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Amazon accelerates delivery race with 30-minute dropoffs in dozens of U.S. cities

Amazon has been gradually speeding up its delivery windows, after getting customers hooked on two-day and next-day shipping.

Amazon is rolling out “ultra-fast” deliveries to get packages to consumers in 30 minutes or less in dozens of cities across the U.S., the company announced Tuesday, marking its most aggressive push yet into quick commerce.
The company started piloting the service, called Amazon Now, in a handful of American cities in December. It’s also launched deliveries in 15 minutes or less in parts of Brazil, Mexico, India and the United Arab Emirates.
Amazon said in a blog post that it’s expanding the service to new cities including Austin, Texas, as well as Denver, Minneapolis and Phoenix and more parts of Seattle, Philadelphia, Dallas and Atlanta. The company said it plans to bring Amazon Now to “tens of millions of customers in these and other cities” by the end of this year, up from the millions of customers that can access it today.
After getting customers hooked on two-day shipping and then next-day delivery, Amazon has been working to make same-day arrivals the new standard, and is further pressuring gig economy companies like Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats, which drop off orders within a few hours.
Amazon recently brought 1-hour and 3-hour delivery options to more parts of the U.S. And for over a decade, it’s been working to make drone-based deliveries in an hour or less a reality, though the program has faced some challenges, including layoffs, safety incidents and regulatory setbacks.
CEO Andy Jassy wrote in his latest annual shareholder letter that the investments in rapid delivery are worthwhile because they lead to higher conversion rates and keep shoppers returning to Amazon’s site more frequently.
Speeding up delivery could also dissuade shoppers from making quick trips to brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart, which has touted that it can deliver to 95% of American households in under three hours.
Udit Madan, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said Amazon Now is aimed at giving customers the option of ultra-fast delivery when they “need or want” an item ferried rapidly to their doorstep.
“You can get everything from groceries for dinner, to AirPods before a flight, to household essentials like laundry detergent or toothpaste delivered right to your door,” Madan said in a statement.
Items that are eligible for delivery in 30 minutes or less feature an Amazon Now label and a lightning bolt. The company also has a separate Amazon Now landing page.
Amazon is using specialized micro-fulfillment centers, often referred to as “dark stores,” for the deliveries. The sites, which range from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet and can stock thousands of items, are located closer to customers than Amazon’s typical sprawling warehouses that are often near highways or logistics hubs.
The service relies on Amazon’s network of on-demand Flex drivers, who sign up for shifts and make deliveries out of their own vehicles.
Amazon said Flex drivers will make ultra-fast deliveries using cars, but as Amazon Now expands, it is open to exploring other modes of transportation for certain geographies. The company has integrated e-cargo delivery bikes into its last-mile operations in some cities over the past few years.
The company said 30-minute deliveries will be available 24 hours a day in most areas where the service is available.
Prime members will pay a $3.99 fee for Amazon Now and an additional $1.99 fee for orders below $15, while customers without a Prime membership will pay a $13.99 delivery fee, along with an extra $3.99 for orders below $15.

Technologies

Anthropic warns investors of AI’s ‘existential risk to humanity’ in IPO prospectus, reports say

Anthropic’s IPO filing dedicates 80 pages to the risks of AI, nearly double the 48 pages it spends discussing its business plans, according to Reuters.

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U.S. and Iran hold separate mediated talks as Middle East oil exports hit wartime peak

U.S. and Iranian officials have engaged in separate mediated talks aimed at ending the seven‑month war, while Middle East oil exports have surged to near‑record levels despite the conflict.

Iranian and American officials reportedly held separate meetings with mediators on Monday, urging a ceasefire.

Middle Eastern crude exports climbed this month to their highest point since the war started in February.

According to Kpler, a total U.S. export ban on diesel would keep about 1.2 million barrels per day domestically and could overwhelm Gulf Coast storage capacity.

The ruins of the Shajareh Tayebeh primary school, destroyed in Minab, Hormozgan province, are shown in an image taken on August 10 2026, surrounded by rubble. Six months later, AFP journalists gained rare access to the site, which remains largely in ruins, with collapsed walls and twisted steel framed by portraits of the children who were killed and Iranian flags waving above the debris. Iran asserts that the attack involved two separate U.S. Tomahawk missiles, though neither the United States nor Israel has officially claimed responsibility. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) / Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images

U.S. and Iranian officials have reportedly engaged in separate indirect talks with mediators on Monday, reviving efforts to end the seven‑month war. Tehran is pushing for a response to a revised ceasefire framework while Middle East crude exports reach their highest level since the conflict started.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari mediators in New York, where he stayed after the United Nations General Assembly, and said he expects a reply from Washington by Tuesday. “We discussed ideas and how to find solutions to meet Iran’s conditions,” Araghchi said, adding that he plans to return to Tehran once a response arrives. “Whenever the Qataris have an answer, they know how to get it to us.”

Iran’s proposal, first presented on the sidelines of last week’s General Assembly, calls for the United States to release frozen Iranian funds within four to five days, lift sanctions on Iranian oil, and end the naval blockade of Iranian ports, with nuclear talks slated to begin within seven days. Tehran has linked any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the fulfillment of these steps.

President Donald Trump called the plan “unacceptable” on Sunday and rejected it, telling reporters that Iran seeks a rapid agreement because of the economic pressure it faces. At the White House on Monday, Trump said U.S. officials had spoken separately with mediators but offered no further details, adding, “We’re going to win. It’s going to go pretty quickly.”

The diplomatic push comes as physical supply data indicates the war’s impact on the oil market is easing. Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded this month to roughly their highest level since the conflict began in February, according to Kpler. The tracking firm noted that Middle East crude exports are at just under 80 % of pre‑conflict levels.

The Strait of Hormuz itself remains far from normal. Kpler’s real‑time tracking showed total traffic through the strait at 10,591 kilobarrels per day on Saturday, compared with a pre‑war baseline of 17,133.

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Technologies

Oil prices fall as crude exports recover at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea ports

Saudi Arabia has restored flows through the pipeline to around 3.5 million barrels per day, according to media reports.

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