Amazon’s free holiday shipping promotion, which removes the minimum $25 purchase requirement for non-Prime members, has been extended until December 18th. Orders placed by then are guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas. Amazon says it has also expanded free one-day shipping and free same-day delivery for Prime members to more than 10,000 cities this year, so last-minute gift buyers can shop for holiday items until December 24th.
In the 30 or so cities with Prime Now, you’ll be able to order something as late as 9:15PM local time on Christmas Eve.
Here’s Amazon’s guide to 2018 holiday shipping cutoff dates:
Dec. 18 (extended): Last day for free shipping with no minimum purchase amount, free for all customers
Dec. 18: Last day for standard shipping, free for Prime members
Dec. 22: Last day for two-day shipping, free for Prime members
Dec. 23: Last day for one-day shipping, free for Prime members in eligible areas
Dec. 24: Last day for same-day delivery, free for Prime members in eligible areas (order by 9:30 a.m. local time or earlier)
Dec. 24: Prime Now offers free two-hour delivery windows, reserved exclusively for Prime members in eligible areas (order by 9:15 p.m. local time or earlier)
Dec. 24: Whole Foods Market stores, Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Pop-up device kiosks open Christmas Eve (store hours vary by location)
The free holiday shipping promotion has been in effect since November, and this is the second time Amazon has extended it for non-Prime members. As always, Amazon is competing for a dominating share of the holiday market against retailers like Target, which recently introduced free two-day shipping until December 22nd, and Walmart, which offers free two-day shipping for orders $35 and up.