickly; for one that rarely does, the per-request fees are cheaper.
Where these rules come from
- UPS, UPS My Choice — free-tier controls, the Access Point standing preference. Read 2026-08-31.
- UPS, Change a Delivery — the driver leave-at, neighbor and reroute descriptions, and how a member opens the control. Read 2026-08-31.
- UPS, View and Track All Shipments With UPS My Choice — Basic and Premium membership pricing and the per-control fee table. Read 2026-08-31.
UPS revises My Choice pricing and terms without notice. Treat the figures above as what UPS published on the date shown and check the current version before relying on a fee.
Name the neighbor precisely
A vague instruction is treated as no instruction. A unit number, a door color, or an actual name for the neighbor drop gets followed; a general note does not.
Signature release has a cost of its own
Releasing without a signature is convenient and also removes a layer of proof if the package goes missing. Our UPS signature guide covers what that trade-off does to a lost-package claim.
UPS My Choice questions
How do I add delivery instructions for a UPS package?
Join UPS My Choice with the delivery address on file, then open the shipment from a My Choice delivery notification or by logging in and selecting the package. UPS describes the control as choosing to change the delivery, where a member can set a leave-at spot, a neighbor drop or a signature release before the driver arrives.
Is UPS My Choice free?
The Basic tier is free and covers a leave-at spot, a neighbor drop and signature release at no charge. UPS prices the Premium tier at 19.99 USD a year, which turns per-request fees for rescheduling, address changes and Access Point routing into unlimited changes for the year.
Can UPS leave my package without a signature?
Yes, through the same authorize-release control, and it is part of the free Basic tier. It works even against a paid signature service the sender bought, which is worth knowing before you rely on a signature for a dispute; our UPS signature guide covers that trade-off.
How much does redirecting a UPS package to a different address cost?
14.99 USD per request on the Basic tier, published by UPS. Premium members get unlimited address changes included in the annual fee, and UPS notes that additional transportation charges may apply if outside original delivery area.
Does UPS My Choice work on every UPS package headed to me?
Only shipments carrying a UPS tracking number where the delivery address matches your My Choice profile pick up the controls automatically. A package addressed to a workplace or routed to someone else's address will not show the same options.