What Is Amazon Prime Shipping In 2024 - A Complete Guide

As an avid Prime member for over 5 years, I‘ve enjoyed watching Amazon‘s delivery program expand and improve. With over 200 million members worldwide, Prime offers unmatched convenience with fast, free shipping.

But I still get questions from friends about what exactly Prime shipping includes. Below I‘ll explain everything you need to know about Prime delivery in 2024.

Speed Options: 1-Day, 2-Day, Same-Day or Faster

Free 2-day shipping used to be Prime‘s main perk. Now members have multiple delivery options:

Shipping Speed	Delivery Timeframe	Notes
One-day	Within 1 day	Over 10 million items eligible
Two-day	Within 2 business days	Default for Prime items
Same-day	Within hours	For select cities and zip codes
Prime Now	1-2 hours	Groceries & essentials

Here‘s a bit more detail on each:

One-day shipping: I love that I can order something in the morning and receive it that evening. Amazon expanded 1-day eligibility to more zip codes in 2022.
Two-day shipping: Still the Prime default and perfectly quick for most needs.
Same-day delivery: Great for last-minute birthday presents or restocking household items.
Prime Now: When I forgot ingredients for dinner, Prime Now saved me in under 2 hours!

I think same-day and Prime Now availability will keep growing thanks to new Amazon Fresh locations and expanding warehousing.

Free Shipping with Some Caveats

One major Prime benefit is free shipping with every order. However, same-day does come with a couple caveats:

Minimum order value: To get free same-day delivery, your order total must hit $35+ before checkout. Under this amount incurs a $2.99 fee per order.
Tip not included: Consider tipping your same-day delivery driver, although it‘s not required. I tip a couple dollars through the app.

As long as you meet order minimums, every other shipping speed is free for Prime members in the US. Even weekend and holiday shipping don‘t cost extra.

Where Prime Shipping is Available Now

Region	Shipping Benefits	Notes
Contiguous US	All speeds + free options	Broadest eligibility
Alaska & Hawaii	2-day, discounted priority	$6+ per shipment without Prime
Puerto Rico	Priority shipping only	Still faster and cheaper than without Prime
Other countries	Expedited global shipping	Varies based on location

Based on Prime‘s growth, I except eligibility for faster shipping to expand globally in 2024. One-day and same-day delivery requires proximity to fulfillment centers, which are still heavily concentrated in the mainland US.

Alternative Delivery: Amazon Key & Hub Lockers

In-home delivery through Amazon Key offers next-level convenience. Remote access allows drivers one-time entry to drop off packages securely in garages, homes, or vehicles.

I use Key for about half my orders now and love that it prevents weather damage, theft, or missed deliveries. Setup only took 5 minutes.

Hub Lockers station locations nationwide are another alternative when I‘m not home. I simply select a Hub Locker during checkout, then scan a QR code to retrieve my order anytime.