Update (2/20 9:00am): The new shipping policy is now official. Traditional orders of $49 will ship for free while book-only packages require a $25 minimum.

Earlier today, Amazon briefly updated its shipping page to a new minimum shipping charge for non-Prime members. While the page was quickly reverted back to its previous version, it was up long enough to capture the details of the changes that may be coming soon…

The move happened early on Friday morning and was quickly cached by Google. This page was changed to reflect a new policy bumping the free shipping threshold from $35 to $49 on the site but was quickly removed. Another part of this change is that book orders of $25 would ship free, down $10 from the current minimum. There was not a formal announcement from Amazon in regards to any changes in its shipping policies. At this moment, the minimum still stands at $35.

So what does this all mean? Well for one, Amazon’s Prime membership becomes even more valuable if this change does come to fruition. By now you’re certainly familiar with the benefits: free two-day shipping, music/video streaming services, unlimited cloud backup, Prime Pantry and special access to promotions like Prime Day.

If Amazon does choose to bump the minimum to $49, free shipping on all orders will be particularly helpful for shoppers that frequently purchase low-priced items such as home goods. At $99 a year, Prime already offers substantial savings for avid Amazon customers. This move would only sweeten the deal.

This potential move by Amazon also opens the door for other popular online retailers to raise their own shipping minimums. Target currently offers free shipping on orders of $25+, while Best Buy’s sits at $35. If Amazon were to make the jump, it will be interesting to see what other sites do in response. We’ll continue to track this story as its develops and provide additional details when available.

Orders including $25 or more of eligible books qualify for FREE Shipping. All orders of $49 or more of eligible items across any product category also qualify for FREE Shipping. You receive free shipping if your order includes at least $25 for books and at least $49 of all other eligible items. Any item with “FREE Shipping” messaging on the product detail page shipped by Amazon contributes to your free shipping order minimum. You can get unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items with Amazon Prime. No minimum spend is required to qualify. Canceling items, combining orders, or changing your shipping address, speed, or preference might affect your order’s free shipping eligibility. You can ship to a U.S. delivery address in the 50 states only.

You can ship to APO/FPO addresses only when they have a U.S. zip code.

You may find geographic shipping restrictions apply to particular products. Note: Some items may not be shipped to Alaska and Hawaii using free shipping. If your order doesn’t qualify for free shipping: The order may contain ineligible items. Note: Gift cards receive free One-Day Shipping but don’t apply to the $49 minimum.

Gift cards receive free One-Day Shipping but don’t apply to the $49 minimum. A special product, order, or handling fee may still apply.

An eligible item that was canceled brought the total below $49.

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