Amazon launches in-garage delivery service

Heads up, Amazon Prime members: The in-garage delivery service Amazon first tipped in January is now available.

With Amazon Key for Garage, you won't have to worry about porch pirates stealing your packages – as long as you're comfortable giving Amazon access to your garage. Amazon is launching the new delivery service today for Prime members in 50 U.S. cities and surrounding areas; to check if it's available in your zip code, head here.

"We know it is important to keep innovating to make delivery as convenient as possible for customers, which is why we're excited to now have Key for Garage available," Key by Amazon General Manager Rohit Shrivastava said in a statement. "Today, we are thrilled to open Key by Amazon to millions of Prime members who can now have their Amazon packages delivered securely to their garages."

Amazon is launching Key for Garage in collaboration with the Chamberlain Group (CGI), a company that makes garage door openers. To take advantage of this delivery option you'll need a Chamberlain or LiftMaster myQ-connected Wi-Fi garage door opener or a myQ Smart Garage Hub, which will let you add connectivity to your existing setup. From there, you'll need to link your Amazon and myQ accounts in the Key by Amazon app.

Once you get that all set up, just select "In-Garage delivery" when checking out on Amazon.com. You can check the status of your garage door, and remotely open or close it, using the Key by Amazon app.

The myQ Smart Garage Hub is available right now for $49.99 (37.5 percent off), or you can get the Hub and an Amazon Cloud Cam (Key Edition) for $124.99 (37.5 percent off). That deal will only be available for a "limited time" before the price goes up, Amazon said. With the Cloud Cam, you can view a livestream of your garage at any time, and view clips of entries.

"A recent survey found 72 percent of Americans who live in a house or townhome take extra measures to ensure delivery acceptance of their packages, including staying home from work to wait for the package," CGI President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Meredith said in a statement. "With Key by Amazon, homeowners no longer have to reorganize their life to receive packages.

Amazon also today launched its Key (in-home, in-car, and now in-garage) delivery services in 13 new cities: Charlotte, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Fresno and Stockton, Calif.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Hartford, Conn.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Va.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Omaha, Neb.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Wilmington, Del. This is the first time Amazon has added new locations since launching Key in 2017. With the new additions, Key is available in 50 US cities.