Amazon is giving shoppers more time than ever before to place orders with free shipping in time for Christmas as the war for customers rages

• The last day for non-Prime customers to order from Amazon and receive their items in time for Christmas is now Tuesday, December 18.
• The deadline was originally December 14, but Amazon extended it.
• That's another bonus for shoppers who aren't Prime members, who also got free shipping on all orders this holiday season.
• Prime members can order by December 22 for two-day shipping and the 23rd for one-day shipping and still get items in time for Christmas.

Amazon customers still have time to order gifts and get them in time for Christmas this year.

The e-commerce giant announced on Thursday it had extended the deadline until December 18 for non-Prime members. The deadline was originally announced as December 14, but the spirit of generosity seems to have spread this year.

Amazon earlier announced it is offering free shipping for non-Prime members this holiday season, regardless of order size.

Amazon has two tiers of shipping: standard in four to five days and super-saver shipping in five to eight days. The free shipping was originally only available for the super-saver tier, but Amazon is now, in effect, bumping it up to standard shipping through the 25th.

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Last year, the last day for customers to order with super-saver shipping was December 15, meaning this year is the latest so far. The new super-saver deadline now matches last year's date for free standard shipping.

Prime members still have a few days longer. They can order by December 22 for two-day shipping and the 23rd for one-day shipping and still get it in time for Christmas.

Amazon's extension of the promotion may be because it is feeling the heat from big-box stores that are also running free-shipping promotions. Most notably, Target announced last month that it would offer free two-day shipping to all customers until December 22, with no order minimum. Best Buy also removed its free-shipping threshold but gave no time guarantee.

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