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Peak season rewards brands that lock in their cross-border shipping plan early. Carrier demand surcharges and holiday cutoff dates decide two things at once: whether your international orders land on time, and whether peak volume grows your margin or eats it.
We're tracking both here in one place. FlavorCloud customers ship on guaranteed DDP through our Cross-Border Commerce OS, so duties and delivery promises stay predictable even when carriers raise rates. Use this tracker to plan around the dates and fees below.
Last updated: September 2, 2026. This is a living tracker. We'll add carrier details as they're published, so bookmark this page and check back.
Peak Season Surcharges
| Carrier | Service | Lane | Surcharge | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHL | Express | Worldwide | Weight-based demand surcharge | Oct 1, 2026 to Feb 5, 2027 |
Updates pending from: FedEx Express, UPS Express, DHL eCommerce, ePG, APC, UPS Mail Innovations, and Landmark. We'll post rates and effective dates here as each carrier confirms.
Holiday Shipping Cutoffs (U.S. origin)
Ship by these dates to hit Christmas and New Year's delivery. DDP = Delivered Duty Paid. DDU = Delivered Duty Unpaid.
Express services
For all express services below, DDP and DDU cutoffs are the same.
| Carrier | Service | Destination | Christmas cutoff | New Year's cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Express Economy | Rest of world | Dec 17 | Dec 23 |
| FedEx | Express Economy | Canada | Dec 18 | Dec 24 |
| FedEx | Express | Rest of world | Dec 18 | Dec 24 |
| FedEx | Express | Canada | Dec 19 | Dec 24 |
| UPS | Express Economy | Rest of world | Dec 17 | Dec 23 |
| UPS | Express Economy | Canada | Dec 18 | Dec 24 |
| UPS | Express | Rest of world | Dec 18 | Dec 24 |
| UPS | Express | Canada | Dec 19 | Dec 24 |
| DHL Express | Express | Rest of world | Dec 19 | Dec 26 |
| DHL Express | Express | Canada | Dec 20 | Dec 26 |
Standard services
| Carrier | Terms | Destination | Christmas cutoff | New Year's cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landmark | DDP | Canada | Dec 13 | Dec 20 |
| APC | DDP | Canada | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| APC | DDP | Australia/NZ | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDP | Europe | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDP | United Kingdom | Dec 15 | Dec 22 |
| APC | DDP | Rest of world | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDU | Canada | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDU | Australia/NZ | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDU | Europe | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDU | United Kingdom | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| APC | DDU | Rest of world | Dec 3 | Dec 10 |
| ePG | DDP | Canada | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| ePG | DDP | Australia/NZ | Dec 8 | Dec 15 |
| ePG | DDP | Europe | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| ePG | DDP | United Kingdom | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| ePG | DDP | Rest of world | Dec 6 | Dec 13 |
| ePG | DDU | Canada | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| ePG | DDU | Australia/NZ | Dec 8 | Dec 15 |
| ePG | DDU | Europe | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| ePG | DDU | United Kingdom | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| ePG | DDU | Rest of world | Dec 3 | Dec 10 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDP | Canada | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDP | Australia/NZ | Dec 8 | Dec 15 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDP | Europe | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDP | United Kingdom | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDP | Rest of world | Dec 6 | Dec 13 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDU | Canada | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDU | Australia/NZ | Dec 8 | Dec 15 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDU | Europe | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDU | United Kingdom | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| DHL eCommerce | DDU | Rest of world | Dec 3 | Dec 10 |
Keep checking back
Carriers are still publishing 2026 surcharge schedules, and cutoff dates can shift as peak volume builds. We update this tracker as new details land. Bookmark it and check back before you finalize your holiday shipping plan.
Want your cross-border orders to clear customs and arrive on time through peak, without surprise duties?
