Amazon Prime refunds expanded to as much as $200
More Amazon Prime customers will qualify for automatic refunds under a revised settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, with the maximum total payment increasing from $51 to $200.
The FTC announced Sept. 17 that Amazon “will accelerate and expand payments to eligible consumers under last year’s $2.5 billion settlement.” A federal court approved a joint motion from the agency and Amazon this week allowing the expanded payments to move forward.
“Under the revised order, more consumers will now qualify for refunds from Amazon, the maximum payment cap has been raised from $51 to $200 total, and all future payments will be distributed automatically, eliminating the need for consumers to submit claims or additional paperwork to Amazon,” the FTC said.
Under the original 2025 settlement, Amazon was required to provide payments of up to $51 to customers who had used fewer than 10 Amazon Prime benefits during one year.
The revised order expands eligibility to millions of additional customers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits during the same period.
According to the FTC, the relatively low level of Prime benefit use indicated that some customers may not have realized they had enrolled in a paid subscription. Those consumers were excluded from earlier rounds of payments but will now receive refunds automatically beginning Oct. 1.
Payments will be distributed electronically through services including PayPal and Venmo or sent by mailed check. Customers do not need to submit a claim, fill out forms, or respond to notices to receive the new payments.
Another round of payments could begin in 2027. Starting in February, Amazon will provide additional refunds to consumers who previously received money through the settlement if the broader consumer-accepted payments have not reached the required threshold.
“As part of the revised order, consumers who have accepted payments will be eligible to receive an additional $149, for a total of $200,” the FTC said.
Those additional automatic payments are expected to begin by April 2027.
Federal officials previously said Amazon began distributing automatic refunds to eligible customers in November and December 2025. Under the earlier version of the settlement, the deadline for customers to submit claims for a portion of the $2.5 billion settlement expired in July.
The FTC and Amazon settled in 2025 after the agency alleged that the company designed its website in ways that confused customers about Prime enrollment and made subscriptions difficult to cancel.
Amazon denied wrongdoing when the settlement was announced.
“Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” the company said at the time. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world.”
The FTC said the latest changes are intended to extend compensation to more customers covered by the settlement.
“The revised order will ensure more consumers who were harmed by Amazon’s deceptive enrollment and cancellation practices benefit from the FTC’s historic settlement,” Christopher Mufarrige, head of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in the Sept. 17 statement.
The FTC has published additional information about the latest payments and eligibility requirements on its website.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
