Amazon No Longer Offers 2-Day Prime Shipping (Here’s What To Do About It)
Have you noticed that Amazon doesn’t deliver on their 2-day Prime Shipping anymore? It’s actually not even close for my address and I’ve had to return stuff to Amazon as I don’t need it by the time the package shows up. Anything that I want to buy today (a Monday) won’t be delivered until Sunday at the earliest. I tested this on a bunch of different shopping categories and made sure it was all products sold and shipped directly by Amazon, and none could be delivered before Sunday, 6 days from NOW. But alas, not all hope is lost, here’s what you should do, it’ll only take a few minutes and put an extra $10 or $20 in your pocket.
Call Them Up and Ask For a 1-Month Refund
When I have a problem with Amazon I usually start a live chat session as it’s easier to say exactly what I want to say.
BUT…for the first time ever, I recommend actually calling them at 1-(888) 280-4331 and say, “Why don’t I get 2-day Prime shipping anymore?”
I tried doing this via Live Chat and it just went in circles due to what I’m guessing was a language barrier.
At this point, give them your zip code and ask them to run it through their system to find out for sure whether your address qualifies for 2-day shipping.
Most addresses do indeed qualify for 2-day Prime shipping.
See Also: 5 Reasons Why Amazon Prime Is a Terrible Buy
If your address does qualify, then you probably already know the EXACT reason why you’re not getting your packages within 2 days.
It’s because Amazon can’t hold up their end of the bargain and they should pay for it.
This is when you politely ask for a 1-month refund on your Prime membership (approximately $10) because Amazon can’t hold up their end of the bargain.
I did this recently via a phone call to their customer service department and it took me all of about 5 minutes to score the $10 refund.
There was ZERO hesitation from the rep I talked with and I think they are trained to hand out this refund for those who politely ask for it.
Note: My family orders from Amazon at least 1-2 times per week and I’m not sure if that played a role in getting the 1-month refund, but in either case, it’s definitely worth a shot.
PRO TIP: AIM HIGH & ASK FOR EVEN MORE
From the comments section, several Amazon Prime members were actually given a $20 “inconvenience credit”.
Since we we know that a $20 credit is on the table, you might as well ask for it. You stand a decent chance of them giving it to you, and if they don’t just try again later with a different CSR.
Hold Amazon’s Feet to the Fire
I realize Amazon’s been hit by unprecedented demand in recent months, but let’s not forget they are one of the richest companies in the world.
Now that the economy and stores have opened back up in most of the country, the demand for online shopping has been greatly reduced.
Yet Amazon still can’t figure it out and solve their order backlog issues.
Originally, Amazon wanted to blame it on the pandemic and now they claim it’s 2-days from when the order leaves the warehouse giving them the green light to blame delivery services and bad weather.
I’d have no problem buying that argument back in 2021…BUT NOT NOW.
It’s my opinion that Amazon was losing money on the 2-day shipping guarantee and is using the current situation as a handy way to get rid of the fast shipping guarantee altogether.
PRO TIP: TIME TO LOOK AT OTHER OPTIONS
Fortunately Amazon is the not the only company offering free shipping with guaranteed 2-day delivery.
Notably, take a close look at a Walmart+ membership. For $98 a year (30-day free trial), you get free shipping with no minimum and most items are either next day delivery or 2-day. You also get free delivery from your local Walmart with a $35 minimum along with 10¢ cents/gallon savings at gas stations including Exxon and Mobil.
And it’s no surprise that the prices at Walmart are typically better than Amazon.
Sidenote: My wife is a Kindergarten teacher and she came home the other day telling me that many of her colleagues have stitched from Prime to Walmart+ and they couldn’t be happier. Very anecdotal I realize, but I think the momentum is building.
See Also: Not Getting Amazon Delivery on Sunday? Here’s Why
I’d be SHOCKED if 2-Day Prime shipping ever came back at this point.
So the bottom line is get your $10 refund NOW before they aren’t so generous.
The customer service rep also told me that MANY people are calling to cancel Prime, she said she had already cancelled over 50 memberships in the past couple days.
Here’s what a chat rep told me when I asked him if Prime members were complaining about the issue:
PRO TIP: TRY AN AMAZON BUSINESS ACCOUNT
Thanks to reader Joseph, who commented recently letting us know that his Amazon Business account has been delivering in 2-days since last September. The interesting part is that his “regular Prime account” is stuck at 4-7 days for delivery.
Since an Amazon business account is FREE to join, and also gives you quantity discounts, setting up an account could be worth a shot. Also, in case you were wondering, he said his business is not COVID related in the slightest.
