FedEx One Rate Pricing Will Increase During Peak Season 2026

FedEx One Rate Is Excluded From Peak Demand Surcharges. Why Could Your Costs Still Increase?

FedEx One Rate packages are excluded from the carrier’s recently announced 2026 Peak Demand Surcharges, but that does not mean One Rate pricing will remain unchanged during the holiday season.

FedEx has separately notified customers enrolled in its One Rate Special Pricing Program that the One Rate pricing schedules applicable to their agreements will temporarily increase from October 26, 2026 through January 17, 2027. Existing negotiated discounts will remain in place, but they will be applied to the temporary peak season rates.

Both statements are therefore true:

• FedEx One Rate packages will not be assessed by the recently announced Peak Demand Surcharges.
• FedEx One Rate Special Pricing customers may still pay more because the underlying One Rate pricing schedule will temporarily increase.

For shippers trying to forecast peak costs, the distinction matters.

FedEx Is Using Two Separate Peak-Pricing Mechanisms

For One Rate customers, FedEx's 2026 peak pricing consists of two separate pricing actions:

FedEx used a similar approach during the 2025 peak season, excluding One Rate packages from its Peak Demand Surcharges while separately implementing temporary seasonal One Rate pricing.

The 2026 announcement follows that same basic structure.

What Does “Your Discount Will Not Change” Actually Mean?

FedEx states that the discounts shown in each customer’s agreement will continue to apply during the seasonal period.

That does not mean the customer’s net cost will remain the same.

Consider a simplified hypothetical example:

• Regular One Rate price: $100
• Negotiated discount: 20%
• Regular net price: $80

If the temporary holiday price increased to $105, the same 20% discount would still produce a net price of $84.

The actual increase will depend on the customer’s applicable One Rate pricing schedule, service mix, package types, zones and contractual discounts.

There Is No Single Percentage Increase for Every One Rate Customer

FedEx maintains multiple One Rate Special Pricing schedules. The pricing schedule that applies to a shipper may depend on when the agreement was signed and the specific One Rate program incorporated into that agreement.

FedEx has advised customers enrolled in the One Rate Special Pricing Program that updated seasonal pricing is available through the pricing reference contained in each customer's agreement.

The impact may vary by:

• FedEx service;
• packaging type;
• zone;
• the One Rate schedule incorporated into the agreement; and
• the customer’s negotiated discount.

How to Determine the Impact on Your Account

One Rate Special Pricing customers should take the following steps before October 26.

1. Find the pricing schedule referenced in your agreement

Review the One Rate section of your FedEx agreement and locate the web address or pricing reference incorporated into the contract.

Do not rely on a general rate table or another shipper’s schedule.

2. Preserve both versions of the pricing

If available, download both the regular One Rate schedule and the temporary seasonal schedule referenced in your agreement.

Keeping both versions provides a clear record of the change and makes it easier to validate invoices after the seasonal period begins.

3. Compare rates at the shipment level

The relevant comparison should reflect the services, packaging types and zones your business actually uses.

A general average can conceal significant differences within a shipping profile.

4. Apply your negotiated discount

Because the contractual discount remains in place, it must be applied to both the regular and seasonal rates to determine the actual net increase.

5. Model projected One Rate volume

Apply the net rate differences to the number of One Rate packages your business expects to ship between October 26 and January 17.

The actual financial impact will depend on the customer's applicable One Rate pricing schedule, service mix, package types, zones and contractual discounts.

6. Validate your invoices

Once the temporary pricing begins, compare billed rates against the applicable peak season schedule and your contractual discount.

Shippers should also audit their invoices to ensure FedEx restores the appropriate pricing after January 17.

Request a Custom FedEx One Rate Analysis

LJM can review the One Rate pricing schedule referenced in your agreement and calculate how the temporary peak season rates will affect your actual shipping costs.

The analysis can include:

• Your applicable regular and seasonal One Rate schedules;
• Service, packaging and zone-level changes;
• Existing contractual discounts;
• Projected peak season shipment volume; and
• Opportunities to reduce or renegotiate the resulting increase.

Request a complimentary contract and shipping-cost analysis to understand how FedEx's 2026 peak pricing could affect your account.

For a broader review of FedEx’s announced holiday surcharges, read FedEx Peak Season Surcharges 2026: Complete Rates, 2025 Comparison and What Shippers Should Watch