TNT's one-time insurance costs 1% of the insured value, with a minimum of €5 per shipment and a €25,000 limit for goods. However, one provision carries more weight than the rate: jewelry, watches, works of art, antiques, collectibles, and musical instruments are classified as unique items, and for these, neither Extended Liability nor Insurance applies.
This exclusion is often misrepresented in online comparisons, which suggest that TNT offers more generous luxury coverage than FedEx. TNT’s terms and conditions state the opposite. This article describes the actual policy, its four levels of protection, its effective cost based on the declared value, and the circumstances in which separate coverage becomes necessary. The provisions cited are taken from TNT’s General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Carriage, as of January 15, 2026, and from the “Additional Services” page on tnt.com. For an overview of the market, see our package insurance comparison.
The Four Levels of TNT Protection
TNT does not offer a single option but rather a combination of four plans, only two of which are insurance policies in the strict sense. Confusing them can lead to an overestimation of one's coverage.
The doubling of liability limits to €1 per package deserves a mention because it is not widely known. It does not change the basis for calculation: it simply doubles the limits specified in the terms and conditions, which remain weight-based limits. For light, high-value goods, doubling a limit that is already far below the actual value does not change the nature of the problem.
Standard insurance, which is a flat rate per parcel based on the category of goods, is capped at €5,000. One-time all-risk insurance covers up to €25,000. Document shipments are excluded from both, with a separate limit of €500.
TNT's Basic Liability, and How Much It's Worth in Euros
Unless otherwise specified, TNT applies the liability limit set forth in the applicable convention for your shipment. The contract explicitly lists three conventions: the Warsaw Convention, the Montreal Convention, and the CMR. Mandatory local law applies if it provides for a higher limit.
The compensation limit therefore depends on the mode of transport, a distinction that most articles fail to make. For international air transport, the Montreal Convention has set the limit at 26 SDRs per kilogram since December 28, 2024, which is approximately €32 per kilogram based on an exchange rate of €1.23 per SDR. For international road transport, the CMR limits compensation to 8.33 SDRs per kilogram, or approximately 10 euros per kilogram. Since intra-European TNT shipments are largely transported by road, it is often the CMR limit—which is significantly lower—that applies.
In practical terms, a 3-kg package containing €900 worth of goods is insured for around €30 when shipped by ground and around €96 when shipped by air. Since the SDR exchange rate fluctuates daily, be sure to check it for an accurate calculation, but this order of magnitude is sufficient for arbitrage.
There is one additional rule: the compensation cannot exceed the lowest of three amounts—the repair cost, the depreciated value, and the replacement cost. Declaring the new value therefore does not guarantee that you will be compensated in that amount.
How much does TNT insurance actually cost?
The advertised rate of 1% doesn't tell the whole story, because the €5 minimum charge distorts the actual cost for a large portion of e-commerce orders.
The threshold is €500. Below that, the minimum rate applies and the effective rate rises: 1.67% on a pacel worth €300, and even more on a lower-value order. Above that, the rate returns to 1%, and the difference compared to a proportional rate stabilizes.
The second threshold is that of the limit. For shipments exceeding 25,000 € per shipment, TNT insurance is simply no longer available, and the issue is no longer the price but whether coverage is even possible.
Unique Articles, the Decisive Exclusion
This is the provision that should guide your decision if you are shipping valuable items, and it is the one that is most often misreported.
The TNT General Terms and Conditions define a category of unique items that includes jewelry, watches, works of art, antiques, collectibles, and musical instruments. For these goods, Article 20.6 excludes both Extended Liability and Insurance. You remain covered only up to the limits set forth in the applicable Convention or mandatory local law, that is, based on weight.
The practical impact is stark. A 500-gram watch worth €4,000 shipped by air is covered for only about €16—or 0.4% of its value—and paying for the additional coverage option doesn’t change anything, since it doesn’t apply. For a watchmaker, jeweler, art gallery, or luthier, TNT’s insurance does not meet their needs, regardless of the price.
Please note that the TNT category differs from FedEx’s, which also includes smartphones, tablets, and laptops. If you ship high-tech items under both brands, the applicable coverage policies are not the same. Our analysis of FedEx pacel insurance provides details on this second category.
Which DTT option should you choose based on your profile?
The TNT system is not unsuitable in and of itself; it is suitable for certain profiles but not for others. Four scenarios cover most situations.
- Standard goods with a unit value between €500 and €25,000, shipped within Europe. This is the core target market for one-time insurance. The 1% rate applies in full, the cap is convenient, and integration into the shipping process eliminates the need for a separate contract.
