Amazon was able to sell Prime to millions of people with the promise of free two-day shipping, but times have changed, and people want their purchases delivered to them even faster. That’s why the company has now made same-day deliveries free for Amazon Prime subscribers as well, although this service is currently limited to a handful of America’s largest metropolitan areas.
Amazon’s same-day delivery service is now included free of charge for Prime members. There are, however, a couple of limitations that you’ll certainly want to make note of – especially if you’re considering joining Prime specifically for same-day delivery. Unlike the 20 million or so items that are eligible for free two-day shipping, only one million items are currently offered for same-day service. What’s more, buyers need to spend at least $35 to trigger free same-day shipping and orders must be placed before noon to arrive before 9 pm. Same-day delivery is currently limited to just 14 metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay area (including Oakland), Seattle-Tacoma, Washington D.C. and the Tampa Bay area. That may not sound like much coverage but keep in mind that these are all major cities and their surrounding communities are included. In total, one-day shipping covers a sixth of the entire US population.