Amazon Launches 30-Minute Ultra-Fast Delivery Service, Expected to Reach Tens of Millions of Users by Year-End

According to foreign media reports, Amazon has recently launched a 30-minute delivery service called Amazon Now, officially entering the U.S. ultra-fast delivery market. Currently, the service has already launched in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle, with expansion efforts underway in Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Orlando, and Phoenix. It is expected to cover tens of millions of users in these and more cities by the end of the year.

The Amazon Now entry point is located within the Amazon app and official website, covering thousands of products including groceries, household essentials, electronics, personal care items, and alcohol in compliant areas. Eligible products are marked with a 30-minute delivery badge, and users can directly see the relevant service entry while browsing. The delivery service operates 24/7 in most areas.

The 30-minute delivery speed is achieved through a network of small fulfillment centers strategically located closer to residential and commercial areas, significantly reducing delivery distances compared to Amazon's traditional warehouse network. Combined with a curated selection of high-demand products, this compresses the delivery window to under 30 minutes.

The service is not free. Prime members are charged a fixed fee of $3.99 per order, while non-Prime members pay $13.99 per order. For orders under $15, Prime members incur an additional $1.99 charge, and non-Prime members an additional $3.99. This fee structure is more transparent than the dynamic pricing models commonly used by competitors, whose pricing often layers on delivery fees, service fees, expected tips, and in some cases, per-item markups.

Prior to launching this new service, Amazon already had a relatively robust ultra-fast delivery system. Currently, over 90,000 products on the platform support 1-hour and 3-hour delivery, with millions of items available for same-day delivery. The Prime Air project is also piloting drone delivery at eight locations across the U.S., aiming for a delivery time under 60 minutes. In 2025, global Prime members received over 13 billion items via same-day or next-day delivery, with the U.S. market contributing 8 billion items, a 30% increase compared to 2024.

Udit Madan, Amazon's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations, stated that Amazon Now targets users with delivery needs under 30 minutes, covering items like groceries for dinner, AirPods needed before a trip, and household essentials like laundry detergent.

Public information shows that Amazon first piloted its 30-minute delivery service in Seattle and Philadelphia in December 2025. With this nationwide rollout, existing ultra-fast delivery platforms will face a new competitor with more robust logistics infrastructure, a larger existing user base, and a membership system that can reduce delivery costs for tens of millions of American households.