Amazon has been busy ramping up same-day delivery lately, using every method at its disposal — including the subway — to deliver items to customers as fast as it possibly can. And for members of Amazon Prime, those delivery terms are about to get even better.
Starting today, Amazon is offering same-day delivery for free to Prime members in 14 metro areas throughout the U.S. The service is basically an extension of the free two-day shipping that Prime members have been using since the service was introduced.
The major areas served are New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma, Phoenix, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Indianapolis, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, and the Tampa Bay area.
There are, of course, a few limitations. First, free same-day delivery is only available on orders of $35 or more, and only on select items. Similar to how Prime eligible items are marked, items eligible for same-day delivery are marked with a Prime FREE Same-Day logo. Orders need to be placed by noon, and will be delivered by 9 p.m.
Previously, same-day delivery would cost Prime members $5.99, plus 99 cents for each additional item. This remains the price for same-day delivery on orders under $35. For non-members, the base fee remains the same at $9.98. A membership for Amazon Prime costs $99 a year.
This isn’t the same as Amazon’s Prime Now service, which has been expanding to more cities in the past few months. That service focuses more on essentials like paper towels or toothpaste, delivered within one hour. While you might find items overlapping between the two services, Prime members will still need to pay for Prime Now deliveries.
Last week the company introduced the ability to order from local stores to Prime Now customers in Manhattan. This type of premium on-demand service is likely what will continue to differentiate Prime’s free same-day delivery from Prime Now.
To see if you’re eligible, head over to Amazon’s same-day delivery page and enter your zip code.
