Your shipment travels under freight carrier liability from the moment we collect. Here is the honest explanation of what is covered, what the limits are, and how to make sure your specific items are protected.
Insurance in international freight works differently from standard parcel insurance. Here is the honest explanation of how cover works, what it covers, and what the limits are — before you need to use it.
Your shipment travels under the freight carrier’s standard liability. This is a baseline level of cover that all international air freight carriers are required to provide under IATA conventions. For most personal effects shipments, this baseline is adequate.
If you are shipping high-value items — electronics, jewellery, designer clothing, professional equipment — you should declare the higher value at booking and ask about enhanced cover. The standard baseline is calculated on weight, not item value. A £2,000 laptop travelling on standard liability is covered at the weight-based rate, not the replacement cost.
In 28 years of shipping, the most common “insurance claim” scenario is not loss or damage — it is a customs hold. And a customs hold is not an insurance event. It is a documentation event. This is why we focus on getting documentation right at booking.
Genuine loss of an international air freight shipment is rare. The freight network is extremely reliable. What we do see occasionally: external damage to a bag from handling. For suitcases, hard-sided cases fare significantly better than soft-sided bags. If the contents of a hard-sided case are worth declaring at a higher value, do so at booking.
The rule: tell us what you are shipping and what it is worth. We advise on the appropriate cover for your specific shipment. Do not under-declare to save on the insurance premium — if you need to claim, the payout is based on your declared value.
The packing list that protects you at customs is the same list that protects you on an insurance claim. A detailed item-level packing list with realistic declared values is the most important document in your shipment.
Tell us your postcode, destination, bags and collection date. Clear quote. No guesswork.