--- title: Peak Season Surcharges 2026 in Europe | byrd description: "Peak season surcharges 2026 from DHL, DHL Express, UPS and Royal Mail: amounts and periods for Germany, Austria, the UK, France and Poland." image: https://blog.getbyrd.com/hubfs/Cost%20per%20Shipment.png --- [![Getbyrd](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Getbyrd_May2021/images/Header_logo.svg "Getbyrd")](https://getbyrd.com/en) 12+ fulfillment centers in Europe - [Home](https://getbyrd.com/en) - Product - [Our Fulfillment Services](https://getbyrd.com/en/fulfillment) - [Switching 3PL](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/3pl-switch) - [Returns Portal](https://getbyrd.com/en/returns-portal) - [Dedicated Support](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/account-management) - Integrations - [Overview](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/all-integrations) - [Amazon](https://getbyrd.com/en/amazon-fulfillment) - [Billbee](https://getbyrd.com/en/billbee-fulfillment) - [ChannelEngine](https://getbyrd.com/en/integration-channelengine) - [eBay](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/ebay-fulfillment) - [Mirakl](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/mirakl-fulfillment) - [PlentyOne](https://getbyrd.com/en/plentymarkets-fulfillment) - [PrestaShop](https://getbyrd.com/en/integration-prestashop) - [Procuros](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/procuros-fulfillment) - [Shopify](https://getbyrd.com/en/shopify-fulfillment) - [Shopware](https://getbyrd.com/en/shopware-fulfillment) - [WooCommerce](https://getbyrd.com/en/woocommerce-fulfillment) - [Xentral](https://getbyrd.com/en/xentral-integration) - Solutions - [Baby Products](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/baby-products) - [Beauty, Health & Cosmetics](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/beauty-health) - [Electronics](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/electronics) - [Food, Beverages & Supplements](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/food-beverages) - [Jewelry, Accessories & Watches](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/jewelry-accessories) - [Pet Supplies](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/pet-supplies) - [Toys and Games](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/toys-fulfillment) - [For New Businesses](https://getbyrd.com/en/new-businesses) - [For Established Retailers](https://getbyrd.com/en/established-retailers) - [For Enterprises](https://getbyrd.com/en/enterprise) - [Pricing](https://getbyrd.com/en/pricing) - Fulfillment Center Network - [Fulfillment Center Europe](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network) - [Austria](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/austria) - [France](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/france) - [Germany](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/germany) - [UK](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/uk) - Resources - [Blog](https://blog.getbyrd.com/en) - [Success Stories](https://getbyrd.com/en/references) - [Demo](https://www.getbyrd.com/en/fulfillment-software) - [Whitepaper: E-Commerce Slowdown](https://getbyrd.com/en/survive-and-thrive-ecommerce-whitepaper) - [E-Book: Sustainable Supply Chain](https://getbyrd.com/en/sustainable-e-commerce-supply-chain-e-book) - [E-Book: Cross-Border E-Commerce](https://getbyrd.com/en/cross-border-ecommerce-eu-ebook) - [Whitepaper: 7 Fulfillment Tips](https://getbyrd.com/en/7-fulfillment-tips-whitepaper) - About us - [Team](https://getbyrd.com/en/team) - [Career](https://getbyrd.com/en/jobs) - [Sustainability](https://getbyrd.com/en/sustainability-at-byrd) - [Partnerships](https://getbyrd.com/en/partnerships) - [Press](https://getbyrd.com/en/press) - [Login](https://app.getbyrd.com/en/login?_ga=2.175706018.1283541857.1621736684-626381589.1621482964) - [English](https://blog.getbyrd.com/en/peak-surcharges-europe) - [Deutsch](https://blog.getbyrd.com/peak-zuschlag-europa) - [Français](https://blog.getbyrd.com/fr/supplements-haute-saison-europe) [Request a quote](https://www.getbyrd.com/en#angebot-anfordern) # Peak Season Surcharges 2026: What Carriers in Europe Charge Which carriers in Germany, Austria, the UK, France and Poland charge peak surcharges in 2026, and how to plan your promotions around them. [**Phillip Pitsch**](https://blog.getbyrd.com/en/author/phillip-pitsch) Published: September 16, 2025 Updated: October 07, 2026 ## Table of Content Every year, Q4 turns into a stress test: discount campaigns, full networks and customers who still expect their parcels on time. Black Week and Christmas bring record sales, but also a less pleasant reality: carrier peak season surcharges. Carriers charge these temporary fees to manage their networks during the busiest weeks. For you, that means: **the timing of your campaigns matters as much as the size of your discounts.