Rapid ParcelRapid Parcel tracking
The broker with its own tracking number — book with Rapid Parcel, get a Rapid Ref, and a partner courier does the driving.
You booked with Rapid Parcel, but Rapid Parcel never touches your parcel. Another courier collects it, another courier delivers it — and yet the only number you were given belongs to neither of them. The Rapid Ref is the broker's own invention: three letters, three numbers, issued by Rapid Parcel, tracked on Rapid Parcel's site, showing scans gathered from whichever courier actually has the box.
Track your Rapid Parcel parcel
Enter your Rapid Ref — it is on your confirmation email and receipt. Rapid Parcel is a broker: your parcel is carried by one of its partner couriers.
Rapid Ref: 3 letters + 3 numbers (e.g. ABC123); multi-parcel bookings use a -1 suffix (ABC123-1). Only parcels booked through Rapid Parcel can be tracked here.
A broker booking, not a courier delivery
Rapid Parcel is a middleman: it sells you another courier's service, gives you its own Rapid Ref, and its tracker republishes that carrier's scans. If you only have the carrier's own number (for example a Parcelforce or CitySprint number), track on that carrier's site — Rapid Parcel can only track parcels booked through its own system. And if you do not have a Rapid Ref at all, your delivery was probably booked directly with a courier or through another supplier.
How the broker handover works
Rapid Parcel runs no vans of its own. It is a courier comparison and booking service (a trading name of Excess Baggage (Airports) Ltd) that sells other couriers' services at a discount. Its own About page says it has “invested heavily in advanced tracking software which gathers information from all of our courier partners in real-time” — the scans are the carrier's; Rapid Parcel republishes them. If the carrier's scan is late, Rapid Parcel's tracker is late too. The one thing Rapid Parcel does first, unlike a carrier page: when something goes wrong, Rapid Parcel's own support team is the first call, because the contract is with Rapid Parcel.
Your Rapid Parcel tracking number
Rapid Ref: 3 letters + 3 numbers (e.g. ABC123); multi-parcel bookings use a -1 suffix (ABC123-1). Only parcels booked through Rapid Parcel can be tracked here.
Example format: ABC123 — that is a shape, not a real parcel. Enter your own number exactly as the sender gave it: a single wrong letter is the most common reason a tracker says “not recognised”.
Your Rapid Ref is issued at booking and appears on the email confirmation (two emails arrive: a confirmation plus a PDF with the documents and labels) and on the receipt. The tracker accepts one or many references at once. Note the trap: the header tracking box on Rapid Parcel's own site shows a placeholder of ABC1234 (three letters + four digits), but the official FAQ's rule is three letters + three numbers — follow the FAQ, not the placeholder. And never reshape your reference: enter it exactly as given.
Rapid Parcel services & delivery times
Arrives by 5.30pm the day after collection. Collection typically needs 2–3 hours' notice, depending on postcode.
The slower UK option. Collections generally run 9am–5.30pm, sometimes to 7pm for residential addresses.
The only options that carry a guarantee, with a compensation scheme if a guaranteed time is missed. Collection times themselves are never guaranteed.
Collection typically needs about 1 hour's notice for same-day, and the cut-off depends on postcode.
Prices are quoted per booking at checkout — no public price list exists, so no prices are shown here. Shipping is offered from the UK only; imports go to sister company Excess Baggage.
Letter and document services alongside parcels.
Pallets are handled through Palletways. No TrackParcels Palletways page exists yet, so use Palletways' own tracker for pallet scans.
Delivery aims are the courier's stated aims for the service, not guarantees for every parcel. Bank holidays, bad weather and busy periods (especially Christmas) can add a day.
What each Rapid Parcel status means
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Courier tracking information is not available | Rapid Parcel has the booking on file but no carrier scan data for it yet. | Wait until the parcel has been collected and reached the courier's depot, then check again. |
| No tracking has been found | The reference is not in Rapid Parcel's system at all. | Check the letters and digits (format ABC123, or ABC123-1 for multi-parcel), and remember only parcels booked through Rapid Parcel can be tracked here. |
Why there is no status table here
Rapid Parcel publishes no status glossary of its own, so this page invents no status table. The two messages above are the only tracker wordings verified first-hand. Every other scan you see belongs to the carrying courier — read its statuses on that courier's own page: Parcelforce tracking. CitySprint, DTDC and Palletways have no TrackParcels pages yet, so for those, use the carrier's own tracker. One timing rule matters: nothing shows until the parcel has been collected and reached the courier's depot, so a blank tracker on collection day is normal.
Parcel stuck or delayed — what to do
- If tracking shows nothing, first check the reference is a Rapid Ref (3 letters + 3 numbers, on the confirmation email and receipt). Parcels are not traceable until collected and at the courier's depot. If there is still no tracking visible the following day after collection, contact Rapid Parcel customer support.
