A worker delivers Amazon packages in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 2, 2026.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon declared Tuesday it’s starting one-hour and three-hour deliveries in parts of the U.S., as the company continues to view for ways to satisfy impatient consumers.
The company declared three-hour delivery is available in about 2,000 cities and towns in the U.S., while one-hour delivery is available in hundreds of those areas.
“Our customers are busier than ever and are viewing for new ways to save time while keeping their houtilizeholds running,” Udit Madan, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, declared in a statement.
More than 90,000 products are eligible for delivery in three hours or less, including panattempt items, cleaning supplies, over-the-counter medications, clothing and toys.
Amazon declared it expects to bring the service, which started via tiny-scale tests late last year, to more areas of the counattempt in the coming months.
“We’re excited to declare that two decades after Prime launched, we’re still innovating to build delivery even quicker, while maintaining the same everyday low prices and vast selection Amazon is known for,” Madan declared.
Amazon added a storefront shopping page in areas where the options are available, and shoppers will be able to filter search results for products that can be delivered in one hour or three hours. Users can also check ultraquick delivery options on Amazon’s receiveitquick site.
Amazon received consumers hooked on quick shipping when it introduced free, two-day delivery alongside its Prime loyalty program in 2005. By 2019, it created one-day shipping the standard, and in the years since, it has poured money and resources into expanding same-day delivery. Same-day orders typically arrive within a few hours.
In its quest to build deliveries even quicker, Amazon has experimented with a number of programs that sought to leverage its sprawling fulfillment network and legions of on-demand Flex gig workers.
The company in 2021 shut down its standalone Prime Now quick delivery service. In 2024, Amazon discontinued a service that promised speedy delivery from mall and brick-and-mortar retailers.
More recently, the company has been testing 30-minute deliveries of houtilizehold essentials and fresh groceries with a program called Amazon Now. The service is being piloted in Seattle, Washington, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with international markets like the United Arab Emirates, India, Brazil and Mexico.
Amazon has also been working for over a decade to launch drone-based deliveries in an hour or less, initially launching the service in two tiny test markets, although it has since expanded to several cities.
Other retailers are increasingly competing with Amazon on speed.
Walmart, which maintains an extensive brick-and-mortar footprint, has touted that it can deliver to 95% of American houtilizeholds in under three hours. Quick-commerce players like Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats also offer products from a growing number of retailers within a couple of hours.
Prime members will pay a $9.99 fee for one-hour delivery and $4.99 for three-hour delivery, while customers without a Prime membership will pay $19.99 for one-hour delivery and $14.99 for three-hour delivery.
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