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With over $150 billion in gross sales in 2025, Amazon is officially the second-largest grocer in the United States, according to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. But does it make sense for you to order from the retail giant?
Amazon's options for buying fresh groceries are both slightly confusing and incredibly simple. If you're already a Prime member for the quick delivery options or video content, Amazon grocery could make sense. But if you aren't someone who uses Amazon that often, or you prefer doing most of your grocery shopping in person, it might not be the best fit.
What are Amazon's grocery options?
Amazon offers five different ways to order fresh groceries, and while there is a lot of overlap, each option features a unique aspect that could be attractive depending on your shopping needs and preferences.
Same-Day Delivery
Same-Day Delivery is great for those looking to keep things simple, as you shop for groceries the same way you shop for anything else on Amazon. While the online retailer has offered same-day grocery delivery for some time, it introduced perishable foods in August 2025. Now, over 2,300 cities across the U.S. offer Same-Day Delivery of fresh groceries.
Prime members have a $25 threshold to qualify for free shipping in most areas ($12.99 delivery fee on all orders for non-Prime members), and all your purchases go in one cart, so you can order a bunch of bananas alongside your new headphones. If you need only a few items, Prime members will be charged a $2.99 fee for smaller orders.
Amazon Fresh
Amazon announced in January that all physical Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores will shutter, but you can still order groceries from Amazon Fresh online.
This option offers a wide selection of groceries available for delivery within two-hour windows. The delivery fees are in a tiered system: Prime members get free delivery on orders over $100 but are charged a $6.95 fee on orders between $50 and $100 and a $9.95 fee on orders under $50. Without Prime, you'll pay a fee of $4.95 to $13.95 based on your order size.
There's also a unique subscription option: Prime members can subscribe for $9.99 per month, and you'll get unlimited free deliveries on orders of $25 or more. With this subscription, you also get unlimited free delivery on orders from Whole Foods (which we cover below) and participating local retailers (over $25) and free access to one-hour delivery windows when available.
Whole Foods Market delivery
If you're a fan of Whole Foods Market for its natural and organic groceries, you can shop with the grocery store directly on Amazon and get deliveries in two-hour windows. Prime members get a discounted $9.95 delivery fee, compared to the $13.95 fee non-Prime members pay.
As noted above, Prime members can sign up for a $9.99-per-month grocery delivery subscription to receive unlimited free deliveries on Whole Foods Market orders of $25 or more.
Amazon Now
Earlier this month, Amazon announced the expansion of Amazon Now delivery to dozens of cities across the U.S. With this service, Amazon users can shop for thousands of items and have them delivered in 30 minutes or less.
Currently, Amazon Now is available in Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia and Seattle, but Amazon is continuing to expand to new cities, including Austin, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver and Oklahoma City.
While non-Prime members will be charged a $13.99 delivery fee (and an additional $3.99 for orders under $15), Prime members get a heavily discounted fee of just $3.99, with an additional $1.99 fee for orders under $15.
Shop local grocery stores and retailers
Last but not least, you can now purchase directly from a number of local grocery store chains right on Amazon, including favorites like Weis Markets and Winn-Dixie. The exact delivery fees vary by partner retailer, but you can enjoy two-hour delivery windows or one-hour delivery windows with Amazon's aforementioned grocery delivery subscription.
How to save on groceries from Amazon
If you're already an Amazon Prime member, buying your groceries on Amazon could end up saving you a decent amount of money. Simply being a Prime member alone gives you access to cheaper delivery rates, but you can stack savings by applying for the no-annual-fee Prime Visa (see rates and fees).
With the Prime Visa, you earn an unlimited 5% back when you use any of the five methods mentioned above to order groceries. And when you're approved, you'll automatically receive a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval (exclusively for Prime members), which you can put toward future Amazon grocery orders.
The Prime Visa is only available to Amazon Prime members ($139 for an annual membership and $14.99 for a monthly membership) but is very rewarding for Amazon purchases.
- High rate of return at Amazon and Whole Foods
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership
- If you choose the promo APR you won't earn rewards on those purchases
Rewards
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Even if you're not a Prime member, you can still earn rewards on Amazon grocery purchases with an Amazon-branded credit card. The Amazon Visa is available to non-Prime customers, and while it does earn a lower rewards rate of 3% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market, it doesn't require paying $14.99 per month or $139 per year for a Prime membership. Similar to the Prime Visa, you'll also get a $50 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval.
