$2.5 billion Amazon Prime settlement update: See if you qualify for a $200 payout and learn how to cancel unwanted subscriptions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has updated the terms of a historic Amazon Prime class action settlement which saw the online giant agree to pay $2.5 billion over allegations it enrolled customers in Prime without their consent and made cancellation difficult.

Originally, eligible Amazon members had to submit a valid claim by July 27, 2026, with approved customers recieving up to $51. On Sept. 17, the FTC announced that Amazon would accelerate and expand payments — under a revised order, more consumers will qualify for refunds and the maximum payment has been raised to $200.

In addition, future payments will be distributed automatically, according to an FTC release, "eliminating the need for consumers to submit claims or additional paperwork to Amazon."

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. Although it denied any wrongdoing, it said in a statement that it agreed to the massive settlement because it "allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers."

As of September 2026, Amazon has already issued more than $845 million in settlement payments.

• Read more: The best subscription trackers

The original settlement required Amazon to provide refunds to members who used fewer than 10 Prime benefits during a one-year period. Beginning Oct. 1, 2026, Amazon will begin issuing automatic payments to consumers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits.

According to the FTC, this includes millions of consumers who were not included in earlier payment phases. To qualify, you should meet all these criteria:

1. You are a U.S. consumer who signed up for Prime between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.

2. You used no more than 20 Prime benefits in a 12-month period.

3. You unintentionally enrolled through a challenged enrollment flow or tried to cancel through one of them. (The enrollment flows challenged by the FCC are the universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment flow.)

In the new phase, no action is needed to receive a refund. Payments will be sent via Venmo, PayPal or a mailed check, without requiring consumers to submit a claim form or respond to any notice.

Previously, customers who used Prime between 3 and 10 times in any 12-month period between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025 needed to file a claim on the official Amazon Prime settlement website before July 27, 2026. 

Previously, individual payouts were capped at $51 per claimant. In an agreement between the FTC and Amazon, that limit has been raised to $200.

According to the FTC, if payments do not reach the required threshold by Feb. 2027, Amazon will provide additional automatic payments of $149 to consumers who previously received $51 refunds, increasing their total payout to $200.

Of the $2.5 billion Amazon Prime settlement, $1 billion was earmarked as an FTC fine. The remaining $1.5 billion is being divided among eligible claimants, based on the total Amazon Prime membership fees they paid during their subscription.

The first group of Amazon members who qualified for automatic payments should have received them between Nov. 12 and Dec. 24, 2025. The next phase of automatic payments is slated to begin Oct. 1, 2026.

Payouts to members who already received $51 payment and are eligible for an additional $149 will start by April 2027.

One way to manage your subscriptions and ensure you cancel the ones you don't want is to use a subscription tracker like Rocket Money. It automatically detects recurring subscriptions and can cancel eligible unwanted subscriptions on your behalf.

The bill negotiation feature can also help lower the cost of your internet, phone, cable, home security and other recurring bills.

The best tracker depends on your priorities.

Price: There are many free options, but a premium tier could be worthwhile, especially if it includes budgeting tools and other features.

Features: A subscription tracker should identify recurring charges and send reminders. More advanced apps can help you cancel subscriptions, negotiate bills and track other regular payments.

Usability: An app should be able to sync to your bank account and credit cards, find recurring payments and set reminders. The more you can do in-app, the better.

Security: Find out how your shares your personal information is shared and focus on services that use bank-level security, end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication

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