FedEx Insurance

If you ship anything valuable with FedEx, the price of a declared value is the easy part. The hard part is what happens when a parcel goes missing or arrives crushed. FedEx does not sell insurance; it sets a liability cap and pays only after you prove both the item's value and its own fault. Here is what that means for your 2026 shipments, and how Secursus changes the math.

Key takeaways for 2026: FedEx includes $100 of liability free, then charges $4.95 up to $300 and $1.65 per extra $100. Jewelry, watches, art and collectibles are capped at $1,000, payouts are reduced for depreciation, and theft after delivery is not covered. Secursus insures the same parcels up to $120,000 at full value, with claims paid within 3 days of validation.

FedEx declared value pricing in 2026

FedEx builds coverage on top of a free base. Every package includes $100 of liability at no charge. Above that you pay a declared value fee: a flat $4.95 covers a value from $100.01 to $300, and each additional $100 or part of it over $300 adds $1.65. The table below shows the structure effective January 5, 2026.

Cost per $100 insured, band by band

The headline rate hides a step. The first $100 of value is included, the band from $100.01 to $300 costs a flat $4.95, and above $300 the charge is $1.65 for every $100 declared. The flat band is where the effective rate moves most: on a $150 parcel it works out at 3.3%, on a $300 parcel at 1.65%, which is the rate that then holds all the way up.

International shipments: value or weight, whichever is greater

Across borders the calculation changes. On international package services FedEx charges $1.65 per $100 of value above the first $100, or $9.07 per pound, whichever produces the greater figure, so a heavy parcel of modest value can be priced on weight rather than on what is inside it. The liability that applies without a declared value follows the applicable convention, and the maximum declared value on the main international express services is $50,000 per shipment.

Direct Signature Required from $500

Declare $500 or more and FedEx applies Direct Signature Required by default, which means someone at the address has to sign. On a multiple package shipment the rule triggers on the average declared value, so a batch can pick up the requirement even when no single box reaches $500. It is a useful default: a signature is also what a specialist policy asks for on a valuable parcel, and it is the evidence that settles a dispute about whether the parcel arrived.

Why declared value is not the same as insurance

This is the distinction that decides most disputes. Declared value is a ceiling on what FedEx might pay, not a promise to pay it. To collect, you have to file a claim, prove the item's value with an original invoice, and show that FedEx was at fault. Even then, FedEx pays the lowest of the repair cost, the depreciated value, or the replacement cost.

Real insurance works the other way around. Secursus covers the declared value directly, without asking you to prove negligence, and pays the full agreed amount.

The $1,000 cap: the items FedEx barely covers

FedEx keeps a long list of items it will only cover up to $1,000, no matter how much you declare or pay. It is, unfortunately, a list of exactly the things people most want to protect.

What a FedEx claim pays, and on what proof

Like any liability scheme, FedEx coverage has hard edges. A parcel lost inside the FedEx network is usually paid; a parcel stolen from a porch after a clean delivery scan usually is not.

Theft after the delivery scan

Not in practice. FedEx offers no explicit yes, and because reimbursement requires proving FedEx was negligent, a package marked delivered is treated as delivered. FedEx points customers to prevention instead, and automatically requires a signature once declared value reaches $500. For valuables, choose signature on delivery, which Secursus requires.

Filing a FedEx claim inside the deadlines

Filing is doable, but the deadlines are unforgiving and depend on the problem. Miss the window and the claim is void.

Three situations sellers run into

The reason merchants move to third-party cover is rarely the premium. It is cash flow and certainty when something goes wrong.

Shipping internationally with FedEx

Sending a FedEx parcel overseas adds a second rulebook, and it is stricter than the domestic one.

Abroad, FedEx caps carriage value at $50,000, but jewelry, watches, art and even smartphones, tablets and laptops are all limited to $1,000 per shipment, and the international claim window shrinks to just 21 days. Secursus keeps one $120,000 limit across every route.

Goods category by category, FedEx and Secursus

When FedEx declared value is the right tool

For new merchandise with a clean invoice, shipped on a service FedEx accepts without restriction and worth less than $50,000, declaring the value at booking does the job at 1.65% and keeps everything inside one contract. Three situations change the answer: goods in the capped categories, where the $1,000 ceiling applies whatever you pay; parcels between $100 and $300, where the flat $4.95 raises the effective rate; and used or collectible items, where the settlement is built on documented value rather than on the price you once paid.

The other US carriers, side by side

Shipping another way? USPS insurance stops at $5,000 per package, UPS insurance charges $1.70 per $100 of declared value, DHL insurance gives you 30 days from pickup to file a claim, eBay shipping insurance stops at $15,000 per package, Amazon shipping insurance excludes phones and laptops, and PirateShip insurance costs $1 per $100 up to $10,000. You can also compare parcel shipping solutions across every carrier and marketplace in one place.