Amazon said Wednesday it's expanding its same-day drug delivery service in 2025.
The Amazon Pharmacy perk, which allows people to get certain prescription medications delivered to their door the same day they're ordered, is already available in Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Miami; New York City; Phoenix; Seattle; Indianapolis; and Orlando, Florida. Same-day delivery will extend to Boston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Diego and more metropolitan areas the retail giant said it will announce in the coming months.
To accomplish this, Amazon said it's opening up new pharmacies in same-day delivery sites and "leveraging its vast logistics network and advanced automation technology." The company estimates that 45% of its Amazon Pharmacy customers in the US will be eligible for same-day medication delivery by the end of the year.
Medication delivery services are important options for people with lower mobility or those who have a hard time picking up their prescriptions at a physical pharmacy. Amazon's drug delivery service is just one of the online retail giant's steps into health care. Other medication services include RxPass, a benefit for Prime members that costs $5 per month to gain access to certain generic prescription medications for free, and an automatic coupon feature for Amazon Pharmacy that automatically applies discounts at check-out.
Amazon has also acquired its own telemedicine site called One Medical. Prime members get a discounted rate on this concierge-like medical service.
To use the Amazon Pharmacy service if you live in a city where same-day delivery is already available, you must order before 5 p.m. local time to get your medication before 10 p.m. The same-day delivery service is free on your first order of a new medication for both Prime and non-Prime members (you don't have to be to use Amazon Pharmacy). From there, you can set up automatic refills. If you don't set up automatic refills, you get future same-day refill deliveries at $3 for Prime members and $10 for non-Prime members.
In terms of medication costs, you can check whether Amazon Pharmacy accepts your health insurance.
For more, learn how you can sign up for a Prime membership, how to use Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs to save money and the best telemedicine servicesfor long-term care.