Amazon Introduces One-Hour Prime Delivery

Amazon has unveiled plans to make its delivery service quicker than ever with the launch of a new app, Prime Now.

From today, more than 10,000 items will be available for speedy delivery for Amazon Prime members in selected London postcodes, before expanding to reach all of London and additional UK cities by the end of the year.

In order to qualify for the service, deliveries must have a minimum total of £20 per order, and it costs £6.99 per order for delivery within one hour, although delivery in a two-hour window comes at no additional cost between 8am and midnight, seven days a week.

Customers can even enter LONDONNOW at checkout to get £20 off your first order of £50 or more

Quick time

Prime Now, set up by Amazon Logistics, also allows users to tip their delivery driver, using a default amount per delivery which users can increase or decrease. Although Amazon UK collects the tip, the company says “the entire tip” will go to the delivery person.

“Millions of customers across London can use the Prime Now app today and discover over ten thousand items for one-hour delivery, or select a free two-hour, same-day delivery slot,” said Christopher North, managing director of Amazon UK.

“This is just the beginning. London is our first Prime Now city in the UK and we are already working on making Prime Now available in more postcodes in London and beyond.”

The move is the latest attempt by Amazon to improve and speed up its delivery services.

Last month, it was claimed that the company was planning to launch a new service that will employ normal people to courier goods. The “On My Way” program would offer ordinary people payment to drop off packages on their way home from work or school, with users able to sign up via a dedicated mobile app.

The company has also revealed it aims to move into drone delivery for its items, a program it hopes to launch within the next few years.

More details about its Prime Air scheme were revealed earlier this years, showing that the drones involved will be able to talk to each other to share information and update their routes in real time, determining if their flight paths and proposed landing areas are safe and free of obstacles (like people or dogs).

How much do you know about Amazon? Try our quiz!