Dude Where's My Package? Amazon Tells Prime Members To Buckle Up For In-Car Delivery Service

The days are numbered for opportunistic thieves who swipe packages from people's doorsteps when they are away at work or otherwise not at home. In an expansion to its Amazon Key service, Amazon is now giving Prime members the option of having their items delivered to their car, so instead of leaving a box of goodies out in the open, the delivery person will instead shove it in the trunk of a compatible vehicle.

Amazon is not charging anything extra for this service, it's yet another perk for Prime subscribers. There are caveats, however, one of which is that it's only available in 37 cities and surrounding areas across the United States. Amazon says it plans to add more cities over time, but for now, the new Amazon Key In-Car service is seeing a limited roll out. That said, it works with same-day, two-day, and standard shipping options.

The other caveat is that only certain cars are currently compatible, because of how this works. Customers who want to enable in-car delivery need to own a 2015 newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac car with an active OnStar account, or a 2015 or newer Volvo vehicle with an active Volvo On Call account. For those who own a compatible vehicle, similar to Amazon's Key service that gives deliverers access to homes through Amazon's Key app, they can now open car doors and trunks when it's time to drop off a package.

"Since launching Amazon Key last November, we’ve safely delivered everything from cameras to collectable coins inside the home. Customers have also told us they love features like keyless guest access and being able to monitor their front door from anywhere with the Amazon Key App," said Peter Larsen, Vice President of Delivery Technology, Amazon. "In-car delivery gives customers that same peace of mind and allows them to take the Amazon experience with them. And, with no additional hardware or devices required, customers can start ordering in-car delivery today."

While the service is seeing a limited roll out initially, Amazon points out that there are over 7 million compatible vehicles out there. That number will grow as Amazon extends its partnership and fleshes this initiative out. As for security, Amazon says it employs multiple layers of verification. Each time a delivery driver requests access to a customer's car, Amazon verifies that he or she is an authorized driver at the right location with the right package, through an encrypted authorization process. Once that process is complete, the car is unlocked so the package can be left inside. It's then locked back up after the delivery is complete.

Head to Amazon's In-Car delivery page for more information or to sign up.