Amazon expands $2.5 billion Prime settlement to $200 refunds with automatic payments starting Oct. 1, 2026.

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Sept. 17 that it has expanded a $2.5 billion Amazon Prime settlement, raising the maximum refund to $200 and shifting future payouts to an automatic system. Consumers who previously had to file paperwork will now receive money directly, eliminating a major step in the claims process.

Eligible customers include U.S. residents who signed up for Prime between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, and used no more than 20 benefits in a 12-month period. The update specifically covers members who used between 11 and 20 benefits during that timeframe. Qualifying individuals also include those who unintentionally enrolled or attempted to cancel through Amazon's universal decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or Prime Video enrollment flow.

Automatic payments will begin on Oct. 1, 2026. The commission will distribute funds through Venmo, PayPal, or mailed checks. If the total payout pool does not reach its required threshold by Feb. 2027, Amazon will issue an additional $149 to consumers who previously received $51 refunds. Those top-up payments are scheduled to start in April 2027.

The original settlement required individual claimants to submit requests by July 27, 2026, and capped payouts at $51. Amazon has already distributed more than $845 million as of September 2026. The total settlement splits $1 billion as an FTC fine and allocates $1.5 billion to consumers based on the membership fees they paid.

Regulators are cautioning the public against fraudsters using the settlement news to extract money. "The FTC will never contact you about this refund," the agency stated. "No one from the FTC or Amazon will ask you for money to get a refund." Amazon did not respond to requests for comment on the latest update, though the company previously noted the agreement allows it to focus on innovation.