Prime 2-Day Shipping Has Turned Into 5-Day Delivery
The reason that 2-day Prime shipping has turned into 5, 6, or even 7-day shipping has nothing to do with UPS or the USPS.
It falls 100% on Amazon as they now say that the “2-day shipping guarantee” is from when they actually process your order and get it in the mail.
So if it takes them a couple days to box it up and ship it out, then you’ll get it delivered to your home in about 5 days on average.
See Also: Amazon Package Arriving Late? Here’s How to Score a Refund
If you’re like me, the main reason you joined Prime and paid $139/year was for the 2-day shipping, so this is KIND OF A BIG DEAL.
Ask the Reader: Are you a Prime member? If so, when was the last time Amazon delivered something to you in 2 days?
By Kyle James
I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)
I tried talking with customer service. They basically just said “it is what it is.” And I got no refund.
I hate getting those last minute notices on the day the item is supposed to arrive saying, “sorry, were going to be late. Wait a couple of days and cancel the order if you haven’t seen the package.” Like, did they even actually ship the package? Does the tracking system just suddenly further where the package is?
Then they’ll deliver dozens of packages to my address, only to suddenly deliver one to my neighbor. The driver apparently cannot read street names and numbers.
Ok, I have a sort of parallel but different issue I may just not know how to solve: I am a Prime member, and the delivery time for an order I was about to place seemed too long (six days) Long story short I logged out of my account and checked the item and a delivery time of TWO days was offered to me as suddenly a random person they don’t “know”—with a biggish shipping fee, of course; which I’d be willing to pay with my Prime account! Their Q&A thingy says that can be done, but I see no option for that! Am I missing something?
Well, I called. Got $10 applied to my account as a gift card after spending 45 minutes going over all my orders from the last year and showing how the times were all over the place. Couldn’t get a straight answer out of their “items are prioritized” excuse, either. Thank goodness the woman from Support was kind and understanding, though.
I’ve been with Prime since 2009, back when it was just $79/yr. They’re now very careful with their wording claiming the 2-day shipping was just what they “strived” for — funny. Let’s not sit and pretend we all clamor to pay for their media/streaming services lol. It’s always been about the shipping.
For 11 years I had my orders ship in 2 days for Prime listings to an *extremely* rural unincorporated town in WV. Never had an issue …. until July 2020. Even during the height of the pandemic (from January well into June), my shipments came in 2 days. From July to the present, it’s been longer and longer times. Should be the opposite.
The excuse for this multi-billion dollar corporation ran its course months ago.
Companies that relied on Amazon’s help during the pandemic for certain supplies have been able to order from their original suppliers since last year, and numerous Americans across the country who didn’t use Amazon heavily before have largely returned to buying locally from the way many talk (especially with ease of restrictions/mandates, curbside pickup being continued, and many local stores continuously keeping a steady stock now).
I get that Amazon is a company that ships worldwide and not every country is America, but let’s not sit and pretend they haven’t always been worldwide and that the pandemic suddenly made it that way. They’ve ALWAYS had high demand. With more employees now (their treatment is a whole other argument), they want to act like they just can’t keep up with said demand despite other large online retailers who saw a big boom during the pandemic doing just fine and recognizing their paying members.
When it comes to “prioritizing” important items, right. This excuse worked last year. Now?
I’ve had Prime Pantry and medical-related items sit longer waiting to be processed than cheap arts and craft supplies that I ordered on the same day. All in stock, all with Prime labels on each listing. Both shipped from the same warehouse (this was January 2021). Guess which took 4 days to process and 3 to get to me while the other only took 2 days and was shipped the day of ordering? Even Support recognized the inconsistencies (and there were many).
They can’t tell you what exactly is prioritized let alone who gets to have priority as it’s all over the place.
I’ve seen Walmart (of all places) stick to their services and give their paying members what they paid for during all of this without issue, and I know they’ve had a major increase in their orders and online sales in general within the last year, as well. Even when I ordered from them as a basic free user at the height of the pandemic, my stuff came in 3 days from across the country.
I’m not saying Walmart is better by any means (again, employees is a different argument), but just pointing out the excuses have run extremely thin when it comes to Amazon and how it’s time to reevaluate as paying members because at this point we’re only doing it to ourselves.
