Amazon has confirmed its decision to raise the minimum order amount for free shipping to $35 for customers without a Prime membership in specific regions. Previously, the threshold was set at $25. This change is being tested across various ZIP code-based regions and will apply uniformly within each region. The information was initially reported by CNBC.
An Amazon spokesperson stated, “We continually evaluate our offerings and make adjustments based on those assessments. We’re currently testing a $35 minimum for non-Prime customers to qualify for free shipping.” They further highlighted that Amazon Prime members, who pay either an annual fee of $139 or a monthly fee of $15, will remain unaffected by this change. Prime members continue to enjoy complimentary delivery for over 300 million items, including Same or One-Day Delivery for tens of millions of items.
This move seems aimed at encouraging more customers to consider subscribing to Amazon Prime. It’s worth noting that Amazon has altered its free shipping threshold before, having raised it to $49 from $35 in 2016, and then later reverting it back to $35 in 2017. The threshold was then lowered to $25 to undercut Walmart, which required a $35 minimum for free shipping for non-subscribers of Walmart+.
By increasing the free shipping threshold, Amazon appears to be pursuing cost-cutting measures—a trend the company has been emphasizing across its operations. This year, Amazon implemented various cost-saving strategies, including a reduction of 27,000 jobs and a freeze on corporate hiring. The company also introduced delivery fees for Fresh grocery orders under $150, discontinuing the previous perk of free delivery on orders exceeding $35 for Prime members. Additionally, Amazon terminated AmazonSmile, a program that donated 0.5% of eligible product costs to charities.
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