Amazon Visa
Rewards
3% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market; 3% back on purchases made through Chase Travel; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and local transit and commuting, including rideshare; 1% back on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn a $50 Gift Card instantly upon approval.
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
19.49%–28.24% variable
Balance transfer fee
4%, $5 minimum
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply. We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links.
Pros
- Doesn't require an Amazon Prime membership
- No annual fee
Cons
- No intro APR offer
If you're a Prime member and plan on making more than one order from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market or your local grocery store each month, Amazon's grocery delivery subscription could make sense. The cost of a monthly subscription ($9.99 per month) is similar to the cost of one-to-two delivery fees, depending on the service you're ordering from.
Amazon also offers a Freshness Guarantee, meaning that perishable items with the Freshness Guarantee badge will arrive as expected. If you're not satisfied, you can contact customer service within seven days to request a refund for the product. (Note, only items with this badge can qualify for a refund.) This could be a nice reassurance for those who normally like to look at produce before purchasing, as you may be able to rectify anything that looks off from your order.
Need help budgeting for groceries? Check out these apps
Pros and cons of shopping for groceries on Amazon
While Amazon has a lot of different grocery delivery options, it still might not make sense for everyone — especially those without a Prime membership or those who prefer making multiple smaller orders as opposed to larger ones.
- Discounts for Prime members: With all five grocery options, Amazon offers discounted or free delivery for Prime members. And with Amazon's grocery delivery subscription, Prime members can get free grocery delivery on orders over $25 in many locations.
- Catch-all for your shopping needs: You can buy your fresh fruit and meat at the same time as your other household needs, like pet supplies or electronics.
- Grocery subscription: Outside of discounted or free delivery, Amazon's grocery delivery subscription features free access to one-hour delivery windows when available, free 30-minute pick-up from Whole Foods Market and Amazon, priority access to grocery deliveries and more.
- Freshness protection: If you're not satisfied with the freshness of an item that dons a Freshness Guarantee badge, you can request a 100% refund — no need to return the item.
- Various delivery fees: Amazon has several different fees depending on your ordering method, and they're significantly higher for non-Prime members.
- Prime membership pulls a lot of weight: If you're not already a Prime member, using Amazon for groceries alone could be fairly costly over time.
- Not great for small orders: Amazon orders that don't meet certain price thresholds will have higher delivery fees.
Cards for those who prefer shopping in person
If you're not an Amazon Prime member — or maybe you simply prefer to get up close and personal with your produce — the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%. If you take full advantage of this category, you can earn up to $360 cash back per year,
Plus, the card also has an uncapped 6% cash-back category on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, and 3% back on transit and at U.S. gas stations.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a low-fee card with generous cash-back rewards and useful ongoing benefits, such as a monthly Disney Bundle credit. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High cash-back earnings for U.S. supermarkets and streaming services
- Intro-APR offer for purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee for the first year
- It's less rewarding after the first year because of the annual fee
- Bonus rewards for U.S. supermarkets are capped
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply and find out your welcome offer. As High As $300 cash back* after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $3,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. *Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.49%-28.49%.
- Plan It®: Buy now, pay later with Plan It. Split purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee so you don't have the pressure of paying all at once. Simply select the purchase in your online account or the American Express® App to see your plan options. Plus, you'll still earn rewards on purchases the way you usually do.
- Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get up to a $10 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred® Card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. Subject to auto-renewal.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
If you enjoy getting your groceries delivered but aren't completely sold on Amazon's options, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) earns 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points on most online grocery purchases, including Instacart purchases.
There's also a complimentary DoorDash DashPass benefit that lasts 12 months, so long as you activate by Dec. 31, 2027. You can easily order groceries for pickup or delivery through the DoorDash app, and the Sapphire Preferred's DashPass benefit gets you $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders. Plus, there's a $10 promo each month ($120 annually) to save on things like groceries and retail orders through Dec. 31, 2027.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase TravelSM
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
FAQs
Is it cheaper to buy groceries through Amazon?
Depending on where and what you buy, it can be cheaper. Amazon Prime members will typically be able to get the deepest savings, and Amazon's grocery delivery subscription could be a great option for those who order multiple times a month.
What is the $9.99 Amazon grocery subscription?
This Amazon grocery subscription lets Prime members enjoy unlimited free deliveries on orders over $25 in most areas and access to one-hour delivery windows when available.
Is Amazon Prime free for seniors?
While Amazon Prime offers age-based discounts for young adults, seniors won't receive a discount unless they qualify for a specific government assistance program and sign up for Prime Access.
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