I have experience this three time already and the first time the 10 dollar promotion was offered, they now have dropped that to 5 dollars, knowing they are directly misleading and lying on their site not only for their reason for failures with two day shipping and paying 119 dollars a year for the pleasure of two day shipping but they post next day shipping which fails expectations as well.The Customer Service Rep’s are now aware Customer’s are wise to their script and how to mislead and blame USPS and Federal Express, I know I heard the same exact words 3 times already and read in this article the same exact scripted reply they spew. They add if you don’t won’t to wait we will provide you a credit~ Seriously ~~ The MORE YOU KNOW~
I just cut mine off entirely. I never wanted streaming garbage with my membership anyway, just fast shipping. If they can’t offer that they can suck it. Just took a “free” student trial for 99 cents for a week of prime. Items arriving exactly 7 days later with 2 day shipping. No thanks.
Just got off the phone with amazon because they shipped my most recent package via usps 5 day shipping instead of the prime 2 day shipping. My order was placed on the 10th with a expected delivery date on the 15th, and shipped on the 11th, so it was not a warehouse issue. Really irritating that I pay for 2 day shipping and they tried to rip me off by using cheaper shipping options….
I just cancelled and asked and received a full refund of $119 (my subscription renewed in March). I had to ask for a supervisor but he did it without any questions.
I can’t get anything from Amazon delivered in under 6 days now. Even things that are in stock take 6 days minimum. I decided to place some orders with Chewy and Walmart and boom, everything arrived in two days no problem. This is an Amazon problem. Period.
I was always getting my orders in 2 days which I loved and needed. Zip 98671, washougal, wa.
I recently read where two delivery companies in Portland, Oregon discontinued their delivery service for Amazon. They complained of working conditions being unsatisfactory. Now my last 3 orders coming from snail mail, usps, 5 days from order. I hope the service returns to two days.
Just called them and they blamed everything on everyone else and refused to acknowledge their part. Highly dissatisfied and disappointed. As a small business owner, I am getting screwed by their slow delivery times.
You need to immediately ask for a Supervisor. I lodged my complaint (Why am I paying $120 for 2-day delivery and getting items delivered in a week???) and the Supervisor offered to refund $60 to my credit card without my asking and told me the problem will be fixed soon.
Adios to Amazon! Seriously! If Chewy ships my dog food and supplies within 2 days, they can ship fast, too. This whole pandemic thing is just a lame excuse for everyone to make excuses, and I am sick of it. I never made excuses or stopped working or even caught The Rona, either.
For most things GameStop has been doing free fast shipping (typically 2-3 days if not sooner) or in some places 2 hour deliveries!
They definitely don’t have a huge inventory like Amazon but they’re adding more and more to their online store.
They also recently hired some ex-Amazon executives.
Glad to see them trying to step up to Amazon.
I just tested it, I placed an order last night on the 19th and it, as it has been for a year, gave me a delivery day on the 26th, an entire week out. Sometimes it does end up coming sooner but still annoying because I just tried doing the same order but with an address about 20 minutes away and with that address its estimated delivery day was the 21st. >_>
may i say. i have amazon ship to four different addresses. interestingly, the three others outside my address in fort bragg ca tag to be relieved in 1-2 days 90% of the time. when i flip to home address ( we are directly on path from large city center) it becomes 7 8 or 9 days. yet in REALITY they just don’t package and ship to us in proper any longer. when my order shows ‘shipped’ finally, it arrives a day later 🧐. def amazon POLICY
I may have some additional information that might help clarify what’s going on here. It looks like Amazon is prioritizing deliveries to relatively densely-populated locations while delaying deliveries to relatively remote locations.
I live in a small town in northern New England, and yet before the pandemic, I used to get my deliveries within two days of ordering, with rare exceptions. Now it’s typically six to eight days.
Meanwhile, a friend who lives in a densely-populated area less than 100 miles away, in the same state, gets hers in two days, sometimes one. She said it feels like she places the order, looks out the window, and there’s the delivery vehicle.
That’s the Amazon-branded delivery vehicle that delivers to my friend. At my location, packages from Amazon are still delivered by the US Post Office.
Some months ago I learned that Amazon has a crafty way of doing business: they’ll partner with another company that provides a service or product they need, and spend some time learning the business. Once they’ve got it down, they’ll form their own company and lock their former partner out, thus maximizing profits.
In the case of shipping, Amazon has partnered with USPS, UPS, and FedEx for end-point deliveries for years. Recently they started their own delivery company, and one by one they’ve replaced FedEx, UPS, and now the USPS with their own delivery service.
Except. For rural deliveries, expenses are high and profits are low. So Amazon has kept the USPS for rural deliveries. Why spend the money to expand their own network into those low-profit zones when they can stick the Post Office with those shipments, right? It’s just good business.
It goes further, though. I monitor my shipments using an app from Deliveries.orr, which shows every stop and transfer along the way. And it also shows when the package leaves Amazon’s warehouses.
