Amazon is quietly axing a big Prime shipping perk. Here’s what’s going away – and when
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Amazon is ending the Prime Invitee program.
- The program let people share Prime shipping outside their home.
- Customers are being rolled into the Amazon Family program.
It’s the end of an era for Prime Invitee users.
Through the Prime Invitee program, established in 2008, subscribers could share their shipping benefits with other people who live in their “household” even if they live at another address.
That program is ending at the end of this month. Customers will roll into the Amazon Family program, which lets you share Prime benefits with one other adult and four kids in your home. Family members also share Amazon Music, select digital content like audiobooks and eBooks, access to Grubhub+, and more.
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New signups for Prime Invitee have been closed for several years, but users in the program have been grandfathered in — until now.
The change was first spotted on an Amazon support page, but according to a CNBC report, Amazon has also notified some customers.
“We are writing to inform you that the Prime Invitee Program, which allowed sharing Prime’s fast, free delivery with others, will end on October 1, 2025,” the message read. The explanation added that invited guests will also get a notice, but by September 5, 2025 — a month after the benefit ends.
The email also indicated that affected users can sign up to get Amazon Prime for $14.99 for a whole year, but after that, the price jumps to the normal $14.99 a month.
How does Amazon Family work?
According to the support page, you and your invitee must live together at the same primary residential address, or the address you consider to be your home and where you spend most of your time.
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You can still purchase an item for someone from your account and have it sent to their address, but that’s not nearly as convenient as the former option. Another major change is that Prime Invitee doesn’t require users to share a wallet while Prime Family does. Sharing a digital wallet is part of Amazon’s way of ensuring all members are in the same “house.”
How to switch from Prime Invitee to Amazon Family
To set up your new account, head to the Amazon Family page and click “Add a new member.” Adult invitees will need to accept the invitation. Additional adult members, Amazon said, will need their own Prime membership.
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