** This overview shows which surcharges carriers in **Germany, Austria, the UK, France and Poland** have published for peak season 2026, and how to plan your promotions to keep costs and bottlenecks under control. **Key takeaways** - DHL Paket charges business customers €0.19 per parcel in November and December, plus a €0.50 Peak-in-Peak surcharge from 23 November to 6 December 2026. - DHL Express charges a per-kilogram demand surcharge from 1 October 2026 to 5 February 2027, and UPS has charged a Surge Emergency Fee since 20 September 2026. - Royal Mail charges a peak surcharge from 2 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, between £0.15 and £0.22 for parcels. - For GLS, Hermes, DPD, Österreichische Post and the major French carriers, we found no official 2026 information. - The amounts that actually apply depend on your contract or your fulfillment partner's. ## Peak season surcharges 2026 at a glance | Country | Carrier | Surcharge | Period | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Germany | DHL Paket | €0.19 per parcel, plus €0.50 Peak-in-Peak ([DHL](https://www.dhl.de/de/geschaeftskunden/paket/leistungen-und-services/zuschlaege.html)) | November and December; Peak-in-Peak 23 Nov to 6 Dec 2026 | | Germany | DHL Express | €0.10 per kg domestic (Time Definite Domestic), €0.30 per kg within Europe ([DHL Express](https://mydhl.express.dhl/de/de/ship/surcharges/demand-surcharge.html)) | Domestic 1 Nov to 31 Dec 2026; international 1 Oct 2026 to 5 Feb 2027 | | Germany | UPS | €0.55 per package for domestic shipments to residential addresses ([UPS](https://assets.ups.com/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:0397abd4-8afc-411c-a8db-af5548c8c50e/original/as/surge-fee-europe-de-de.pdf)) | 20 Sep 2026 to 6 Feb 2027 | | Austria | DHL Express | €0.10 per kg domestic (Time Definite Domestic), €0.30 per kg within Europe ([DHL Express](https://mydhl.express.dhl/at/de/ship/surcharges/demand-surcharge.html)) | Domestic 1 Nov to 31 Dec 2026; international 1 Oct 2026 to 5 Feb 2027 | | UK | Royal Mail | £0.15 to £0.22 per parcel, £0.10 per Large Letter ([Royal Mail](https://www.royalmail.com/business/mail/surcharges)) | 2 Nov 2026 to 10 Jan 2027 | ## Peak season surcharges 2026 by country ### Germany ![Peak season surcharges 2026 in Germany](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/peak-surcharges-2026-germany.png?width=672&height=378&name=peak-surcharges-2026-germany.png) In Germany, surcharges concentrate on November and December. **DHL Paket** charges business customers a peak surcharge of €0.19 per parcel in both months. From 23 November to 6 December 2026, around Black Week, a Peak-in-Peak surcharge of €0.50 per parcel comes on top. Both apply to DHL Paket, DHL Paket International, DHL Kleinpaket and DHL Retoure, among others ([DHL](https://www.dhl.de/de/geschaeftskunden/paket/leistungen-und-services/zuschlaege.html)). **DHL Express** charges a demand surcharge per kilogram of billable weight from 1 October 2026 to 5 February 2027. From Germany, it's €0.30 per kg within Europe and €0.50 per kg to the Americas. For domestic Time Definite shipments, a flat €0.10 per kg applies from 1 November to 31 December 2026, with the fuel surcharge added on top ([DHL Express](https://mydhl.express.dhl/de/de/ship/surcharges/demand-surcharge.html)). **UPS** has been charging a Surge Emergency Fee since 20 September 2026, running until 6 February 2027. For domestic shipments to residential addresses, it's €0.55 per package, plus surcharges for packages that need additional handling or are oversized ([UPS](https://assets.ups.com/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:0397abd4-8afc-411c-a8db-af5548c8c50e/original/as/surge-fee-europe-de-de.pdf)). For **GLS**, **Hermes** and **DPD**, we haven't found any official 2026 information yet. For reference: in 2025, GLS charged a BlackWeek surcharge from 24 November to 5 December ([GLS](https://www.gls-pakete.de/glossar/blackweek)), and Hermes charged business customers a peak surcharge from October to December ([Hermes](https://newsroom.hermesworld.com/vorbereitung-weihnachtssaison-hermes-germany-stellt-die-weichen-fuer-die-versandreichste-zeit-des-jahres-32993/)). Neither source states an amount. ### Austria ![peak-surcharges-2026-austria](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/peak-surcharges-2026-austria.png?width=1600&height=900&name=peak-surcharges-2026-austria.png) In