Amazon Is Offering This Prime Perk for Non-Prime Members for the First Time

And it might make your grocery shopping a breeze.

Grocery shopping is a mixed bag. Some of us love it, others can’t seem to find the time to make it to the store. And for those that lack time and prefer ease, grocery delivery services are a great option. In 2022, a study found that about one in six consumers ordered groceries through a delivery service every week. Grocery delivery is, in part, becoming more common thanks to the growing popularity of services like Instacart, Fresh Direct, and Amazon Fresh.

And we've got great news for the grocery delivery-curious. Amazon's grocery delivery service—which was previously only available to subscribers of Amazon’s Prime membership—will now be available to non-Prime members for the first time. Customers using the service can order thousands of different items from produce, snacks and household essentials to fresh meat and seafood.

If you are an Amazon Fresh service user, considering canceling Prime, or are thinking of trying the service for the first time, here’s what you need to know about the changes.

How Is Amazon Fresh Changing?

Amazon Fresh is currently available in 42 cities across eight states, and was previously an exclusive benefit for Amazon Prime members (who pay $139 a year for the membership). But, in an email that went out to customers last week, Amazon announced that non-Prime members can get in on the action for the first time.

The caveat is that those looking to take advantage of the delivery service will only be able to do so in a dozen U.S. cities, for now. The following cities currently offer Amazon Fresh: Austin, Dallas, Nashville, Phoenix, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Boston, Denver, and Portland, as well as Charlotte, North Carolina and Richmond, Virginia.

Amazon hopes to expand its delivery service nationwide by the end of this year and merge the operations into its network of Whole Foods stores. Whole Foods was purchased by Amazon back in 2017.

So what do non-Prime members need to know about the service? It does involve some extra fees, Non-Prime members ordering through Fresh will pay a $7.95 fee for orders over $100, $10.95 for orders between $50 and $100, and $13.95 for orders under $50.

For Prime subscribers, the delivery fees will be cheaper. Amazon charges Prime members $9.95 for orders under $50, $7.95 for orders between $50 and $100, and $3.95 for deliveries ranging from $100 to $150. Deliveries over $150 are free for Prime members.

Earlier this year, Amazon raised the amount at which Prime members' grocery orders qualify for free delivery from $35 to $150. These policy changes for its grocery delivery service are not the first and won’t be the last, says the company.

Some Amazon Fresh grocery stores are getting a face lift as well. "Amazon Fresh has brought an expanded selection, low prices on even more grocery items, and greater convenience with updated checkout options to our stores in Schaumburg and Oak Lawn, Illinois,” reads a company press release.

These locations, which offer over 1,500 national and private label products as well as other perks like Krispy Kreme donuts, are the first step towards Amazon’s broader goal of improving its grocery stores and customer experiences.