Millions of additional Amazon Prime customers may receive automatic refunds under a revised federal court order that expands the payment program created by the Federal Trade Commission's 2025 settlement with Amazon.
Amazon is scheduled to begin the expanded automatic-payment phase by October 1, 2026. Eligible consumers do not need to file a new claim, respond to a notice, or pay anyone to receive money. Payments will be sent by mailed check, PayPal, or Venmo based on Amazon's records and the court-approved process.
The revised order raises the maximum total payment from $51 to $200 per eligible consumer. It also extends the program to people who used no more than 20 qualifying Prime benefits during any 12-month period after enrolling, provided they otherwise meet the settlement's eligibility rules.
Key facts
- Case: Federal Trade Commission v. Amazon.com, Inc., et al., No. 2:23-cv-00932-JHC
- Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
- Latest order entered: September 14, 2026
- Who may be eligible: U.S. Prime customers who enrolled through a challenged flow or unsuccessfully tried to cancel between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, and used no more than 20 Prime benefits during a 12-month period
- Expanded automatic payments begin: By October 1, 2026
- Action required: None for the new automatic-payment rounds
- Payment method: Mailed check, PayPal, or Venmo
- Maximum total payment: $200 across all settlement-program phases
- Acceptance period: At least 60 days for the expanded payments, with unaccepted payments subject to being voided on or after March 5, 2027
- Possible supplemental payment: Up to $149 for eligible consumers who previously accepted a payment, if less than $1 billion has been accepted after reconciliation
- Program continuation: Through September 10, 2027 under the revised order
- Current status: Court-approved consumer redress program in progress
In this article
- What changed in the Amazon Prime refund program
- Who Amazon, Prime, and the FTC are
- Why the original case was filed
- Who may qualify under the revised order
- How automatic payments will work
- How much an eligible consumer may receive
- Case timeline and current status
- What the court decided and what Amazon did not admit
- Scam warnings and practical steps
- What happens next
- Frequently asked questions
What changed in the Amazon Prime refund program
On September 14, 2026, U.S. District Judge John H. Chun approved a joint request from the FTC and Amazon governing how the remaining consumer-redress money will be distributed. The order changes the later stages of the payment program, not the basic allegations or the total 2025 settlement.
The original distribution process separated consumers into groups based partly on the number of Prime benefits they used during a 12-month period. Earlier automatic payments covered eligible consumers who used no more than three benefits. A claims process then covered other eligible consumers who used no more than 10 benefits and submitted valid claims.
The revised order accelerates the next phase. Instead of adding one benefit-use group at a time, Amazon may send payments in larger groups. The expanded phase covers otherwise eligible consumers who used no more than 20 Prime benefits during a 12-month period and were not previously issued a payment from the consumer fund.
The FTC says millions of additional consumers may benefit. Amazon had issued more than $845 million in redress by September 2026, according to the agency.
What changed The payment program now reaches otherwise eligible consumers who used up to 20 Prime benefits in a 12-month period, and the maximum total payment across all phases increases to $200.
Who Amazon, Prime, and the FTC are
Amazon.com, Inc. operates the Amazon online retail marketplace and the Amazon Prime subscription program in the United States. Prime is a recurring membership that can include shipping, video, music, and other services. The settlement order calls the goods and services that members receive because of a Prime subscription Prime benefits. Free expedited shipping does not count as a Prime benefit when the same shipping speed would have been free without Prime.
The Federal Trade Commission is the federal agency that brought the case. The FTC enforces consumer-protection and competition laws. It sued Amazon and two executives over Prime enrollment and cancellation practices, then entered a stipulated final order with the defendants in September 2025.
Amazon administers the refund program under court supervision. The FTC's current guidance says Amazon, not the FTC, is responsible for sending payments and handling payment questions. The settlement program also has an independent court-appointed claims supervisor who monitors compliance with the distribution requirements.
Why the original case was filed
The FTC alleged that Amazon enrolled tens of millions of consumers in Prime without their knowledge or consent and made cancellation difficult. The case involved online screens and processes used to enroll consumers in, or retain them in, the recurring subscription.
The 2025 order defines several challenged enrollment flows. They include versions of the Universal Prime Decision Page, the Shipping Option Select Page, Single Page Checkout, and the Prime Video enrollment flow. The order also covers consumers who entered the online cancellation process but did not complete it or inadvertently accepted a save offer, meaning an offer or message intended to keep the subscription active.
A recurring subscription is sometimes described as a negative option arrangement. In that type of agreement, a consumer's silence or failure to cancel can be treated as consent to continue the service and recurring charges. The Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, commonly called ROSCA, sets federal requirements for certain online negative-option transactions.
