The four main carrier spot portals look alike: a price in seconds and a book button. The differences that matter to a freight forwarder sit in the terms: how long the price holds, whether the carrier commits to loading, and what happens if you cancel. Those details decide how long you can hold a sell quote open to a customer. This article gives a dated, sourced comparison of the four main carrier spot rates portals, checked on 30 September 2026. For a full overview of the quoting process, see the complete guide to freight quoting.
The short answer
The main differences between carrier spot portals are price validity and loading commitment. As checked on 30 September 2026, Hapag-Lloyd Quick Quotes Spot is valid for three hours; CMA CGM SpotOn is fixed for 24 hours, or 72 hours with its paid Lock my Price option; Maersk Spot fixes the price at booking confirmation and includes a loading guarantee of the booked vessel or an alternative sailing within ±3 days of the scheduled ETD; and MSC’s myMSC Instant Quote gives an instant bookable quote. Terms, eligibility and fees for ocean freight spot rates vary by trade, so check the individual quote before committing a customer price.
What a carrier spot portal is
A carrier spot portal is an online tool where a shipper or freight forwarder gets a price for a specific shipment and can book it straight away, without a contract rate. It is a direct channel to a carrier's live carrier rates for ad hoc shipments.
Why forwarders use them
Pricing desks use carrier portals to get fast buy rates on lanes where they do not have a suitable contract rate. For a shipment outside your existing agreements, the portal supplies a shipment-specific price without a new negotiation. This is faster than requesting a rate by email and waiting for a reply.
Comparing suppliers, not competitors
Carriers are the forwarder's suppliers. This article compares their terms of sale—validity, commitment, and fees—for their online spot products. The comparison is based on the carriers' own published documentation. It is not a comparison of their customer service or their direct-to-shipper offerings.
The comparison
The four main portals for carrier spot rates differ most on how long a price holds, what loading commitment comes with it, and what cancellation and amendment rules apply. These terms decide the risk a forwarder takes when building a sell quote on a portal buy rate.
The table below compares the portals based on their public terms as of 30 September 2026. Terms change and vary by trade; verify them on each quote.
| Portal | Price Validity | Loading Commitment | Cancellation and Amendment | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maersk Spot | Price is fixed once the booking confirmation is issued. | Loading guarantee on the booked vessel, or on an alternative vessel no more than three days before or after the confirmed ETD. | Cancellation at least seven days before ETD incurs a per-container cancellation fee. Later notice or a no-show attracts a per-container no-show fee. Amendments are repriced at current rates plus an amendment fee. | Maersk support FAQ; Maersk Terms for Spot Booking |
| CMA CGM SpotOn | Fixed price for 24 hours. Extendable to 72 hours with the paid 'Lock my Price' service. | 'Secured spot' on board on booking and priority for booking confirmation, loading, and equipment release. Check the SpotOn terms for exactly what the secured spot commits to. | Cancellation and amendment fees are shown on the individual quotation. | CMA CGM SpotOn page |
| Hapag-Lloyd Quick Quotes Spot | The spot rate is valid for three hours. | Equipment and loading priority at load and transshipment ports. The terms state this priority is not a guarantee against rolling. A guaranteed shipment is a separate paid add-on called Shipping Guarantee. Up to 20 containers per request. | Cancellation and no-show fees apply as per the carrier's governing tariff. | Hapag-Lloyd Quick Quotes Spot page; Quick Quotes Spot Terms |
| MSC myMSC Instant Quote | An online quote in seconds, 24/7, bookable immediately or saved and forwarded. | This article found no published global loading guarantee for the MSC Instant Quote product. Check the terms of each booking. | Check the individual quote and applicable local tariff for fees. | MSC press release, 1 July 2020 |
Priority is not a guarantee
A loading priority and a loading guarantee are different promises. A forwarder's quote desk must know the difference. The wording you use with your customer should reflect the commitment you have from your supplier.
What a loading guarantee looks like
Maersk Spot describes a specific loading guarantee. According to Maersk's support page, the commitment is to load cargo on the booked vessel, or on an alternative vessel departing no more than three days before or after the confirmed ETD. This is a defined service level with a clear operational window.
What loading priority means
Hapag-Lloyd's Quick Quotes Spot terms are explicit: priority handling does not guarantee the container will not be rolled. According to the Quick Quotes Spot Terms and Conditions, its Shipping Guarantee is a separate, paid add-on for a no-roll commitment. CMA CGM describes a ‘secured spot’ on booking and priority for loading; check its terms for exactly what that commits to. The time it takes to get a rate is only one part of the equation; understanding the commitment behind it is critical to knowing how long a freight quote should take to prepare and what it should promise.
How validity should shape your sell quote
A sell quote should not promise longer than the buy rate behind it holds. This is the first rule of freight forwarder quoting. If your buy rate expires in three hours, your sell rate must expire in three hours or less, or you must state that the rate is subject to reconfirmation.
Match your clock to the carrier's
On a three-hour buy rate from Hapag-Lloyd Quick Quotes Spot, you must quote your customer fast. If they accept after the three-hour window, you must re-check the carrier's portal before confirming the booking. Your quote wording should build this in. For example: "This rate is based on carrier spot pricing and is valid for three hours from the time of issue."
