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Amazon’s latest Prime settlement payment round was scheduled to begin on October 1, expanding refunds to millions of additional customers. A revised court order raises the maximum total payment to USD 200 and removes the requirement to submit claims or complete paperwork. The payments form part of the company’s USD 2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
The expanded round covers eligible customers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits during 12 months. These customers fell outside earlier payment groups. Amazon will identify recipients through its business records, excluding customers who already received a settlement payment from this round.
Eligibility also depends on where and how customers subscribed. The FTC’s refund guidance covers US Prime customers who joined through certain disputed enrollment screens or unsuccessfully tried to cancel online between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.
Customers must also have used no more than 20 Prime benefits in any 12 months following enrollment. The count includes qualifying use of Prime Music and Prime Video products offered free to subscribers. Membership alone therefore does not qualify every customer for a refund.
The settlement resolved FTC allegations that Amazon enrolled consumers without their consent and made cancellation difficult. Amazon agreed in September 2025 to pay a USD 1 billion civil penalty and provide USD 1.5 billion for consumer refunds. The agreement also required changes to its subscription practices.
The FTC announced that all future settlement payments will arrive automatically. Eligible customers do not need to file a claim, respond to a notice or fill out forms. Amazon will send the money through PayPal, Venmo or a mailed check.
The agency said the change would speed up distribution and widen access to the settlement. By September 2026, Amazon had issued more than USD 845 million in consumer payments, according to the FTC. That figure describes payments issued rather than the amount customers had accepted.
Earlier automatic payments covered customers who used no more than three Prime benefits during a qualifying year. A separate claims phase covered eligible customers who used no more than 10 benefits. The deadline for submitting those claim forms was July 27, 2026.
Amazon administers the refund program. The FTC warns that it is not contacting customers about their payments. Its guidance states, “No one from Amazon will ever ask you for money to get a refund.” Customers seeking payment assistance can contact the settlement administrator.
The USD 200 limit applies across all settlement payment rounds. Earlier refunds carried a USD 51 cap. Under the revised order, customers who accepted a previous payment could receive an additional amount of up to USD 149, depending on the funds remaining.
Amazon must calculate the total value of accepted payments by the end of March 2027. If that amount remains below USD 1 billion, the company must direct its administrator to distribute supplemental payments proportionally among eligible customers who previously accepted money.
Those payments must begin by the end of April 2027. The administrator will use the payment method each recipient previously accepted and allow at least 60 days to accept the additional money. After that period, outstanding payments may expire without being reissued.
