Amazon’s new grocery subscription caters to Prime members, EBT customers

Amazon has introduced a new grocery delivery subscription benefit available to Prime members and EBT customers in more than 3,500 cities and towns across the United States. 

At $9.99 per month for Prime members, the subscription offers unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and a variety of local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com. Prime members who subscribe to the new grocery delivery subscription benefit will also continue to receive exclusive savings in Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market stores — on top of the other savings that come with Prime — in a single membership.

Amazon is also helping low-income customers more affordably shop for groceries. Customers with a registered EBT card can experience the same grocery subscription benefits mentioned above without a Prime membership for just $4.99 per month. 

[Read more: What will consumers’ shopping behavior look like for the 2024 holidays?]

The new subscription includes delivery and pickup time slots for grocery orders from Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh. This includes one-hour delivery windows at no extra cost where available, unlimited 30-minute pickup on orders of any size, and priority access to Recurring Reservations for a weekly grocery order.

Subscribers will have access to unlimited delivery for orders over $35 from local grocery and specialty retailers such as Cardenas Markets, Save Mart, Rite Aid and more where available.

“This new grocery subscription benefit provides even more value and savings on delivery fees for customers who regularly order groceries from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and the variety of local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com,” said Tony Hoggett, SVP of worldwide grocery stores at Amazon. “Our goal is to build a best-in-class grocery shopping experience — whether shopping in-store or online — where Amazon is the first choice for selection, value and convenience. We have many different customers with many different needs, and we want to save them time and money every time they shop for groceries.”

According to Amazon, the subscription pays for itself in as little as one delivery order per month from Whole Foods Market, or one delivery order per month from Amazon Fresh for under $50.

[Read more: PLMA, Store Brands announce The 2024 Private Label Hall of Fame inductees]

A free 30-day trial is available so customers can see how this grocery delivery subscription works for them.

Amazon piloted its grocery subscription with Prime members in Columbus, Ohio; Denver; and Sacramento, Calif., in late 2023. In a recent survey of grocery subscribers from the pilot, more than 85% of respondents said that they are extremely or very satisfied with the unlimited free delivery benefit. Some of the top reasons that customers shared for staying a subscriber following the trial were saving money on delivery fees and the service making their grocery shopping experience more convenient.

This story originally appeared on Progressive Grocer.