Markets 
The deadline to file for a settlement refund from Amazon is approaching, but you still have time to get your cut.
Eligible customers can file a claim as part of the company’s $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, consisting of $1 billion in civil penalties and $1.5 billion directly to Prime subscribers. Amazon must also cease unlawful enrollment and cancellation policies for Prime.
The FTC accused Amazon of deceiving customers into signing up for a Prime membership and intentionally making it difficult to cancel, which violates the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA).
Amazon documents discovered in the trial lead-up showed that Amazon executives and employees knowingly discussed unlawful enrollment and cancellation issues. Some comments found in the documents were “subscription driving is a bit of a shady world” and getting consumers to sign up for unwanted subscriptions is an “unspoken cancer.”
Amazon defended the case and did not admit liability in the settlement, according to the FTC.
The deadline to file is Monday, July 27. You can file a claim online here. You will be prompted to include a claim ID and PIN, but you can opt to file a claim with your name, address and Amazon account details.
In order to be paid, you must check these four eligibility requirements:
- You are a U.S. consumer signed up for Prime
- You unintentionally enrolled in a Prime membership through a challenged enrollment method at issue in the FTC’s lawsuit from June 23, 2019, to June 23, 2025; or you tried to cancel your Prime membership through the online cancellation process during that period and were unable to
- You used less than 10 Prime benefits (e.g., delivery, shopping, streaming, reading and other benefits provided to Prime members) during the 12-month period of enrollment in Prime.
- You did not receive automatic payment as part of the settlement already.
The settlement also requires Amazon to include a clear button for customers to decline Prime, instead of the button saying “No, I don’t want Free Shipping.” They must clearly disclose what is included in Prime, including the cost, date and frequency of charges to customers.
Customers whose claim is approved will receive up to $51 as part of the settlement. The payout could be less depending on how long membership was active during the time period. Amazon has 30 days to review each claim and payouts will go out by September 2026.
The FTC also warned customers to be cautious of fraud. No FTC representatives will contact you about a refund, so if you receive a call from the FTC about Amazon refunds, “it’s a scam,” according to the agency’s website.
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