State the validity on every quote
Every quote you send to a customer must have a clear validity date and time. This sets expectations and protects your margin. It also creates a natural trigger for your sales team to use a follow-up cadence for sent quotes. The quote that goes out first is the one the buyer reads first, but the one with clear terms is the one they can trust.
Choosing a portal per lane
The right portal for a shipment depends on the lane, the cargo, and the customer's tolerance for risk. The headline price is only one factor.
Check service and terms, not just price
First, check which carriers serve the lane directly. A cheaper rate that involves an extra transshipment may not be a better deal. Then, weigh the portal's terms. A 24-hour validity from CMA CGM SpotOn gives you more time to work with a customer than a three-hour validity from Hapag-Lloyd. The choice impacts your sales process.
For cargo that cannot roll
If your customer's cargo absolutely must not be rolled, look for a product with a loading guarantee. Maersk Spot offers a defined guarantee. Hapag-Lloyd offers its Shipping Guarantee as a separate, paid product. These products may cost more, but they provide a higher level of certainty that you can pass on to your customer. Always check the specific terms of the guarantee, including any remedies for failure.
Special cargo is a special case
Spot portals usually cover standard containers and exclude special cargo. For example, Hapag-Lloyd’s Quick Quotes Spot terms exclude dangerous goods, special equipment (in gauge or out of gauge) and cargo needing special handling. For these shipments, you must use the carrier's specific quoting process for that cargo type, which often involves manual checks and approvals.
Where AI Quote Desk fits
An automated quoting tool changes the speed of this process. AI Quote Desk works as an automation layer around your rate sources, including carrier spot rates portals.
How it gets the rate
Where a rate can be fetched without waiting on a person—from a carrier API, a portal read in the background, or your own uploaded rate cards—a priced quote goes out in 10 to 15 minutes instead of 1 to 2 hours. For account and carrier spot rates, a scraper agent reads the carrier's portal and manages the retrieval on its own.
Human control remains
This quote desk automation does not remove your team's control. Every message a customer sees waits for a person, who can edit, approve, or reject it. An approved message goes out in their own name. This human-in-the-loop design ensures that the commercial risks identified in this article—short validity, priority vs. guarantee, cancellation fees—are reviewed by your team before a commitment is made to a customer. You can see how this works by comparing an AI quote desk compared with manual quoting.
By automating the rate retrieval, AI Quote Desk frees up your pricing team to focus on the commercial decision: choosing the right carrier product and setting the right sell price and validity for the customer.
Ready to see how fast your team could be? See your own RFQ quoted live.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a carrier spot rate valid?
The validity of a carrier spot rate depends on the carrier and their portal. As of 30 September 2026, a Hapag-Lloyd Quick Quotes Spot rate is valid for three hours, while a CMA CGM SpotOn quote is valid for 24 hours (extendable to 72 hours with a paid option). Maersk Spot fixes the price at booking confirmation. Always check the validity on the specific quote, as terms can vary by trade lane.
What is MSC Instant Quote?
MSC Instant Quote is the online quotation tool within the myMSC portal. According to an MSC press release from July 2020, it lets customers get an online quote in seconds, 24/7. The quote can then be booked immediately or saved and forwarded. The specific terms, including validity and any guarantees, should be checked on each individual quote.
Does a spot booking guarantee loading?
Not always. It is critical to distinguish between "loading priority" and a "loading guarantee." Some products, like Maersk Spot, offer a defined loading guarantee on the booked vessel or an alternative within a specific time frame. Others, like Hapag-Lloyd's Quick Quotes Spot, offer priority handling but explicitly state this is not a guarantee against rolling. Always check the product's terms to understand the level of commitment.
Can I cancel a spot booking?
Yes, but usually with fees. The rules and costs for cancellation vary significantly between carriers. For example, Maersk's Spot terms state that to avoid the no-show fee, a booking must be cancelled at least seven days before the vessel's estimated time of departure (ETD), and even then a cancellation fee applies. Always review the cancellation and amendment fee structure before making a spot booking.
What should I look for when choosing a carrier spot portal for a shipment?
Look beyond the headline price. A forwarder should compare portals based on four key criteria for the specific lane:
- Price Validity: How long do you have to get customer approval before the rate expires?
- Loading Commitment: Does the portal offer a true loading guarantee or just priority handling? This is crucial for time-sensitive cargo.
- Fees: What are the cancellation, amendment, and no-show fees? These represent your financial risk.
- Cargo Eligibility: Does the portal support your cargo type (e.g., standard dry, reefer, dangerous goods)? Many spot portals are for standard containers only.
Sources & References
This article draws on research and data from the following verified sources:
- Maersk support: What does a loading guarantee mean for Maersk Spot? (checked 30 Sep 2026)
- Maersk: Terms for Spot Booking (checked 30 Sep 2026)
- CMA CGM: Get an instant quote with SpotOn (checked 30 Sep 2026)
- Hapag-Lloyd: Spot Rate, Quick Quotes Spot (checked 30 Sep 2026)
- Hapag-Lloyd: Quick Quotes Spot Terms and Conditions
- MSC press release, 1 July 2020: MSC introduces Instant Quote function for online cargo bookings
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