Amazon is now offering greatly expanded Prime free same-day delivery and Prime free one-day shipping which will be accessible for residents in over 8,000 localities. Eligible items can arrive within hours at no extra cost for Prime members up until Christmas.

For an order to qualify for free Prime same-day or one-day shipping, the total must be at least $35. Orders placed in the morning and eligible for same-day shipping will arrive by 9 PM. If an order does not meet the $35 minimum, same-day shipping can be purchased for $8.99 plus $0.99 per item included in the shipment. While not exactly a bargain, the convenience is now available to a large audience.

Customers that do not yet have Prime may be eligible for a 30-day trial that provides free same-day shipping all the way up to December 24.

Deadlines for Amazon orders to arrive by Christmas

  • December 15: Standard free shipping on orders over $25
  • December 18: Last day for standard shipping
  • December 22: Deadline for two-day shipping
  • December 23: Deadline for one-day shipping
  • December 24: Same-day delivery only, orders must be placed before 9:30 AM local time

Consumers that have access to Amazon pick-up locations must order by noon on December 23 to be able to get their order on December 24 before they close at 5 PM.

To see if your place of residence is eligible for same-day shipping, you can enter your ZIP code on Amazon's site.