- Consistent volumes, uniform and moderate values. Systematic, flat-rate insurance per parcel may be less expensive than the one-time option, which is declared on a per-shipment basis. Its fixed Limit of €5,000 sets the limit.
- Heavy goods that are inexpensive per kilogram. Doubling the liability limits to €1 per parcel sometimes sufficient, since the weight limit comes close to the actual value. This is the only case where weight-based coverage remains relevant.
- One-of-a-kind items, shipments valued at over €25,000, orders under €500, or shipments involving multiple carriers. These four situations fall outside the scope of what TNT can cover or price accurately.
The quick test involves two calculations. Divide the value of your pacel by its weight: if the result is significantly higher than €10 per kilogram for ground shipping or €32 per kilogram for air shipping, the basic liability coverage will not protect you. Then check whether your items are included in the list of unique items: if so, no TNT option will correct the discrepancy.
TNT and FedEx: Converging Networks
Since FedEx acquired TNT Express, the two networks have been gradually integrating. FedEx has published a page titled “TNT Becomes FedEx,” myTNT address books have been migrated to FedEx accounts, and a guide to services common to both brands is now available. The TNT France website, for its part, displays the message “FedEx and TNT Unite.”
To date, the two sets of terms and conditions remain separate, with their own limits and rates. The practical implication is simple: verify the terms under which your contract is actually classified before making any decisions regarding your limits, and repeat this check at each renewal. Coverage independent of the carrier offers the advantage of stability, since it remains unchanged even when transportation terms change.
Report a TNT Claim
The burden of proof lies with the shipper. The standard documentation package includes the shipping manifest, the commercial invoice stating the value, and photographs of the product and packaging in the event of damage. The contract imposes strict deadlines for notification and filing, which vary depending on whether the issue involves visible damage, hidden damage, or loss. Refer to the current version of your terms and conditions rather than a third-party comparison.
Two rules further limit the scope of compensation. Indirect losses are not covered: neither lost profits, nor reshipment costs, nor the commercial consequences of the incident. And ancillary services are subject to a separate limit of €3.40 per kilogram, capped at €10,000 per event or series of related events.
When Independent Coverage Becomes Necessary
There are four situations that fall outside the scope of what TNT insurance can cover.
- You are shipping one-of-a-kind items: jewelry, watches, art, antiques, collectibles, and musical instruments. TNT insurance does not apply, regardless of how much you are willing to pay.
- Your shipments exceed €25,000. The limit has been reached, and this option is no longer available.
- Your average cart value is low. The minimum of 5 € per shipment raises the effective rate well above the 1% shown for all packages under 500 €.
- You work with multiple carriers. Each network has its own limits, exclusions, and claim deadlines. Centralization becomes the main benefit—even more so than the savings on premiums.
An independent ad valorem coverage plan addresses these four points by design. The tax base is the declared value; there is no concept of a “single item”; and the policy follows the shipper rather than the carrier. At Claisy, coverage goes up to €100,000 per package, at a rate of 0.75% Excluding VAT of the declared value, which is on a sliding scale based on volume and has no minimum cost per shipment. Coverage is automatically activated via the Shopify, PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Magento, and Wix connectors, through the Shippingbo integration, or via the REST API, based on your own value rules.
On the disputes side, Claisy promises a response within 48 hours in 99% of cases and 95% of cases resolved within 72 hours after approval. The Claisy Resolution Center, a white-label claims portal designed for your end customers, is offered as a free option.
What is not covered by any insurance plan
Exclusions from acceptance are common in the market and are not dependent on the chosen service provider. Insufficient packaging or packaging that does not comply with the recommendations on carrier remains the leading reason for refusal. Prohibited or regulated goods, cash and securities, inherent defects in the product, and seizure or destruction by a public authority are excluded everywhere.
In addition, two types of shipments are excluded from the Claisy scope regardless of the value of the shipment. C2B shipments—that is, packages sent by an individual to a business—are not covered, even when the shipping label is generated by the business. Deliveries made by the sender themselves, using their own vehicles or employees, are also not covered: the package must be handed over to a Carrier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- TNT General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Transportation, version dated January 15, 2026, sections 20.1 through 20.6 and the definition of “Single Items,” accessed in October 2026.
- tnt.com, "Additional Services for Shipments to France" page, accessed in October 2026.
- fedex.com, "TNT Becomes FedEx" page, accessed in October 2026.
- Montreal Convention: 26 SDR per kilogram as of December 28, 2024; and CMR Convention: 8.33 SDR per kilogram.
- claisy.com, pages on Ad Valorem Protection, Integrations, and the Claisy Resolution Center, accessed in October 2026.