We just covered the service FedEx offers customers to track and manage incoming packages, but not all shipments are done solely through FedEx. UPS also offers a free service, similar to that of FedEx Delivery Manager, called UPS My Choice.
With UPS My Choice you'll receive alerts of incoming packages, hold for will call or authorize a shipment release for free. The paid services include requesting a hold at a UPS location, rescheduling a delivery, and delivering to another address. All of which will set you back $5 per use. Or if you receive a lot of packages, you can sign up for UPS My Choice Pro, costing $40/year, and get the above services for free, with the added ability to schedule a 2-hour delivery window ($5 per use).
Unlike the FedEx service, UPS My Choice will only alert you of incoming packages the day before and the morning of a delivery. Hopefully an upgrade is in the works to send a notification the moment a tracking number is created, destined for any of your My Choice monitored names and addresses.
You can manage your UPS My Choice settings via the Web site, or by using either the Android or iOS version of the UPS Mobile app, both of which are free in the respective stores.
Services such as UPS My Choice provide a convenient way to keep track of packages -- and maybe even give you a heads-up about a gift or two -- before you're supposed to know about them. (If a family member isn't too thrilled about your ability to discover incoming packages, just tell them to use a different name than one you have added to UPS My Choice for monitoring.