The Amazon settlement is being expanded to make more eligible US Prime customers eligible for automatic refunds, with the maximum total payment rising from $51 to $200.
The changes were approved by a federal judge in Washington state after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Amazon agreed to accelerate the distribution of the remaining consumer redress funds from a $2.5 billion settlement reached in September 2025.
Under the revised order, Amazon can issue payments in larger groups rather than moving through eligibility categories one at a time. The FTC says this is intended to ensure consumers receive money more quickly.
Who is eligible for the Amazon settlement refund?
Refunds are available to US Prime customers who signed up through one of the enrolment processes challenged by the FTC, or who tried unsuccessfully to cancel their membership, between June 23, 2019 and June 23, 2025.
Customers must also have used no more than 20 Prime benefits during any 12-month period after enrolling. Eligible consumers do not need to submit a new claim or complete additional paperwork.
Payments will be made automatically by cheque or electronic transfer through PayPal or Venmo. The FTC says customers should accept them within 60 days of the issue date.
Those who have already received a payment may qualify for a further payment of up to $149, bringing their total refund to a maximum of $200. The final round of supplemental payments is due to begin by the end of April 2027.
The FTC said Amazon had issued more than $845 million in refunds to eligible Prime customers by September 2026. The revised process will remain in place until September 10, 2027, allowing further payments if money remains in the consumer fund.
Why is Amazon paying refunds?
The FTC alleged that Amazon enrolled millions of customers in Prime without their informed consent and made it unnecessarily difficult to cancel the subscription.
According to the agency, some customers were shown buttons to complete purchases that did not clearly explain they would also be joining Prime. It also alleged that Amazon executives delayed or rejected changes designed to make cancellation easier.
The 2025 settlement required Amazon to provide up to $1.5 billion in consumer refunds and pay a further $1 billion civil penalty. It also required the company to change how Prime enrolment and cancellation are presented to customers.
The FTC has warned that it will not contact consumers to demand money in exchange for a refund. Amazon will not ask customers to pay a fee to receive a settlement payment.
