Amazon is launching new one-hour and three-hour delivery options across multiple U.S. cities to enhance its competitive stance against instant delivery services such as Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. The initiative will make over 90,000 items available for rapid delivery, improving accessibility for customers. This expansion includes a feature within the Amazon app that allows users to filter for items eligible for either one or three-hour delivery, which will be clearly marked with a distinct label. Prime members can access one-hour deliveries for $9.99 and three-hour deliveries for $4.99, while non-Prime members will pay $19.99 and $14.99, respectively.
The one-hour delivery option will be available in hundreds of cities across the country, including major markets like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., along with smaller cities such as Des Moines, Boise, and American Fork. Meanwhile, the three-hour delivery service will reach over 2,000 cities and towns. Amazon is additionally launching a dedicated storefront to showcase items eligible for these expedited options.
Udit Madan, senior vice president of Worldwide Operations at Amazon, emphasized that the goal is to help customers save time. Madan stated, “We saw an opportunity to use our unique operational expertise and delivery network to help make customers’ lives a little easier while unlocking even more value for Prime members.”
Amazon is utilizing its existing same-day fulfillment sites for this new service. This expansion follows previous attempts by the company to enter the instant delivery sector, including the launch of one-hour deliveries under the “Prime Now” program in 2014, which was later discontinued in 2021. More recently, the company piloted a 30-minute delivery service in Seattle and Philadelphia in December 2025.
Internationally, Amazon has also made strides in the quick-commerce field. In 2024, it launched Amazon Now in India, offering a 10-minute grocery delivery service. Additionally, a 15-minute delivery service was introduced in the United Arab Emirates last October.
