Amazon Shipping is preparing to impose higher peak-season delivery surcharges during the 2026 holiday period, with fees set to exceed those charged during last year’s peak season. The temporary charges will apply from October 25 through January 16, 2027, and will reach their highest level between November 22 and December 26.
Key points
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Amazon Shipping will apply peak-season surcharges from October 25, 2026, to January 16, 2027, at rates higher than those introduced during the 2025 holiday season, according to an announcement published Wednesday.
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The U.S. ground package delivery service will introduce temporary charges that include a per-package fee, as well as additional surcharges for shipments that are large, heavy or require additional handling.
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The highest peak-season rates will be applied from November 22 through December 26.
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The surcharges will be added automatically during the applicable periods and will come on top of customers’ existing contracted rates.
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Amazon says the additional charges are intended to help maintain service quality and delivery capacity during the busiest 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 |
Amazon Shipping enters its first peak season open to all businesses
The 2026 holiday period will be an important test for Amazon Shipping because it is the service’s first peak season as an offering available to all businesses, rather than being limited to merchants selling through Amazon.com.
The parcel delivery operation has been working to increase shipment volumes in recent months, using lower shipping rates to attract prospective customers. That strategy places Amazon increasingly in direct competition with established carriers such as UPS and FedEx as it seeks to capture a larger share of the U.S. parcel market.
At the same time, Amazon Shipping’s holiday surcharges broadly resemble the comparable peak-season fees planned by UPS and FedEx for 2026. There is, however, one notable difference: Amazon Shipping’s published fee structure does not include a volume-based surcharge for the second consecutive year.
Amazon previously applied such a charge in 2024. By comparison, UPS and FedEx maintain volume-based peak surcharges for larger customers, with the amount determined by how much a customer’s shipping activity differs from an established baseline.
Parcel shippers face a more expensive 2026 peak season
Amazon Shipping is not alone in raising holiday-related costs. UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service are all preparing higher holiday fees and rates than those charged last year, setting the stage for a more expensive peak season for parcel shippers.
Businesses are already dealing with elevated delivery costs linked to substantial fuel surcharges. According to the Q3 TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index released in July, 2026 is on track to record the highest ground parcel cost per package ever recorded.
The combination of higher carrier rates, peak-season surcharges and fuel-related costs could therefore put additional pressure on businesses as they prepare for the holiday shipping rush.
Other Amazon logistics services will also become more expensive
The higher costs will not be limited to Amazon Shipping. Users of several other Amazon logistics and fulfillment services are also scheduled to face increased holiday fees beginning next month.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Remote Fulfillment with FBA, Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime will apply elevated holiday charges from October 15, 2026, through January 14, 2027.
These services will also be subject to Amazon’s 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge, which began in April and will be applied on top of the holiday-related fees.
For businesses relying on Amazon’s broader logistics ecosystem, the 2026 holiday season is therefore shaping up to be a period of significantly higher fulfillment and delivery costs, as carriers and logistics providers increase charges to manage demand during the busiest weeks of the year.