The court found in September 2025 that Prime is subject to ROSCA and that Amazon obtained billing information before disclosing all material subscription terms in violation of the law. The final order also imposed requirements concerning clear disclosures, express informed consent, and simple cancellation mechanisms.
The monetary judgment totaled $2.5 billion. Amazon was required to fund $1.5 billion for consumer refunds and pay a separate $1 billion civil penalty. The civil penalty is paid to the government and is not part of individual consumers' refund amounts.
Who may qualify under the revised order
The FTC's September 2026 guidance lists three core requirements. A consumer must:
- Be an Amazon Prime customer in the United States.
- Have enrolled through a challenged enrollment flow or unsuccessfully tried to cancel through the online cancellation process between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.
- Have used no more than 20 Prime benefits during a 12-month period following enrollment.
Amazon uses its business records to identify the consumers who potentially meet these requirements. The revised order calls people in the newly expanded group Escalation Eligible Consumers. It excludes customers who were previously issued a payment from the consumer fund from that particular round.
The order does not say that every person who had Prime during the six-year period qualifies. The challenged-flow or unsuccessful-cancellation condition and the benefit-use limit still apply. Amazon's records and the court-approved definitions control the determination.
The FTC's refund page gives Prime Music and Prime Video products offered free to Prime subscribers as examples of Prime benefits. Ordinary use of Amazon is not itself proof of eligibility, and Class Action Pulse cannot determine whether a particular person is in Amazon's payment population.
No new claim is required The expanded payment rounds are automatic. Eligible consumers do not need to submit a form, respond to a notice, or pay a fee to receive a refund.
How automatic payments will work
Amazon's claims administrator will send eligible consumers payments by mailed check or electronic payment through PayPal or Venmo. The revised order requires Amazon to begin issuing the expanded payments by October 1, 2026.
The order gives the expanded group at least 60 days to accept payment. It also states that unaccepted payments may be voided on or after March 5, 2027 and do not have to be reissued. The FTC's public refund guidance tells consumers that payments expire 60 days after the issue date and should be accepted on time.
Consumers do not need to provide payment, banking information, or a fee to unlock a refund. People with payment questions should use the official settlement contact information published by the FTC. The agency lists admin@SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com and 1-888-999-8094.
The revised order also addressed payments connected to the earlier claims phase. It states that by August 30, 2026, the administrator had begun issuing payments to potentially eligible consumers who submitted approved or invalid claims, or did not submit a claim, as long as they had not already been issued a settlement payment and were not subject to a holdback.
How much an eligible consumer may receive
Refunds are tied to Prime subscription fees, subject to the settlement rules and caps. Earlier phases generally capped payments at $51 per eligible person. The revised order raises the maximum total amount a person may receive across all phases to $200.
That does not mean every eligible person will receive $200. The newly expanded automatic payment and any later supplemental payment depend on the consumer's status in the program, Prime fees, prior payments, acceptance of earlier payments, and the amount remaining in the fund.
After the expanded payments, Amazon must reconcile the consumer fund by the end of March 2027. If consumers have accepted less than $1 billion in total payments, Amazon will direct the administrator to distribute the remaining amount, up to that threshold, among eligible consumers who previously accepted a payment.
Those later pro rata payments can be as high as $149 per person. Pro rata means an available amount is allocated among eligible recipients according to the approved distribution method rather than guaranteeing the same fixed amount in advance. The $149 limit is designed to work with the earlier $51 cap so no consumer receives more than $200 total.
The order requires the later supplemental round to begin by the end of April 2027. It will use the payment method the recipient previously accepted, and recipients will again have at least 60 days to accept the payment.
$200 is a total cap, not a guaranteed check The revised order allows up to $200 across all payment phases. A person's actual total may be lower, and the possible additional payment depends on the amount accepted from the consumer fund after reconciliation.
Case timeline and current status
- June 23, 2019 to June 23, 2025: The settlement's relevant period for challenged enrollment or unsuccessful online cancellation.
- June 2023: The FTC filed its federal case against Amazon and individual defendants.
- September 17, 2025: The court granted part of the FTC's summary-judgment motion, including findings concerning ROSCA and the timing of material disclosures.
- September 25, 2025: The court entered the stipulated final order creating the $1.5 billion consumer fund and imposing a $1 billion civil penalty.
- November and December 2025: Amazon sent the first automatic payments.
- January 2026: Amazon began sending claim notices for the claims phase.
