Just when it seemed that Amazon was unstoppable and could do whatever it wanted, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stepped in and set the record straight. Jeff Bezos’ company seems perfect: affordable prices, fast and reliable delivery, and lots of extras if you pay for membership. That was the crux of the matter; there came a point when it seemed almost impossible not to pay for Amazon Prime membership. It’s not that we were crazy, it’s that Amazon was using slightly illegal practices to get you to subscribe without even realizing it.
There are still a few consumer rights left in America, so the Federal Trade Commission decided to get involved in a legal battle in which Amazon has given in. This standoff has ended with a civil penalty of $2.5 billion, the largest fine ever imposed by the FTC in consumer protection matters.
Amazon’s insistence on its Prime subscription has cost it dearly, and now it has to pay: US$1.5 billion of the fine will go exclusively to reimbursing affected customers for their Amazon Prime subscription. If you’ve ever wanted to buy something sporadically on Amazon and without realizing it, you were forced to pay for the subscription as well, you’ll probably receive a check in the mail for your trouble.
Can I get reimbursed for my Amazon Prime?
If you happened to subscribe to Amazon Prime between June 29, 2019, and June 29, 2025, you may be eligible.
This agreement is exclusive to Brian members with accounts and billing addresses in the United States. Although it appears that they did not use “dark patterns” tactics as openly in places like Asia or Europe (which have stricter consumer rights laws), this legal battle is restricted to our country.
The maximum refund for each customer would be an annual Amazon Prime membership, which at that time was $51. It will also be partially refunded if you were only subscribed for months instead of the entire year. For now, all customers will be refunded from the $1.5 billion fund allocated by the FTC. But how can you know if you are eligible for this refund? To be eligible, you first had to accidentally sign up through a Challenged Enrollment Flow, which we discussed in more detail in a previous article. If you tried to cancel your membership and couldn’t find the button in the maze that is Amazon.com, you are also eligible for this refund.
How to get a Prime membership refund
The good thing about all this is that you don’t have to sign up or fill out lots of forms. There will be two rounds of refunds: automatic refunds for users who did not use Amazon Prime, and manual claims for users who have proof.
The automatic refund is for customers who were clearly victims of the initial confusion. Amazon will automatically send a refund to any customer who signed up in a questionable manner and did not use any Amazon benefits within the 12-month period. In other words, if you subscribed to Amazon Prime but did not use your membership to listen to music, watch movies, listen to books, or buy things with fast shipping, you can prove that you paid for the membership without even realizing it.
In this case, Amazon will automatically pay within 90 days of the agreement being approved. The deadline for these automatic payments is December 25, 2025—just in time to actually pay for Amazon Prime and start doing some Christmas shopping.
If you are one of those who paid for the plan unintentionally but used it a little more, you are not excluded but must submit a form. If you used up to 10 Prime benefits in 12 months but tried to cancel it without success, you will need to fill out a claim form. Amazon will send the form by email or post 30 days after the automatic refund phase ends. So keep an eye on your email inbox or physical mailbox in early 2026.