If you live in the U.S., Christmas just came early: Amazon just announced that they will be offering free shipping on all Christmas orders starting today.
That's right, all Amazon orders — no matter how much you spend or whether you are a Prime member — scheduled to be delivered in time for Christmas will be shipped for free. Though Amazon's standard shipping takes five to eight business days, as long as your order is set to be delivered before December 25 — you're all set.
This is, in a way, huge: Never in the history of Amazon have U.S. shoppers been offered free standard shipping without a minimum. Normally, shoppers without Amazon Prime would need to spend a minimum of $25 in order to unlock free shipping. Additionally: Prime members also get the added bonus of free same-day delivery on an even larger number of items between now and the holidays. Now you can shop for everything on your list and get it shipped to you for free.
It's possible that this is in direct response to other major retailers like Target and Walmart offering competitive holiday incentives. Walmart and Target have both bolstered their e-commerce and shipping options in advance of the holiday shopping season: Walmart already offer free two-day shipping, provided your order is over $35; Target started offering free two-day shipping with no minimum until December 22.
But when e-commerce retailers compete, shoppers win. Happy early Christmas, and happy shopping.