Amazon has expanded and accelerated payments to consumers under a $2.5 billion settlement reached with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2025.
As per Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a federal court approved measures enabling more customers to qualify for refunds related to allegations that Amazon enrolled millions of users in Prime subscriptions without asking for their consent and made cancellation more challenging.
All future payments will be distributed automatically, as per FTC, "eliminating the need for consumers to submit claims or additional paperwork to Amazon."
Under the original 2025 settlement, Amazon agreed to pay up to $1.5 billion in consumer refunds, along with a $1 billion civil penalty.
The FTC stated Amazon has already distributed over $845 million to consumers as of September 2026.
Refund limit increased to $200
Under the revised order, the maximum refund significantly rose from $51 to $200. More consumers who previously did not qualify will now be eligible for automatic payments.
Amazon will now start making payments from October 1, 2026, to extra Prime customers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits during a one-year period.
Eligible consumers will not be required to submit a claim, complete paperwork or respond to notices. Payments will be sent electronically via Venmo or PayPal, or delivered by mailed check.
Additional payments possible
As per FTC if customer-accepted payments do not reach a needed threshold by February 2027, Amazon will make automatic payments to consumers who were previously refunded.
Consumers who already accepted payments under the settlement could get an extra $149, bringing their total payment to as much as $200. The final round of supplemental payments is likely to kick off by April 2027.
The revised measures are part of the FTC’s efforts to distribute the consumer redress offered under the Amazon Prime settlement more widely and without requiring consumers to file extra claims.
