Egg prices aren't the only thing increasing these days. Amazon Prime members who use Amazon Fresh will soon have to pay a service fee for their deliveries. On Friday afternoon, Amazon sent its Prime members a notice explaining the new service fees that'll go into effect starting February 28, 2023.
Orders of $100-$150: $3.95 service fee
Orders of $50-$100: $6.95 service fee
Orders less than $50: $9.95 service fee
Per Amazon's email, orders of $150 or less will incur a $3.95 service fee. Orders of $50 to $100 will include a $6.95 service fee, while orders that are less than $50 will command a $9.95 service fee.
Currently, Prime members who make Amazon Fresh orders of $35 or more receive free shipping. It's one of the reasons we named Amazon Fresh one of the best grocery delivery services.
According to Amazon, the service fees are necessary in order to "keep prices low in our online and physical grocery stores." The e-commerce giant also says the new fees will help it better cover grocery delivery costs and continue to offer a fast and high-quality delivery experience.
How to avoid Amazon Fresh service fees
The news isn't all doom and gloom. Amazon says it will continue to offer two-hour delivery windows for all orders. In addition, they hinted that customers in some areas will be able to select a longer, six-hour delivery window for a reduced fee. (We've reached out to Amazon for more details and will update our story when we find out).
Additionally, all orders greater than $150 will include free shipping. So another way to avoid the service fees are to simply stall your Amazon Fresh orders until you've hit the free shipping requirement. (You can also regularly check our Amazon promo codes guide for more ways to save at Amazon).
This isn't the first time Amazon has added a service fee to its grocery delivery services. In October of 2021, Amazon added a $9.95 delivery fee to all Whole Foods deliveries. Previously, Prime members enjoyed free two-hour delivery from Whole Foods.
It's worth noting that the last time Amazon added a service fee to its food deliveries, rival Walmart responded by offering new Walmart Plus members a $9.95 credit for joining its membership program. Unlike Amazon Prime, which costs $139 per year (or $14.99 per month), Walmart Plus costs $98 per year (or $12.95 per month). It also includes $0 delivery fees on grocery orders of $35 or more.
Prime members have until February 27 to enjoy free shipping on their Amazon Fresh orders of $35 and up.