- July 27, 2026: The deadline to submit claims under the earlier claims process.
- By August 30, 2026: The administrator began broader payments described in the revised order.
- September 14, 2026: The court entered the revised distribution order.
- By October 1, 2026: The expanded automatic-payment round must begin.
- March 5, 2027: Date on or after which unaccepted expanded payments may be voided.
- End of March 2027: Amazon must reconcile accepted payments from the consumer fund.
- By the end of April 2027: Any required supplemental pro rata payment round must begin.
- September 10, 2027: Revised end date for the settlement program and distribution process.
The current matter is an active court-supervised redress program under a final order. It is not a proposed private class settlement awaiting preliminary or final approval. The September 2026 order governs how already-ordered consumer funds will be distributed.
What the court decided and what Amazon did not admit
The court made specific legal findings before the settlement. Its September 2025 order states that Prime is subject to ROSCA and that Amazon obtained billing information before disclosing all material terms for a Prime subscription, in violation of ROSCA. The court also found that the individual settling defendants had authority to control the Prime enrollment and cancellation flows.
The stipulated final order resolved the remaining disputes between the FTC and the defendants. Amazon and the individual defendants neither admitted nor denied the complaint's allegations except as specifically stated in the order. That distinction matters. The court's stated findings should not be expanded into findings about every allegation, every enrollment, or every consumer's individual experience.
The revised 2026 order does not add a new finding of misconduct. It changes the distribution process so the remaining redress can reach consumers faster and addresses what happens if accepted payments remain below $1 billion after the expanded phase.
Scam warnings and practical steps
The FTC says it is not contacting consumers about Amazon refunds. A person claiming to be with the FTC and asking for money or personal information is likely attempting a scam. The FTC also says no one from Amazon will ask consumers to pay money to receive a refund.
Consumers should watch for a mailed check, PayPal payment, or Venmo payment and verify it through their normal account or official settlement information. The FTC warns that payments expire after 60 days, so a valid payment should be accepted or deposited before its deadline.
Do not pay a third party that promises special access, a guaranteed refund, or faster processing. The official program does not require a new claim for these automatic rounds.
Use the official contact path For payment questions, the FTC directs consumers to SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com, admin@SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com, or 1-888-999-8094. The FTC will not ask for a fee to release a refund.
What happens next
Amazon's administrator must begin the expanded automatic payments by October 1. Recipients then have at least 60 days to accept them. The administrator may void unaccepted expanded payments on or after March 5, 2027.
Amazon will calculate how much of the consumer fund has been accepted by the end of March. If the accepted total is below $1 billion, the administrator will issue another round to eligible consumers who previously accepted a payment. That round can add up to $149 without allowing any consumer's combined payments to exceed $200.
After that supplemental round, if accepted payments remain below $1 billion, Amazon may issue another consumer payment round or direct enough money to the U.S. Treasury as part of its civil-penalty payment to reach the threshold described in the order.
The court extended the settlement program through September 10, 2027. The claims supervisor's final report is due to the court by October 15, 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to file a new Amazon Prime refund claim?
No. The FTC says no action is required for the expanded automatic-payment rounds. Amazon will identify potentially eligible consumers from its records and send payments automatically.
Who may be eligible for the expanded refund?
A person must be a U.S. Prime customer who enrolled through a challenged flow or unsuccessfully tried to cancel online between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, and used no more than 20 Prime benefits during a 12-month period after enrollment.
When do the new automatic payments begin?
The revised order requires Amazon's administrator to begin the expanded phase by October 1, 2026.
How will payments arrive?
The FTC says payments will arrive by mailed check, PayPal, or Venmo.
Is every eligible person guaranteed $200?
No. The $200 figure is the maximum total across all phases. Actual payments depend on subscription fees, prior payments, acceptance, program status, and any later distribution of remaining funds.
What if I already received an Amazon Prime settlement payment?
If accepted payments from the consumer fund remain below $1 billion after reconciliation, consumers who previously accepted a payment may receive an additional pro rata payment of up to $149. Combined payments cannot exceed $200.
How long do I have to accept a payment?
The revised order gives expanded-payment recipients at least 60 days. The FTC says payments expire 60 days after issuance. Unaccepted expanded payments may be voided on or after March 5, 2027.
Who should I contact about a missing payment?
The FTC directs payment questions to the official settlement administrator at admin@SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com or 1-888-999-8094. The official information site is SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com.
Did Amazon admit all of the FTC's allegations?
No. The 2025 order records specific court findings, but the defendants otherwise neither admitted nor denied the complaint's allegations except as stated in the order.