Amazon waives its minimum spend for free shipping – for now

Amazon Prime shipping

Amazon has announced that it will be waiving its minimum spend for free delivery in the run up to Christmas, meaning you can make orders under $25 and not pay a penny extra for shipping.

The offer is running from November 5 up to the last day of shipping before Christmas – this is the last day Amazon can guarantee items will arrive in time for the big day (typically 5-8 business days in advance).

Uncapped free delivery is available to all US customers, so you don't even need an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of this deal. Plus, with Black Friday coming up on November 23, you'll be able to get free shipping on even the cheapest items (although you may find it difficult to spend less than $25 over Black Friday and Cyber Monday).

Fighting talk

The announcement of this offer is likely an attempt by Amazon to pile pressure on competitors like Walmart and Target ahead of the Christmas spending period, and may encourage customers to sign up for a Prime membership in January.

There's a lot to love about Amazon Prime – with access to a huge range of TV shows, music, and movies, as well as next day delivery on your Amazon orders, buying a membership is perhaps one of the smartest ways to spend your money.

But if you only use the site for your Black Friday and Christmas shopping, the news that uncapped free delivery is coming to all US customers is sure to be very welcome indeed.  

Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.