GLS liability or Secursus: weight against value
GLS pays by the kilo under CMR, about £8.50, whatever the parcel is worth.
GLS Insurance
- No declared value option for UK senders
- Liability about £8.50 per kilo
- Jewellery, pearls, precious metals (not carried)
- Art, antiques, collectibles (not carried)
- Consequential loss (not covered)
Secursus Insurance
- Maximum insured value: £90,000
- Second-hand items
- Watches, jewellery
- High-tech, phones
- Collectibles
| Parcel Value | GLS Price | Secursus Price |
|---|---|---|
| £500 | Not applicable or unknown | £5.00 |
| £1,000 | Not applicable or unknown | £10.00 |
| £2,000 | Not applicable or unknown | £20.00 |
| £3,000 | Not applicable or unknown | £30.00 |
| £5,000 | Not applicable or unknown | £50.00 |
| £10,000 | Not applicable or unknown | £100.00 |
Parcel insurance from Secursus is priced on value, not weight: 1% from £1.50, up to £90,000. GLS has no dedicated parcel insurance: its liability is limited to the CMR Convention, about £9 per kilo, and jewellery, gold, precious metals and stones, art and antiques are not carried or covered at all. Secursus covers the full value up to £90,000 on goods GLS accepts. Source: GLS General Terms and Conditions.
Insure your GLS parcel in 3 steps
Ship your GLS parcel as usual and insure it in a few clicks on Secursus.
What GLS charges for cover in 2026
Nothing, because there is nothing to buy. GLS does not publish a parcel insurance option or a declared value tariff for senders in the United Kingdom, and it does not publish UK specific conditions either: cross border parcels travel under the GLS group terms and the CMR convention that governs international road transport.
What the carriage price includes
The price on the label buys carriage and tracking, plus the liability the convention imposes, capped at 8.33 special drawing rights per kilogram of gross weight. At the IMF rate used across this site, that is about £8.50 per kilo of the goods lost or damaged.
Higher liability for business accounts
Account customers can ask their GLS contact to raise the limit contractually. There is no public rate card for it, so the ceiling and the premium are whatever the contract says, which makes it hard to compare and impossible to buy for a one off shipment.
What liability by the kilo actually pays
Weight decides the payout, so light and valuable is the worst combination. The table shows what the convention limit produces on common parcel weights, before any deduction.
| Gross weight | Maximum liability | Cover on a £900 parcel |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 kg | About £4 | Less than 1% |
| 1 kg | About £8.50 | About 1% |
| 2 kg | About £17 | About 2% |
| 5 kg | About £42 | About 5% |
| 10 kg | About £85 | About 9% |
| 20 kg | About £169 | About 19% |
GLS also settles on the purchase or replacement value of the goods, whichever is lower, so a used item is paid at what it would fetch today, and consequential loss stays outside the contract.
What GLS will not carry
The group conditions keep a list of goods the network does not accept. Handing them over does not create cover, it removes any claim you might have had.
| Category | GLS position |
|---|---|
| Jewellery and real pearls | Not carried |
| Precious metals and precious stones | Not carried |
| Works of art and antiques | Not carried |
| Collectors items | Not carried |
| Phone cards and payment instruments | Not carried |
| Consequential loss | Never compensated |
Opening a GLS claim
Report the problem as soon as the tracking stops moving, and keep three things: the proof of collection, an invoice that proves the value of the goods, and photographs of the parcel and its packaging for damage. Because GLS applies the terms of the company that accepted the parcel, ask for the applicable conditions in writing when you open the file rather than assuming a deadline that may not be the one that applies to you.
Worked example: a 2 kg parcel worth £900
Under the convention limit, GLS liability on that parcel is about £17, whatever the invoice says. The same parcel insured with Secursus costs £9, which is 1% of the declared value, and pays £900 at the declared value, with no depreciation and no excess, within 3 days of the file being validated.
