Amazon Cuts Prime Sharing Perk, Forcing More Users to Pay

Amazon is phasing out one of its most generous perks, a move that could impact millions of customers.

Starting October 1, the company will eliminate its “Prime Invitee” program, which allowed Amazon Prime members to share free shipping benefits with friends or family outside their household. Moving forward, only customers with their own Prime memberships — or members of the same household through “Amazon Family” — will be able to use the free shipping benefit.

Amazon confirmed the change on its website and directed affected customers to the Amazon Family program, which allows sharing benefits but only within a single household.

The Prime Invitee program stopped accepting new sign-ups in 2015, but existing invitees were still able to enjoy the perk. The company did not disclose how many people currently use it.

The timing follows mixed results from Amazon’s expanded Prime Day sales event in July. A Reuters report said the company registered 116,000 fewer sign-ups compared to the same period in 2024, though Amazon publicly described the event as record-breaking in sales.

Prime memberships currently cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Prices last increased in 2022. According to estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Amazon had 197 million Prime members in the U.S. as of March 2025.

Credit: CNN Newsource

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