Amazon has officially launched its in-garage delivery offering for Prime customers in the U.S., nearly four months after first announcing the service.
Key for Garage, as it’s known, extends the broader Amazon Key service that debuted back in 2017 and that allows delivery drivers to leave packages in customers’ homes while they’re out. Amazon expanded this service to car trunks last year.
Key for Garage is very much a branch of in-home delivery service, but it acknowledges that many customers feel nervous about handing a stranger the virtual keys to their actual house.
Similar to Key for Home, the new delivery service will require homeowners to retrofit their garage with various connected contraptions (unless they happen to already have them installed). These include an automated door opener from launch partner Chamberlain or its subsidiary LiftMaster, or a special hub they can buy to integrate the service with existing garage door openers.
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The hub costs $80, though it’s on sale now for $50. But if you’re starting from scratch, a MyQ-connected garage door opener could set you back almost $200.
Above: Key for Garage: Amazon finds another way into your house
Obviously, these expenses won’t apply if you already have one of Chamberlain’s smart garage doors — all you’ll have to do is link your Amazon and MyQ accounts through the Key by Amazon app. However, if you’re letting a delivery driver into your garage, you might want to keep an eye on things from afar, which is why Amazon is also trying to upsell an Amazon Cloud Cam, which costs another $120. With that in mind, Amazon has a special offer that bundles the Cloud Cam with the MyQ smart garage hub for $125.
In summary, Amazon Key now has three core components: Key for Home, which includes the new in-garage service; Key for Car; and Key for Business, which offers a little fob that gives delivery drivers keyless entry to corporate properties.
In related news today, Amazon also expanded the Amazon Key service to millions more Prime members in the U.S., with availability extended to a host of new cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Fresno, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Virginia Beach, Virgina.