Austria, **DHL Express** charges a demand surcharge over the same period: €0.30 per kg for shipments within Europe, €0.15 per kg for Day Definite shipments and €0.10 per kg for domestic Time Definite shipments from 1 November to 31 December 2026 ([DHL Express](https://mydhl.express.dhl/at/de/ship/surcharges/demand-surcharge.html)). For **Österreichische Post**, we found no information on a peak surcharge. Many Austrian merchants also ship to Germany. In that case, the surcharges of the German carriers your fulfillment partner uses for those shipments apply. ### UK ![peak-surcharges-2026-uk](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/peak-surcharges-2026-uk.png?width=1600&height=900&name=peak-surcharges-2026-uk.png) In the UK, surcharges run for more than two months. **Royal Mail** charges a peak surcharge on the product price before VAT from 2 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 ([Royal Mail](https://www.royalmail.com/business/mail/surcharges)): - £0.10 per Large Letter - £0.15 to £0.22 per parcel for Royal Mail 24/48 and Tracked 24/48 - £0.30 for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am and 1pm - £5.00 for Express48 Large Because the period already starts on 2 November, moving promotions to early November won't avoid the surcharge in the UK. ### France ![peak-surcharges-2026-france](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/peak-surcharges-2026-france.png?width=1600&height=900&name=peak-surcharges-2026-france.png) **Colissimo's** overview of 2026 surcharges for business customers lists no peak surcharge ([Colissimo](https://www.colissimo.entreprise.laposte.fr/offres-et-services/tarifs-generaux/supplements-tarifaires-colissimo)). For Chronopost, DPD France and GLS France, we found no information on 2026 peak surcharges. That doesn't rule out contractual surcharges, so check with your carrier or fulfillment partner if in doubt. ### Poland ![peak-surcharges-2026-poland](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/peak-surcharges-2026-poland.png?width=1600&height=900&name=peak-surcharges-2026-poland.png) For Poland, we haven't found any 2026 amounts yet. **DPD Polska's** price list valid from March 2026 states that a seasonal fee may be added per parcel, with the amount and period published on dpd.com.pl ([DPD Polska](https://www.dpd.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/260/2026/02/Cennik_Miedzynarodowy_DPD_Classic_Import_Rabatowy_03.2026-1.pdf)). **DHL Parcel** charged a seasonal fee from 1 November to 31 December 2025: PLN 0.85 per domestic and PLN 1.20 per international parcel up to 31.5 kg ([DHL Parcel](https://www.dhl.com/pl-pl/parcel/dla-biznesu/obsluga/oplata-sezonowa.html)). We found no information on a peak surcharge from InPost. Learn more in our overview of [parcel services in Poland](https://blog.getbyrd.com/en/poland-top-parcel-shipping-providers-in-ecommerce?hsLang=en). ## Smart timing as a strategy Peak surcharges don't just mean higher costs; they also show how much **the timing of your campaigns** matters. Launching promotions at the same time as everyone else brings short-term visibility, but also exposes you to the highest surcharges and the heaviest network load. **What our data shows:** working with hundreds of e-commerce merchants, we see the Black Week period losing weight compared with the rest of Q4. In 2019, almost 10% of Q4 order volume fell in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday window. Since then, that share has declined steadily, to around 7% in 2023 and 2024. ![Share of BF/CM order volume in Q4 volume, data and chart byrd](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Shipping%20Volumes%20over%20year%20bar%20chart%20copy.png?width=3800&height=2500&name=Shipping%20Volumes%20over%20year%20bar%20chart%20copy.png) Share of BF/CM order volume in Q4 order volume, data and chart byrd More and more merchants spread their promotions over a longer period and start in early November or even October. That way, they avoid the Peak-in-Peak weeks at the end of November, secure **faster deliveries and fewer bottlenecks**, and give their customers a more relaxed shopping experience. How to prepare stock, shipping and returns for Q4 is covered in our [peak season 2026 guide](https://blog.getbyrd.com/en/ecommerce-peak-season-strategies?hsLang=en). ## FAQ: peak surcharges **What is a peak surcharge?** A temporary surcharge that carriers charge during periods of very high parcel volume, usually around Black Week and Christmas. It's added to the regular shipping price. **How much is the DHL peak surcharge in 2026?