Amazon Prime customers could receive up to $200 in refunds under expanded FTC settlement

Amazon Prime customers who were unknowingly enrolled in the subscription service could soon see bigger refund checks.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it has expanded and accelerated payments under last year’s $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon. A federal court approved a revised order that widens the pool of consumers who qualify for refunds, raises the maximum payout from $51 to $200, and makes all future payments automatic. No claims or paperwork is required. So far, more than $845 million in refund payments have been issued.

Amazon’s settlement

The original September 2025 settlement resolved FTC allegations that Amazon used deceptive design tactics, known as “dark patterns”, to enroll millions of customers into Prime subscriptions without their clear consent and then deliberately made it difficult for them to cancel.

The settlement required Amazon to pay up to $1.5 billion in consumer refunds and a $1 billion civil penalty. It is the largest penalty ever in a case involving an FTC rule violation. An estimated 35 million consumers were affected.

Who qualifies?

Under the original order, only consumers who used less than 10 Prime benefits during a one-year period were eligible for refunds of up to $51.

The revised order expands eligibility to include millions of additional consumers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits in a one-year period. Those consumers were left out of the earlier phases of the refund process but will now begin receiving automatic payments starting Oct. 1.

Payments will be made via Venmo, PayPal, or mailed check.

Amazon customers could receive up to $200

If total payments accepted by consumers don’t hit the required threshold by February 2027, Amazon will issue a second round of automatic payments to those who already received refunds. Under the revised order, those consumers could receive an additional $149, bringing the maximum total to $200. That final supplemental round would begin by April 2027.

“The revised order will ensure more consumers who were harmed by Amazon’s deceptive enrollment and cancellation practices benefit from the FTC’s historic settlement,” said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

How to avoid scams

The FTC cautioned that Amazon is responsible for administering the refund program and that the FTC itself is not contacting consumers about refunds. Anyone claiming to be from the FTC about payments is likely running a scam. Amazon will also never ask for money in exchange for issuing a refund.

Consumers can visit the FTC’s Amazon refund page for more information.

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