WASHINGTON, D.C. (THECOUNT) — Millions of eligible Amazon Prime customers could receive automatic payments under a revised $2.5 billion settlement after a federal court approved changes expanding the pool of consumers eligible for refunds and increasing the maximum total payment to $200.
The Federal Trade Commission announced Sept. 17 that Amazon will accelerate and expand payments under the settlement, which resolved FTC allegations that the online retailer enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and knowingly made it difficult for consumers to cancel.
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Under the September 2025 settlement, Amazon was required to pay up to $1.5 billion in consumer redress, in addition to a $1 billion civil penalty. The FTC said Amazon had issued more than $845 million in redress payments to eligible consumers as of September 2026.
Under the revised order, more consumers will now qualify for automatic refunds, the maximum total payment has increased from $51 to $200, and consumers will not need to submit new claims or complete additional paperwork to receive payments.
The original order provided refunds of up to $51 to eligible consumers who used fewer than 10 Prime benefits during a one-year period. The revised order expands automatic payments to millions of additional consumers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits during a one-year period.
Those newly eligible consumers are scheduled to begin receiving automatic payments Oct. 1, 2026. Payments will be distributed electronically through PayPal or Venmo, or by mailed check.
According to the FTC, consumers do not need to file a claim, respond to a notice or complete any forms to receive an eligible payment. Amazon will use its records to identify consumers who qualify for the automatic refunds.
To qualify, a consumer must be an Amazon Prime customer in the United States, must have signed up through one of the enrollment processes challenged by the FTC or attempted to cancel through the online cancellation process but was unable to do so between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, and must have used no more than 20 Amazon Prime benefits during any 12-month period following enrollment.
The challenged enrollment processes identified by the FTC include Amazon’s universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single-page checkout and Prime Video enrollment flow.
The revised order also provides for another potential round of automatic payments for consumers who previously received refunds. If consumer-accepted payments do not reach the required threshold by February 2027, consumers who have already accepted settlement payments will be eligible to receive an additional payment of up to $149.
That supplemental payment would bring the maximum total payment to $200 for an eligible consumer. The FTC said the final round of supplemental payments will begin by April 2027 and will also be distributed automatically.
The FTC says eligible Prime customers will receive refunds for Amazon Prime subscription fees, with a maximum total payment of $200. Earlier payments under the settlement were capped at $51 per eligible customer.
The FTC is warning consumers to be alert for scams involving the settlement. The agency says it is not contacting people about Amazon refunds. No one from Amazon will ask consumers to pay money to receive a refund.
Consumers who need assistance with a payment can contact Amazon through the settlement administrator at admin@SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com. The FTC says eligible consumers will receive their refunds by April 2027.
The settlement followed an FTC lawsuit alleging that Amazon enrolled tens of millions of customers in Prime subscriptions without their knowledge or consent and made it difficult for customers to cancel. Amazon was required under the settlement to provide up to $1.5 billion in consumer refunds and pay a separate $1 billion civil penalty.
The revised payment program applies to eligible Amazon Prime customers nationwide. No action is required from consumers who meet the eligibility requirements, as Amazon will distribute qualifying payments automatically by electronic payment or mailed check.
WASHINGTON, D.C., is the nation’s capital and headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency overseeing the consumer redress program stemming from the Amazon Prime settlement.
Google Maps: Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C.
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