Amazon launches 1-hour delivery - what it costs and where it's available

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Amazon present has 1-hour and 3-hour transportation options for immoderate items.
• 1-hour transportation is $9.99 for Prime members.
• Eligible items see household essentials and idiosyncratic care.

Amazon is offering a caller super-fast transportation enactment -- but it's not cheap.

In a station Tuesday, Amazon revealed that customers successful much than 2,000 cities present person entree to 1-hour and 3-hour transportation for household essentials similar insubstantial products, idiosyncratic attraction items, and over-the-counter medications.

Prime members volition wage $9.99 for 1-hour transportation and $4.99 for 3-hour delivery, portion non-Prime customers volition wage $19.99 for 1-hour transportation and $14.99 for 3-hour delivery. The work is disposable 7 days a week, and Amazon said items volition travel from existing same-day fulfillment facilities.

You tin cheque whether 1-hour shipping is disposable successful your country here.

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More than 90,000 items are eligible for the caller transportation option, Amazon explained. You'll spot a enactment connected items designating they're eligible, oregon you tin usage the "in 1 hour" oregon "in 3 hours" hunt filters oregon the dedicated storefront.

Amazon already has same-day shipping connected galore items, but you person to deed a definite threshold. It besides offers same-day market delivery for escaped (as agelong arsenic your bid is implicit $25) successful much than 2,000 cities. The caller enactment doesn't person a minimum spending limit, but tacks connected a reasonably important fee.

The biggest question is whether this work is worthy it. If you're buying for a tiny household item, there's a bully accidental the transportation interest volition outgo astir arsenic overmuch arsenic what you're buying (or adjacent more). 

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For an exigency item, a precise last-minute gift, oregon immoderate medicine erstwhile you can't get retired of bed, possibly it's worthy the other cost. But for astir items, the interest mightiness beryllium excessively high.

In fact, Amazon is charging truthful overmuch that you mightiness beryllium amended disconnected looking to different work if you request thing quickly. DoorDash has nary transportation complaint if you're a DashPass subscriber (it costs $10 a period oregon $96 a year, but immoderate recognition cards connection it for free), and Walmart+ offers escaped same-day transportation connected astir market items (that subscription is $13 a period oregon $98 a year). One difference, though, is that with Amazon, you apt won't beryllium asked to tip, portion you volition connected different services.