Dive Brief:
- Amazon Shipping will apply peak season surcharges from Oct. 25 to Jan. 16, 2027, that are pricier than last year's holiday fees, according to an announcement Wednesday.
- The U.S. ground package delivery service's temporary charges include a per-package fee and surcharges for packages that are large, heavy or require additional handling. The price of the surcharges peak from Nov. 22 to Dec. 26.
- The peak season surcharges take effect automatically during the applicable dates and come in addition to customers' existing contracted rates, per Amazon's announcement. The company said the surcharges help maintain service quality and capacity during the highest-demand weeks of the year.
Amazon’s 2026 holiday fees
| Oct. 25 - Nov. 21 | Nov. 22 - Dec. 26 | Dec. 27 - Jan. 16, 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-package demand surcharge | $0.50 | $0.75 | $0.50 |
| Additional handling | $8.75 | $11.90 | $8.75 |
| Large package | $96.25 | $117.50 | $96.25 |
| Extra heavy package | $530 | $590 | $530 |
Source: Amazon. Parameters for which shipments additional handling, large package and extra heavy package surcharges apply to can be found in Amazon Shipping's service guide.
Dive Insight:
This year's peak shipping season will be Amazon Shipping's first as a service open to all businesses, not just for merchants selling on Amazon.com. The parcel delivery offering has been pursuing volume growth in recent months through lower shipping rates for prospective customers, challenging UPS and FedEx for market share.
Amid the competitive push, Amazon Shipping's holiday surcharges closely mirror comparable fees that will be levied by UPS and FedEx this year. However, Amazon Shipping's listed fees do not include a volume-based surcharge for the second year in a row, after applying one in 2024. UPS and FedEx have volume-based peak surcharges that apply to larger customers, with the price based on how much activity deviates from an established baseline.
With Amazon Shipping, UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service all set to levy higher holiday fees and rates than last year, the upcoming peak season is poised to be an expensive one for parcel shippers. Businesses are already contending with heightened delivery rates driven by hefty fuel surcharges, putting 2026 on pace to have the highest ground parcel cost per package on record, per the Q3 TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index released in July.
Users of other Amazon services are also set to face higher fees next month. The company's Fulfillment by Amazon, Remote Fulfillment with FBA, Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime services will apply elevated holiday charges from Oct. 15 to Jan. 14, 2027. Amazon's 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge that began in April will apply on top of the fees.
