UPS Rolls Out Surge Emergency Fee
UPS Rolls Out Surge Emergency Fee
By: Louis DeJianne April 29, 2026
UPS rolled out a broad "Surge Emergency Fee" on April 19, applying a $0.23 per-pound charge to shipments between the United States and most international destinations.
What the new fees look like
The April update introduced a two-tier structure for inbound US shipments from Asia, replacing a flat $0.23/lb that had briefly applied across the board. Notably, the China and Hong Kong rate dropped from $0.32/lb - prior to April 19 - to $0.23/lb after April 26th.
All fees are calculated on billable weight, are subject to the UPS Fuel Surcharge on top, and remain in effect until further notice. UPS did not provide a specific reason for the surcharges in its notice, stating only that the goal is to continue meeting customer shipping needs without compromising service quality or timeliness.
The Middle East surcharges that preceded them
The April fees don't stand alone. UPS had already installed significantly steeper surcharges on Middle East routes beginning March 22, and those remain in effect:
US ↔️ Israel / UAE
- $1.50 /lb
- Effective March 22, 2026
US ↔️ Middle East
- $1.34 /lb
- Covers 14 countries incl. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan
At $1.50/lb, the US–Israel and US–UAE routes carry a surcharge more than six times higher than the general international rate. For a 50-pound shipment, that's $75 in surcharge alone before fuel multipliers are applied.