** DHL Paket charges business customers €0.19 per parcel in November and December. From 23 November to 6 December 2026, a Peak-in-Peak surcharge of €0.50 per parcel comes on top. **When does the Royal Mail peak surcharge 2026 apply?** From 2 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 inclusive. For parcels, it's between £0.15 and £0.22 depending on the product. **Do byrd customers pay peak surcharges?** That depends on your contract and the carriers used. Ask your account manager if you want to know which surcharges apply to your shipments. ## Conclusion Peak surcharges are here to stay. The most successful merchants don't just accept them, they **plan their campaign calendar around them**: - In **Germany and Austria**, keep an eye on DHL's November and December surcharges and the Peak-in-Peak weeks from 23 November to 6 December. Express services such as DHL Express and UPS already charge surcharges from autumn. - In the **UK**, Royal Mail's surcharge applies from 2 November to 10 January, covering the whole peak. - In **France**, we found no published peak surcharges for 2026. In **Poland**, DPD's 2026 price list announces a possible seasonal fee, and DHL Parcel charged one in 2025. Add these surcharges to your marketing calendar and check whether promotions can be brought forward. If you find that your fulfillment setup reaches its limits during peak, talk to our team. We'll look at which solution fits your business together with you. --- ## As seen on               [![Getbyrd](https://blog.getbyrd.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Getbyrd_May2021/images/Footer_logo.svg "Getbyrd")](https://getbyrd.com/en/) - Services - [Fulfillment](https://getbyrd.com/en/fulfillment) - [New Businesses](https://getbyrd.com/en/new-businesses) - [Established Retailers](https://getbyrd.com/en/established-retailers) - [Enterprises](https://getbyrd.com/en/enterprise) - [European Fulfillment Network](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network) - Integrations - [Amazon FBM](https://getbyrd.com/en/amazon-fulfillment) - [Billbee](https://getbyrd.com/en/billbee-fulfillment) - [Mirakl](https://getbyrd.com/en/mirakl-fulfillment) - [ChannelEngine](https://getbyrd.com/en/integration-channelengine) - [PlentyONE](https://getbyrd.com/en/plentymarkets-fulfillment) - [PrestaShop](https://getbyrd.com/en/integration-prestashop) - [Shopify](https://getbyrd.com/en/shopify-fulfillment) - [Shopware](https://getbyrd.com/en/shopware-fulfillment) - [WooCommerce](https://getbyrd.com/en/woocommerce-fulfillment) - [Xentral](https://getbyrd.com/en/xentral-integration) - Locations - [Logistics Locations Europe](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network) - [UK](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/uk) - [Austria](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/austria) - [France](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/france) - [Germany](https://getbyrd.com/en/european-fulfillment-network/germany) - Partner - [Become a partner](https://getbyrd.com/en/partnerships) - About us - [Team](https://getbyrd.com/en/team) - [Blog](https://blog.getbyrd.com/en) - [Our Customers](https://getbyrd.com/en/references) - [Press](https://getbyrd.com/en/press) - [Career](https://getbyrd.com/en/jobs) - [Sustainability](https://getbyrd.com/en/sustainability-at-byrd) - Additional links - [Terms and Conditions](https://getbyrd.com/en/tac) - [Privacy Policy](https://getbyrd.com/en/privacy) - [Imprint](https://getbyrd.com/en/imprint) - [Contact](https://getbyrd.com/en/contact) - [Help](https://support.getbyrd.com/en/knowledge-base) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Phillip Pitsch", "url" : "https://blog.getbyrd.com/en/author/phillip-pitsch" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-07", "datePublished" : "2025-09-16", "description" : "Peak season surcharges 2026 from DHL, DHL Express, UPS and Royal Mail: amounts and periods for Germany, Austria, the UK, France and Poland.", "headline" : "Peak Season Surcharges 2026: What Carriers in Europe Charge", "image" : [ "https://7590762.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7590762/Cost%20per%20Shipment.png" ], "inLanguage" : "en", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.getbyrd.com/en/peak-surcharges-europe", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://api.hubapi.com/avatars/v1/signed-uris/1ClMKDwgEEgtnZXRieXJkLmNvbRiayvb9BSD_sesFKidicmFuZGluZzphcGk6d2ViOnVzZXItdHJhZmZpYzp1cy1lYXN0LTEyDDIuMjAyLjEyNS43MBIZAHsNx2Q747acIaTrTi2IsGzRxJC60wqRSg" }, "name" : "byrd technologies", "url" : "https://www.getbyrd.com" } } ```