- If the parcel was not collected, contact Rapid Parcel as soon as possible so it can arrange a new collection or an alternate courier. Missed collections are rare; collection times are not guaranteed. A driver may refuse collection if there is no barcode label, no customs invoices, an unboxed item, insufficient packaging, or a prohibited item — and parcels over 32kg with nobody to help lift may also be refused.
- If the parcel was not delivered on time, check the tracking page first — weather, road closures, traffic accidents or clearance delays can affect the original estimate. On a Time Guaranteed service, a compensation scheme applies if the guaranteed time is missed; guarantees apply only once the parcel has been collected.
- If nobody was in for delivery, the driver may leave the parcel in a safe location or with a neighbour, or return it to a depot and leave a calling card with a contact number. You can contact the courier to arrange a convenient delivery date, or ask Rapid Parcel to arrange a redelivery — re-delivery requests require 24 hours' notice.
- If you need delivery to a different address, contact customer support — in some cases it is not possible, additional surcharges may apply, and 24 hours' notice is required.
- If no confirmation email arrived, check spam and add customersupport@rapidparcel.com to your safe list — two messages should arrive (confirmation + PDF documents). If still missing, contact support for re-sent documents. A printer is required: the label carries a unique barcode.
- If a parcel is returned, it may be for restricted or prohibited goods or missing documentation, and the sender may be liable for a return surcharge under the Terms & Conditions.
More detail: Parcel stuck in transit — the full step-by-step guide.
Drop-off counters
Rapid Parcel's drop-off network is the Excess Baggage Company's in-store network of staffed counters. You can walk into London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted or Manchester Airport — or London Euston, London King's Cross, Liverpool Lime Street, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly or Birmingham New Street — and hand a parcel to a staffed counter to send it anywhere in the world, with free box and packaging material thrown in. No other broker on this site has a physical presence like it. Note the direction: the counters are for sending, not collecting — Rapid Parcel does not deliver to its own counters for recipient pickup. And one safety note from Rapid Parcel itself: type rapidparcel.com directly rather than clicking links in emails, because scam sites have misused its logo.
The “Rapid” service with no name
The partners page lists a service called simply “Rapid”, “provided by two of the largest worldwide couriers” — without naming them. A reader whose label says “Rapid” cannot tell from the site alone whether DHL, UPS or another global carrier has their parcel. This page names that gap honestly rather than guessing the two couriers. The named partners are CitySprint (same-day van and motorcycle), DTDC, Palletways and Parcelforce.
Claims, if it comes to that
Contact Customer Support within 5 days of delivery for damage; the claim form must arrive within 14 days of collection (damage) or within 28 days of the delivery being declared lost. Only the person who placed the order may claim. Shipment Protection up to £2,000 is available at booking; without it, cover is £50 limited liability.
Contact Rapid Parcel
Customer servicesPhone lines open weekdays 9am–5pm. Have your Rapid Ref to hand. Outside those hours email customersupport@rapidparcel.com. LiveChat is also open weekdays 9am–5pm.
If you are the recipient and the parcel is lost or damaged, contact the retailer/sender first — most couriers only accept claims from the sender.
Rapid Parcel tracking — FAQs
How do I track a Rapid Parcel parcel?
Go to rapidparcel.com/tracking/ and enter your Rapid Ref number — three letters + three numbers, e.g. ABC123. No account is needed, and you can enter several references at once on the tracking page. The tracking box at the top of every Rapid Parcel page works the same way.
What is a Rapid Ref number?
Rapid Parcel's own reference for your booking: three letters followed by three numbers (e.g. ABC123), on your confirmation email and receipt. It is Rapid Parcel's number, not the courier's — the courier has its own tracking number too. Multi-parcel bookings use a -1 suffix (ABC123-1).
Why does my Rapid Parcel tracking show nothing?
The parcel only becomes traceable once it has been collected and reached the courier's depot, so a blank tracker on collection day is normal. If there is still nothing the day after collection, contact Rapid Parcel customer support on 020 8897 5324 (weekdays 9am–5pm).
Who actually delivers my Rapid Parcel parcel?
One of Rapid Parcel's courier partners — Parcelforce, CitySprint, DTDC, Palletways, or the unnamed global couriers behind its “Rapid” service. Rapid Parcel is a broker: it compares, books and tracks, but the partner courier collects and delivers.
My parcel wasn't delivered — what do I do?
Check the tracker, then contact Rapid Parcel customer support (020 8897 5324, weekdays 9am–5pm, or customersupport@rapidparcel.com). If the driver left a calling card, the parcel may be at the courier's depot — you can contact the courier, or ask Rapid Parcel to arrange a redelivery; re-delivery needs 24 hours' notice.
Can I drop my parcel off instead of waiting for a collection?
Yes — at a staffed Excess Baggage counter at an airport (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester) or a rail station (including Euston, King's Cross, Liverpool Lime Street, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street). Free box and packaging material is provided at the counter.
Track with another UK courier
Not Rapid Parcel after all? Your parcel may have changed hands — check the other couriers: