Amazon is aggressively expanding its same-day delivery services in the United States, now offering one-hour and three-hour delivery windows for over 90,000 products. The move directly challenges rivals like Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, all competing for dominance in the ultra-fast delivery market.
New Delivery Options & Pricing
Customers shopping on Amazon’s app or website will now see labels indicating which items qualify for one- or three-hour delivery. A dedicated filter allows users to specifically browse these faster-shipping products.
Pricing varies based on Prime membership:
- Prime Members: $9.99 for one-hour delivery, $4.99 for three-hour delivery
- Non-Prime Members: $19.99 for one-hour delivery, $14.99 for three-hour delivery
Expanding Availability
The one-hour service is currently available in hundreds of U.S. cities, including major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., alongside smaller cities such as Des Moines and Boise. The three-hour option has even wider reach, serving over 2,000 cities and towns nationwide. Amazon will also launch a dedicated storefront for these ultra-fast delivery items.
Why This Matters
Amazon’s latest push into faster deliveries underscores the growing consumer demand for immediate gratification. The e-commerce giant is leveraging its extensive logistics network to compete in a space previously dominated by food and grocery delivery services. This move isn’t entirely new; Amazon tested similar one-hour delivery under “Prime Now” in 2014 before discontinuing it in 2021, and piloted a 30-minute option in select cities in 2025.
Udit Madan, Amazon’s senior vice president of Worldwide Operations, stated that the company “saw an opportunity to use our unique operational expertise…to help make customers’ lives a little easier.”
Utilizing Existing Infrastructure
Amazon will fulfill these new delivery options through its existing same-day fulfillment centers, signaling a strategic decision to optimize its current resources rather than building entirely new infrastructure.
This expansion reinforces Amazon’s commitment to dominating the last-mile delivery space. The company is betting that speed and convenience will further lock customers into its Prime ecosystem.