Here’s what I’ve learned: Instead of shipping my packages the same day, like they used to, Amazon is now delaying for several days before handing each package over to the “shipping partner” that will get the package to the USPS.
Then, instead of going directly from the shipping partner into the USPS system–which typically gets packages across the country in less than a day–the package now plods from one “shipping partner” location to another, with significant delays at some locations, typically several days total.
By the time the package hits the USPS system, usually at a distribution center near me, about a week has passed. When the USPS finally gets ahold of the package, they get it to me in less than a day.
So who is this mysterious “shipping partner”? Wanna guess? I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing it starts with “A” and ends with “n” with a “z” in the middle.
Now, why would Amazon do this? Add what looks like a deliberate delay, but only to rural customers. Remember, my friend in the city gets her shipments in one to two days after ordering, so we know Amazon can get those packages out the door and across the country and onto her doorstep in a jiffy.
Why would Amazon do something that is likely to alienate long-term customers and make them look for alternatives?
Because us folks in the sticks aren’t profitable. We cost Amazon more than what we pay for Amazon Prime every year. Dumping us–or making us quit the system “voluntarily”–is just good business.
Maximize profits. It’s the name of the game. And when your CEO has his sights set on personally going into orbit, or landing on the moon, or moving the entire human race into outer space and turning the Earth into a “huge national park” to save the planet (Jeff Bezos’s words, not mine) then you damn well better optimize your profits.
If a few lonely customers out in the sticks have to wait a few days for their packages, well, that’s just too bad. Right?
Oh, and if you have to dodge a few billion in income taxes along the way, that’s all for the greater good, too. Right? Right?
No that’s not it, I live in the city Los Angeles a few miles from their national hub, and still can’t get anything delivered in under a week.
Same. I live in Louisville only a few miles from one of their biggest hubs in the world. Still takes a week
I think you may be right, at least about them de-prioritizing rural customers. I also live in a very rural town in northern New England. I used to get 2-day shipping from Amazon up until about 2 years ago (pretty sure I noticed this starting to happen *before* the pandemic, but I could be wrong). Now everything I order has an arrival date of at least 5 business days out. If I change the shipping address to one of my relatives who lives in a slightly more urban area about an hour away, it gets 2-day shipping. So yes, it appears that they’re no longer even offering 2-day shipping for rural customers. And yet they want me to continue to pay the same rate as everyone else. Nope! Walmart and other retailers can typically get my stuff to me in 1-3 days, whether by FedEx or UPS, so it’s clearly not an issue with the shipping companies.
I ordered water shoes yesterday Tuesday July 20 2021. The item had free shipping delivery the following Monday July 26. I’m leaving for vacation on Friday the 23rd….on the items page it specifically says “want it on Thursday July 22nd order in the next 3 hours and pay $10.53. Obviously I need them by Friday so I order immediately and pay for the 2 day shipping. So today I check the status of the order to be delivered tomorrow and it says guaranteed delivery on Sunday July 25th by 10pm. It does say 2 day shipping on my order confirmation email etc. I understand processing time but Amazon should not give a specific date for delivery that I payed extra for then after I pay for it say….”Oh by the way it’s going to take a day or two after we said it’d be delivered to actually process and ship it.” If amazon says order within the next few hours and get it on a specific day for an additional charge….. sounds like they will be processing it that day as long as it’s ordered within that time frame they themselves put on the purchase page. What they should be saying is disregard what it says on our site about getting it on a certain day because if you order now and pay for two day shipping you still wont get it for 5 or 6 days….because we aren’t actually going to ship it until after you need the item. They did give me a $10 credit on my amazon account which is less than the 2 day shipping I payed…..and irrelevant now because the whole point of the order was to get it before I left for vacation.
Jeff Besos has enough money to focus on going to outer space yet can not hold up a business deal with members and do our 2 day shipping. We are fools for supporting him.
I am a Prime member and haven’t had anything delivered in two days in months (today is July 26, 2021). And to add insult to injury, a lot of my orders are now “running late” and they are “very sorry”. Out of those that are late, I’ve ended up having to cancel at least three of them because despite them being “very sorry” my stuff was lost or broken or permanently “delayed in transit.”
I have a question – I should know this but I don’t and I’m too lazy to go read Amazon’s terms and conditions. Is it 2-day shipping or 2-day delivery? Most of my items (not all but most) are still being shipped within two 2 days, but the delivery portion has gotten ridiculous and are more and more not delivered at all. I’m about to have to cancel yet another order and I am really kind of over it.
Up to the last second of actual delivery, Amazon still says my order will arrive in the next 5 days. They refuse to commit to anything anymore. Cancelling prime.