GLS liability against a Secursus policy
| Point of comparison | GLS | Secursus |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of cover | Weight, about £8.50 per kilo | Value you declare |
| Ceiling | The convention limit | £90,000 |
| Jewellery, metals, stones | Not carried | Insured, delivery against signature |
| Art, antiques, collectibles | Not carried | Insured at declared value |
| Used goods | Lower of purchase or replacement value | Full declared value |
| Price | Included in carriage | 1% of value, from £1.50 |
| Payment | Case by case | Within 3 days of validation |
Heavy, low value parcels: where GLS works
For heavy, low value goods the convention limit can genuinely match the contents: 20 kg of promotional print is covered up to about £169, which may be more than the goods are worth. The mismatch appears the moment value per kilo rises, and it becomes total for the categories the network will not carry at all.
Where GLS sits among UK carriers
GLS is the only UK option on this site with no declared value product at all. UPS insurance charges about 1% with an £11.50 minimum, FedEx insurance about £0.66 per US$100, DHL insurance £12 up to £800 and then 1.5%, Royal Mail insurance £9.45 for £750 of Special Delivery cover, Parcelforce insurance £7 for £750, DPD insurance a flat £100 liability, Evri insurance £20 included and Yodel insurance £50. To weigh them against each other, compare parcel shipping solutions.
Why choose Secursus for your GLS insurance?
We cover the items that GLS won't, from pick-up to delivery.
Claims Paid Within 30 Days Maximum
Our dedicated claims team handles everything for you:
- Report your claim; we guide you through every step
- We assist you with the process with GLS
- Receive compensation within 30 days of confirmation of the loss or damage by GLS
Full Coverage up to £90,000
Our insurance covers most goods that are typically excluded:
- Watches and jewellery
- High-tech devices and mobile phones
- Vintage items and collectibles
- Second-hand goods
Shipping Tips & Prevention
Before shipping and insuring your parcel, you receive:
- Our shipping guidelines to protect your parcel
- Advice on packing and preparing goods for shipment
- Clear instructions to follow in the event of a problem
GLS insurance questions
Liability by the kilo, excluded goods and claims with GLS.
Can I buy insurance from GLS in the UK?
No. GLS publishes no declared value option or insurance tariff for UK senders, so the carriage price is all there is, and it carries liability rather than insurance.
How much is GLS liable for if my parcel is lost?
Up to 8.33 special drawing rights per kilogram under the CMR convention, about £8.50 per kilo, calculated on the gross weight of the goods lost or damaged.
Does GLS carry jewellery, gold or precious stones?
No. Jewellery, real pearls, precious metals and precious stones are on the list of goods the network does not accept, so a loss leaves nothing to claim.
Will GLS pay what I paid for a second hand item?
It settles on the purchase or replacement value, whichever is lower, so a used item is valued at what it is worth today rather than at its original price.
Can a business account raise the GLS limit?
A contractual increase can be negotiated with a GLS account manager. There is no published rate, so it cannot be bought for a single parcel.
Which conditions apply to a UK parcel sent with GLS?
The terms of the GLS company that accepted the parcel, together with the CMR convention for the road leg. Ask for the applicable conditions in writing when you open a claim.
Does GLS compensate a delay or a lost order?
No. Consequential loss, including missed deadlines and cancelled sales, sits outside the contract.
What should I keep in case of damage?
The proof of collection, an invoice showing the value, and photographs of the parcel and the packaging before and after. Damaged goods should stay available for inspection.
Can Secursus insure what GLS refuses?
Only if the item travels with a carrier that accepts it. On everything GLS carries, Secursus covers the declared value up to £90,000, from £1.50 per parcel. Jewellery, precious metals and stones need another carrier.
Do I insure before or after handing the parcel over?
After. You need the tracking number, so book the label first and insure the parcel before 11:59pm on the day it leaves.
This comparison was written by Valentin Scemama, expert in insurance and logistics.
Want to use the Secursus service ? Insure a parcel
Language selection:
This website uses cookies to track statistics. You can disable the use of cookies by clicking here.
OK I accept