Goods in Transit Insurance: What It Actually Costs

A plain breakdown of what drives the price up or down — not just “it depends.

The honest answer is “it depends,” and most articles stop there. This one doesn’t — here’s what it actually depends on, and roughly what that means in pounds, so a number on a quote makes sense rather than looking arbitrary.

The two ways it’s priced

Goods in transit (GIT) cover comes in two forms, and they’re priced completely differently.

Included as standard. Most same-day and next-day couriers build a baseline level of cover into every job — commonly £5,000 to £10,000 per consignment — at no extra line on the quote. This is priced into the courier’s own annual GIT policy, which covers everything they carry, so it doesn’t appear as a separate charge to you. It’s what “insured” means on a standard quote unless you’re told otherwise.

Declared-value cover. When what you’re sending is worth more than the standard limit, you declare the value and pay a small percentage of it on top. This is the number people actually mean when they ask what GIT insurance costs.

What declared-value cover actually costs

For UK same-day and next-day courier work, enhanced cover typically runs 0.5%–2% of the declared value, with most quotes landing around 1%. A few reference points:

£2,000 declared value → roughly £10–£40 added to the job
£10,000 declared value → roughly £50–£200 added
£50,000+ declared value → often priced individually rather than as a flat percentage, because at that level the courier is usually placing specific cover with their insurer rather than using a blanket rate

The percentage moves with three things: what the item is, how it’s packaged, and whether it’s travelling in a dedicated vehicle or shared with other consignments. A sealed pallet of electronics in a dedicated van costs less to insure, proportionally, than a single framed painting sharing space with unrelated jobs — more handling points, more opportunity for something to go wrong.

Why the standard limit is usually enough, and when it isn’t

If you’re sending something worth less than the standard £5,000–£10,000 limit, declared-value cover is unnecessary — you’re already covered, and paying extra buys nothing.

It becomes worth arranging when either of two things is true: the item’s actual worth exceeds the standard limit, or the item is genuinely irreplaceable regardless of its insured value — where the cover matters less than the packaging and handling decisions that reduce the chance of a claim in the first place.

What the cover does not include, regardless of the percentage paid

This is where most disputes happen, and it’s worth knowing before you book rather than after something goes wrong.

Inadequate packaging. Cover is conditional on the item being packed reasonably for the journey. A pane of glass with no rigid backing, or an item in a box that’s already structurally damaged, is likely to fall outside the policy regardless of declared value.
Cash, and certain negotiable items. Standard GIT cover typically excludes cash, bearer bonds and similar — these need to be declared and arranged separately if they need to move at all.
Consequential loss. Cover pays for the item, not for what its lateness or loss cost you downstream — a missed contract, a stopped production line, a lost sale. That risk sits with the sender, not the courier’s insurance, however tempting it is to assume otherwise.
Undeclared value above the standard limit. If something worth £30,000 is sent without declaring it, the claim is very likely capped at the standard limit, not the actual value. Declaring the value isn’t paperwork for its own sake — it’s the thing that actually changes what you’d be paid out.

How to get an accurate number rather than a guess

The percentage-based estimate above is a starting point, not a quote. To get the real figure:

Declare the actual value, not a rounded-up or rounded-down guess — under-declaring caps a future claim, over-declaring just costs more for no benefit.
Describe what it is, not just what it’s worth — fragility and replaceability both affect the rate, separately from value.
Ask whether it needs a dedicated vehicle. For higher-value or fragile consignments, moving alone in one vehicle both reduces risk and often reduces the insurance loading compared with shared transport.
Package it properly first, or ask what packaging the cover requires — this is the one variable within your control that affects both the price and whether a claim would actually be honoured.

A courier who can answer all four without hesitation is quoting real cover. One who just applies a flat percentage without asking any of this is probably applying a rough default rather than pricing the actual risk.

Sending something above the standard cover limit? Tell us the value and what it is, and we’ll quote enhanced cover accurately — not as a guessed percentage. Get a quote →