Amazon Expands In-Garage Delivery

Amazon expanded in-garage delivery to 4,000 U.S. cities and launched limited in-garage delivery service through Whole Foods in five markets, it said Thursday. Amazon's Key In-Garage Delivery service went live last year (see 1904230033) in 50 cities in a partnership with the Chamberlain Group, which makes smart garage door openers. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, Houston, Boston, Atlanta and Phoenix are among the new cities with access to the contactless delivery service. For a limited time, new Key by Amazon customers can receive $30 in Amazon credits after their first in-garage delivery. Amazon also launched Whole Foods in-garage delivery Thursday in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, with a $20 credit for first delivery. It plans to expand the service to other U.S. cities. Key service lets eligible Prime members with a myQ-compatible smart garage door opener receive packages securely inside their garage. Customers have to first link the myQ app with the Key service, then select the “free in-garage delivery” option at Amazon.com. Customers can be notified of delivery using the Key by Amazon app or the Amazon mobile shopping app. Those with a Ring smart home camera and a Ring Protect plan ($3-$10 a month) or a LiftMaster smart garage camera with a myQ video storage subscription ($3-$10 a month) can view videos of their delivery. Drivers receive temporary, one-time access after the Amazon delivery app confirms their identity and delivery route via multistep authentication, says the Amazon website. Drivers are vetted through background checks and are instructed to go no farther than 5 feet inside a garage, it said. Amazon said it has had more than a million successful in-garage deliveries.