Matthew DeCarlo
Last minute Christmas shoppers: If you’re planning on buying holiday gifts from Amazon, you better place your order this week unless you subscribe to Amazon Prime. That is, at least, if you want your item to arrive in time for December 25.
As with previous years, Amazon has published cutoff dates so customers can tell whether they are going to get their items in time for Christmas. This year, non-Prime members who place an order worth more than $25 and choose Amazon’s free shipping should complete that order by Saturday, December 14 if you need it to hit your doorstep in time for the festivities.
That policy is a little less forgiving than last year when Amazon offered free delivery with no minimum order amount for non-Prime members, while this year you’ll have to spend at least $25 to be eligible for the store’s free shipping option. If you’re willing to pay for standard 3-5 day shipping as a non-Prime member, you have until Wednesday the 18th to complete your Amazon orders.
Prime members have some extra time to play with, of course. The cutoff for packages shipped via Prime’s default two-day delivery option is Wednesday, December 22. And if you happen to spot the perfect gift on December 23 as an Amazon Prime member, you can still choose free one-day delivery and place the order with confidence. More than 10 million items qualify for one-day delivery and will be shipped for free with no minimum purchase amount.
Separately, it’s also worth mentioning that Prime members who live in areas where Amazon offers free two-hour grocery deliveries will be able to place orders for delivery until Christmas Eve at 3-5 PM local time for Whole Foods orders and 8 PM for Amazon Fresh orders. In late October, Amazon eliminated its monthly fee of $14.99 for Amazon Fresh and bundled the grocery delivery service into the perks you get as a Prime member for $12.99 a month or $119 for a whole year.
