Amazon Rolls Out 30-Minute Delivery in Seattle and Philadelphia

Amazon is rolling out a new delivery option that promises to bring select items to customers in 30 minutes or less. The service is now live in parts of Seattle and Philadelphia, as the company pushes deeper into the fast-delivery space already occupied by players like DoorDash, Instacart, and Uber Eats.

The new option, labeled “30-Minute Delivery” in the Amazon app and website, includes household staples like milk, eggs, toothpaste, electronics, pet supplies, over-the-counter medicine, and snacks. Amazon said deliveries will be fulfilled from compact local facilities located near residential areas in both cities.

Prime members will pay a $3.99 fee per order, and non-members will be charged $13.99. Orders under $15 come with an added $1.99 small-basket fee. Customers can track deliveries and tip drivers using the Amazon app.

Amazon says the quick turnaround is made possible by “specialized smaller facilities” that speed up order picking and reduce time on the road. These sites are designed for safety and proximity to customers, allowing drivers to travel shorter distances.

The company has tested faster delivery formats before. In October, Amazon launched a similar service in the United Arab Emirates offering 15-minute deliveries. Some orders reportedly arrived in as little as six minutes.

The new push in the United States marks another step in Amazon’s strategy to corner the market on fast, local logistics. The company first introduced one-hour delivery in 2014 through its “Prime Now” program, which was retired in 2021 as Amazon integrated the service into its main platform.

In June, Amazon announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to triple its delivery network by 2026, with a focus on rural expansion. Quick delivery is a growing competitive frontier in e-commerce, and Amazon appears set on shrinking the delivery window to minutes, not hours.

For now, the 30-minute option is limited to select neighborhoods in Seattle and Philadelphia. Amazon has not yet shared a timeline for broader rollout.