Amazon’s shipping is getting faster and faster. On Tuesday, the online retailer announced the launch of a 30-minute delivery option called “Amazon Now” in dozens of U.S. cities.
Amazon says this super-fast shipping option will allow customers to purchase “thousands” of items, including fresh groceries, household goods, and other locally-related products.
At launch, Amazon Now will be widely available in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle, and is expanding to areas including Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix. Amazon expects to continue rolling out across the U.S. and expect to be able to offer the service to tens of millions of customers in these and other cities by the end of the year.
Eligible products will display a 30-minute delivery banner in the Amazon app and website. Amazon Now offers are also visible to customers as they shop.
Amazon began piloting 30-minute delivery in Seattle and Philadelphia in December, putting the company in competition with other quick delivery services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart.
In addition to speed, this service also competes on price. Amazon Now shipping isn’t free, but you’ll still save money since Prime members only pay $3.99 in fees per order, compared to $13.99 for non-Prime members. Orders under $15.00 are subject to an additional small order fee of $1.99 for Prime members and $3.99 for non-members. It’s a simpler pricing structure than its competitors, and it often ends up being cheaper for Prime members compared to its competitors, which charge variable shipping fees on top of service fees, expected shopper gratuities, and sometimes per-item markups.
To enable these quick orders, Amazon leverages a network of smaller fulfillment locations located closer to where customers live or work compared to the company’s large warehouses. Delivery times can be reduced by having a more limited selection of items and reducing travel distance.
Amazon Now orders at launch will include fresh produce, dairy and eggs, bakery products, health and personal care supplies, baby and pet essentials, electronics, and alcohol, where permitted. In most regions, this option is available 24 hours a day.
“Amazon Now is for people who need or want the convenience of having their Amazon order delivered within 30 minutes,” Udit Madan, Amazon’s senior vice president of Worldwide Operations, said in a statement regarding the announcement. “With ultra-fast delivery on thousands of items, you can have everything delivered right to your door, from groceries for dinner to AirPods before your flight to household essentials like laundry detergent and toothpaste.”
The service joins Amazon’s existing fast shipping options, including 1-hour and 3-hour shipping available on more than 90,000 products as of March, and same-day shipping options on millions of products. Amazon is also experimenting with Prime Air drone deliveries within 60 minutes at eight U.S. locations.
In 2025, Amazon Prime members received a total of over 13 billion items for same-day or next-day delivery worldwide. The US alone accounted for 8 billion of these, an increase of 30% year over year.
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