Parcelforce insurance vs Secursus: what's actually covered
Compare Parcelforce cover with Secursus and see where it stops.
Parcelforce Insurance
- Maximum cover: £2,500
- Jewellery & watches (excluded)
- Gold, precious stones, antiques (excluded)
- Artworks, fur (excluded)
- Musical instruments (excluded)
- Screens, TVs, glass (damage excluded)
Secursus Insurance
- Maximum coverage: £90,000
- Jewelleries and watches
- Collector's items, antiques
- Artworks
- Musical instruments
- High tech (excluding TVs)
| Parcel Value | Parcelforce Price | Secursus Price |
|---|---|---|
| £500 | £7.00 | £5.00 |
| £1,000 | £30.00 | £10.00 |
| £2,000 | £65.00 | £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 with Secursus covers the full declared value up to £90,000, from £1.50. Parcelforce Price is its enhanced compensation charge, which tops out at £2,500 of cover per item. Above £2,500 it is not available, and jewellery, watches, gold, precious stones, antiques and fur are excluded from compensation entirely, so valuables cannot be covered with Parcelforce. Secursus covers the full value up to £90,000. Source: Parcelforce Worldwide compensation exclusions and enhanced compensation.
Insure your Parcelforce parcel in 3 steps
Ship your Parcelforce parcel as usual and insure it in a few clicks on Secursus.
How much does Parcelforce insurance cost in 2026?
The £150 that comes with the label
Every Parcelforce item includes £150 of compensation in the carriage price. It is paid on evidence of value, at the depreciated value of the goods, and it applies per item rather than per consignment.
Enhanced compensation: three fixed steps
Above £150 you buy a step, not a percentage. Each step has a ceiling, and the price is the same whether your parcel sits at the bottom or the top of the band, which makes the steps good value at the top and poor value at the bottom.
| Cover you want | Parcelforce price | Cost per £100 insured | Secursus at 1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £150 | Included | Nothing | £1.50 |
| Up to £750 | £7 | £0.93 at the ceiling | £7.50 |
| Up to £1,000 | £30 | £3.00 at the ceiling | £10 |
| Up to £2,500 | £65 | £2.60 at the ceiling | £25 |
| Above £2,500 | Not available | No option | Up to £90,000 |
The two ceilings that cap a claim
Enhanced compensation stops at £2,500 per item and £7,500 per consignment, so a pallet of four £2,000 parcels is capped well below its value even if every item carries the top step. Settlement is made at the depreciated value of the goods, evidenced by an invoice, and consequential loss is excluded, so the value of the sale you lose is never part of the claim.
What Parcelforce excludes from enhanced compensation
The steps buy nothing on a long list of valuables. These categories are excluded from enhanced compensation, which means the premium is charged but the claim is refused.
| Category | Enhanced compensation |
|---|---|
| Jewellery, watches and clocks | Excluded |
| Gold, silver, precious metals and stones | Excluded |
| Antiques and furs | Excluded |
| Money, SIM cards and trading cards | Excluded |
| Artworks on international services | Excluded |
| Screens, televisions and glass | Damage excluded |
Check the category before you pay for a step
The practical rule is simple: if the value of the parcel comes from the material or the rarity of what is inside, the step will not pay. If it comes from an ordinary manufactured good, it will.
Claiming with Parcelforce
Keep the proof of posting, the receipt that shows the cover you bought, and an invoice that establishes the value of the goods. For damage, keep the item and the packaging: Parcelforce settles on the depreciated value and can ask to inspect. Open the file as soon as the tracking stalls rather than waiting for the parcel to reappear, and check the deadline printed on the service conditions that applied on the day of posting.
Worked example: a £2,000 laptop
The top step costs £65 and caps the claim at £2,500, so the laptop is covered on paper. In practice the settlement is the depreciated value, which on a machine bought eighteen months earlier is well under the invoice. The same parcel insured with Secursus costs £20, which is 1% of the declared value, and pays the £2,000 you declared, without depreciation, within 3 days of the file being validated.
Parcelforce insurance compared with Secursus
| Point of comparison | Parcelforce | Secursus |
|---|---|---|
| Included cover | £150 per item | None, cover is bought per parcel |
| Ceiling | £2,500 per item, £7,500 per consignment | £90,000 |
| Pricing | Steps at £7, £30 and £65 | 1% of value, from £1.50 |
| Basis of payment | Depreciated value | Full declared value |
| Jewellery, gold, antiques | Excluded from enhanced compensation | Insured, delivery against signature |
| Consequential loss | Excluded | Excluded |
| Payment | After investigation | Within 3 days of validation |
When the included £150 is enough
Send a £120 pair of boots and the included cover already matches the goods. The £7 step is also fair value at the top of its band, close to £0.93 per £100 insured. It turns expensive at the bottom of a band, and it turns useless as soon as the contents fall into an excluded category or pass the £2,500 ceiling.
Compare other UK carriers
Step pricing is a Parcelforce trait, and it is worth testing against the alternatives on the same parcel. Royal Mail insurance uses similar tiers on Special Delivery, DPD insurance keeps a flat £100 liability, Evri insurance caps at £999, Yodel insurance at £500 an item, GLS insurance pays by the kilo, UPS insurance and FedEx insurance charge about 1% of declared value, and DHL insurance starts at £12. To see which ceiling fits your goods, compare parcel shipping solutions.
Why choose Secursus for your Parcelforce insurance?
We cover the items that Parcelforce 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 Parcelforce
- Receive compensation within 30 days of confirmation of the loss or damage by Parcelforce
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
Parcelforce insurance questions
Everything you need to know about insuring your Parcelforce parcels with Secursus.
How much compensation is included with Parcelforce?
One hundred and fifty pounds per item, included in the carriage price and paid on evidence of value at the depreciated value of the goods.
What does enhanced compensation cost?
Seven pounds takes the cover to £750, £30 takes it to £1,000 and £65 takes it to £2,500. The price is fixed per step, not per pound insured.
Can I insure a parcel worth more than £2,500 with Parcelforce?
No. Enhanced compensation stops at £2,500 per item and £7,500 per consignment, so higher value goods need cover bought elsewhere.
Does Parcelforce pay for a watch or a gold chain?
Not under enhanced compensation. Jewellery, watches, clocks, precious metals and precious stones are excluded categories, so the step you paid for does not pay out.
What is depreciated value in a Parcelforce claim?
The value of the goods on the day they were posted rather than the price on the original invoice, which matters most on electronics and anything bought more than a year earlier.
Does Parcelforce compensate a delay or a cancelled order?
No. Consequential loss is excluded, so a claim is limited to the goods themselves.
Which proof should I keep when I post?
The proof of posting, the receipt showing the cover level bought, and an invoice for the goods. For damage, keep the item and its packaging available for inspection.
Is the £7 step good value?
At the top of its band, close to £0.93 per £100 insured, it is cheaper than a 1% premium. At the bottom of the band, on a £200 parcel for example, it costs more than double.
What does Secursus cover on a Parcelforce parcel?
The declared value up to £90,000, including the jewellery, watches, antiques and collectibles that enhanced compensation excludes, from £1.50.
How does a Secursus claim differ in practice?
You declare online within 14 days of shipping, the file is paid at the declared value with no depreciation and no excess, within 3 days of validation.
This comparison was written by Valentin Scemama, expert in insurance and logistics.
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