Amazon To Provide Same Day Delivery In Seven Cities, Expanded Saturday Delivery Options

Just in time for the holidays, Amazon is launching Local Express Delivery, a new shipping option that will provide customers with same-day delivery of their orders in seven major cities. The service will initially be available in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Washington D.C. and will expand to Chicago, Indianapolis, and Phoenix in the coming months.

There are thousands of items that are available for Local Express Delivery. The service costs just $5.99 per item for Amazon Prime members. Rates for other customers are available at www.amazon.com/help/shipping.

Orders must be placed before a local cut-off time in order to be delivered the same day:
  • New York City – Order as late as 10 a.m.
  • Philadelphia – Order as late as 10 a.m.
  • Boston – Order as late as 10:30 a.m.
  • Washington D.C. – Order as late as 10:30 a.m.
  • Baltimore – Order as late as 10:30 a.m.
  • Las Vegas – Order as late as 11 a.m.
  • Seattle – Order as late as 1 p.m.


“We want to make online shopping as convenient as possible,” said Girish Lakshman, vice president of Transportation at Amazon. “We’re continuously working to speed up delivery times and customers receiving items on the same day as ordered is an exciting step. Now, if a customer needs a last-minute present for a birthday or wants a copy of their book club book before the weekend starts, they can order from Amazon instead of the hassle of a last-minute trip to the mall.”

In addition to same day delivery, Amazon is expanding its Saturday Delivery options. Under the new policy, items ordered before the cut-off time on Thursday using Two-Day Shipping will be delivered on Saturday instead of Monday. Amazon Prime members will get Thursday-to-Saturday delivery for free using Two-Day Shipping, while other customers must pay the current Two-Day Shipping rates. You can also receive your items on Saturday if you place an order before the cut-off time on Friday for $6.99 per item for Prime members and an additional charge for all other customers.

Amazon has also published the following order deadlines for delivery by Dec. 24:
  • Dec. 17: FREE Super Saver Shipping
  • Dec. 20: Standard Shipping
  • Dec. 22: Two-Day Shipping (order as late as 7 p.m. PST; varies by item; free with Amazon Prime)
  • Dec. 23: One-Day Shipping (order as late as 3:30 p.m. PST; varies by item; just $3.99 per item with Amazon Prime)
  • Dec. 24: Same-Day Shipping (order as late as 1 p.m. PST; varies by item; just $5.99 per item with Amazon Prime)