UPS Insurance

UPS makes it easy to add a declared value to any package, which is exactly why so many shippers assume they are insured. They are not. Declared value is a cap on what UPS might pay, wrapped in conditions that can quietly reduce your recovery to $100. Here is how UPS coverage really works in 2026, and where Secursus does more for less.

Key takeaways for 2026: UPS includes $100 of liability free, then charges $1.70 per $100 with a $5.11 minimum. Anything over $1,000 needs a signed high-value form at pickup or your recovery is capped at $1,000. Payouts are reduced for depreciation, theft after delivery is not covered, and real insurance means paying extra for InsureShield. Secursus covers the same parcels up to $120,000 at full value, paid within 3 days of claim validation.

What UPS declared value costs in 2026

UPS coverage starts with $100 of liability included on every package. Above that you pay a declared value charge of $1.70 per $100, with a $5.11 minimum. The rule to know appears above $1,000, where a signature at pickup becomes mandatory.

What the $5.11 minimum really costs

UPS charges $1.70 per $100 of declared value, but never less than $5.11 a package. That minimum decides the price on every small parcel: below roughly $300 of value you pay the floor, and the effective rate climbs the lower your goods are worth. Above that the rate is flat at 1.70%, which is where the comparison with a specialist policy becomes a straight price question.

UPS Ground Saver includes $50, not $100

Every UPS service carries $100 of liability in the label price, with one exception: UPS Ground Saver, the economy service used for lightweight ecommerce parcels, includes only $50. On a service designed for low value goods that sounds academic, until you send a $180 pair of trainers and discover the gap. Declaring a value on Ground Saver still costs the same $1.70 per $100, minimum $5.11.

Declared value vs real insurance: the difference that matters

Declared value looks like insurance on the label, but it behaves like a liability cap. To be paid, you must prove the item's value with an original invoice and show that UPS was at fault. Even then, UPS pays proven, and often depreciated, value.

Secursus insures the declared value directly and pays the full agreed amount, without the fault test.

The $1,000 rule: the trap that voids your extra cover

This is the rule that applies to high value shipments. For any package worth more than $1,000 tendered to a driver or a UPS center, you must obtain a high-value shipment summary signed at pickup. Miss it, and UPS will not pay more than $1,000, even if you declared and paid for far more.

What a UPS claim actually pays

UPS coverage has clear limits. Sets and pairs are a common surprise: UPS pays only for the damaged piece, never the value of the whole.

Porch theft and the delivered scan

No. UPS liability ends at the delivered scan, so a package taken from a porch is not covered. For valuables, choose signature on delivery, which Secursus requires.

UPS Capital InsureShield: the paid upgrade

If you want cover that behaves like insurance, UPS points you to UPS Capital InsureShield, a separate paid product. It pays without the fault test and can cover porch theft, but it costs extra and cannot be stacked with declared value on the same package. Secursus offers the same all-risk protection in a single step.

The distinction worth keeping in mind is contractual: declared value is part of the carriage contract with UPS, while InsureShield is a cargo policy underwritten by UPS Capital. The second pays on proof of loss rather than on proof of fault, which is also how a Secursus policy works.

When UPS declared value is enough

Above $300 of value, on new goods with an invoice, shipped on a service UPS accepts without restriction, declaring the value at booking is simple and the rate is fair at 1.70%. The case for a separate policy starts where the tariff stops: packages above $1,000 tendered without the high value record, goods UPS restricts or refuses, used items where depreciation decides the payout, and any shipment where a theft after the delivered scan would fall on you.

Filing a UPS claim without missing a deadline

Filing is structured but slow, and the deadlines are firm.

Three disputes that come up again and again

The pattern behind most switches is the same: a technicality caps the payout, or the wait for cash is simply too long.

UPS across borders: limits and paperwork

Sending UPS across borders adds its own limits on top of the domestic rules.

Abroad, UPS keeps the $100 free liability and the $50,000 ceiling, but jewelry is tightly restricted and the claim window shrinks to 60 days. Secursus keeps one $120,000 limit on every route.

What UPS and Secursus each pay by goods category

Compare the other US options

Shipping another way? USPS insurance stops at $5,000 per package, FedEx insurance caps jewelry and watches at $1,000, 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 sells InsureShield cover at $1 per $100. You can also compare parcel shipping solutions across every carrier and marketplace in one place.