Just when you thought Prime delivery couldn’t get any faster, Amazon is speeding things up. To that effect, the company is rolling out ultra-fast 1-hour and 3-hour delivery windows across the U.S.
Till now, “Same-Day Delivery” meant waiting until dinner time for a package you ordered over coffee. But this new update changes the game. Amazon is essentially turning its local fulfillment centers into high-speed hubs to bridge that “I need it now” gap.
While standard Prime shipping remains an Amazon staple, these new tiered 1-hour and 3-hour delivery options target the instances when you’re truly in a pinch. Whether it’s a last-minute gift, or a replacement charger for a dead laptop, you can now have them in hand before your next meeting ends.
Of course, there’s a catch. This level of speed likely comes with a premium fee for non-Prime members, and it’s currently rolling out in select major metro areas first.
For Prime members, the new delivery uber-fast options come with an additional fee:
- 1-hour delivery: $9.99
- 3-hour delivery: $4.99
For comparison, non-Prime members are charged $19.99 for the 1-hour window and $14.99 for the 3-hour window. Standard Same-Day Delivery remains free for Prime members on qualifying orders (typically those over $25).
The 1-hour and 3-hour delivery options are launching across quite a large footprint, with the 1-hour service reaching hundreds of cities and the 3-hour window available in over 2,000 locations. Major metros like Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D.C., are among the first to see these ultra-fast windows become available, but the rollout also includes mid-sized cities like Boise and Des Moines, and even smaller towns such as American Fork, Utah, and Arabi, Louisiana. Because availability depends heavily on your proximity to a local fulfillment center, the best way to see if your neighborhood is eligible is to check the filters in the Amazon app or visit their dedicated “getitfast” landing page.
We got to hand it to Amazon as this is a massive logistical feat. It’s a bold move that puts even more pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers and competitors like DoorDash.