Amazon deliveries are getting faster. On Tuesday, the online retailer announced the launch of its 30-minute delivery option, dubbed “Amazon now,”in dozens of American cities.
This ultra-fast delivery option will allow customers to purchase “thousands” of items, Amazon says, including fresh groceries, household essentials, and other locally relevant items.
At launch, Amazon Now will be widely available in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Seattle, and is expanding to Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Phoenix. By the end of the year, Amazon hopes to bring the service to tens of millions of customers in these and other cities, as it continues to roll out across the United States.
Eligible items will be marked with “30 minute delivery” signs on the Amazon app and website. Amazon Now deals will also be shown to customers while they shop.
Amazon pilot tests began of 30-minute deliveries in Seattle and Philadelphia in December, a move that pitted the retailer against other fast delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart.
In addition to speed, the service competes on price. While Amazon Now deliveries aren’t free, Prime members still save by paying just a $3.99 fee per order, compared to $13.99 for non-Prime members. An additional small order fee of $1.99 for Prime members, or $3.99 for non-members, is charged on orders under $15.00. This is a simpler fee structure than the competition, and one that often ends up being cheaper for Prime members, compared to competitors who charge variable shipping fees along with service fees, expected buyer gratuities, and sometimes even price markups per item.
To make these quick orders possible, Amazon leverages a network of smaller fulfillment locations that are closer to where customers live and work, compared to the company’s larger warehouses. With a more limited selection of items and reduced travel distances, delivery times can be accelerated.
At launch, Amazon now Orders may include fresh produce, dairy and eggs, baked goods, healthcare and personal care items, baby and pet needs, electronics and alcohol, where permitted. In most areas, the option will be available 24 hours a day.
“Amazon Now is ideal for when you need or want the convenience of receiving your Amazon order in 30 minutes or less,” Udit Madan, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in a statement about the launch. “With thousands of items available for ultra-fast delivery, you can have everything from dinner groceries to AirPods before a flight and household essentials like laundry detergent or toothpaste delivered right to your door.”
The service also joins Amazon’s existing express delivery options, including its 1- and 3-hour deliveries available throughout more than 90,000 products as of Marchand its same-day delivery option on millions of items. In eight US locations, Amazon is also experimenting with drone deliveries in under 60 minutes via Prime Air.
In 2025, Amazon Prime members received more than 13 billion total items via same-day or next-day delivery worldwide. The United States alone accounted for 8 billion of those items, a figure that increased 30% year over year.
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