Amazon Increases Free Shipping Minimum for Non-Prime Members in Some Markets

Amazon has raised the minimum threshold non-Prime members have to pay to get free shipping for their orders in some markets. As reported by Ecommercebytes, it appears that Amazon is testing increasing the minimum free shipping threshold randomly by zip code-grouped regions in the US.

If you’re in one of the regions that are part of the experiment in the US, you’ll now need to spend at least $35 instead of $25 to get free shipping without a Prime subscription, which costs $139 a year. Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti confirmed the test in the following statement:

“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. Prime members continue to enjoy free delivery on over 300 million items, with tens of millions of items available for free Same or One-Day delivery.”

Amazon’s free shipping minimum for non-Prime members used to be more expensive. The company increased it from $35 to $49 back in 2016 before backtracking a year later. The minimum threshold later fell down to $25 to better compete with Walmart, which also has a $35 free shipping minimum for customers who don’t subscribe to Walmart+.

After announcing massive job cuts last fall, it’s not surprising to see Amazon try to increase its revenue and push more customers to subscribe to Amazon Prime. This year, Amazon also increased the price of Amazon Music Unlimited for both Prime and non-Prime members.