Earlier this week, Amazon settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to avoid a trial over allegations that the online retailer tricked customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions and then made it hard to cancel. The settlement amounts $2.5 billion in fines, the FTC announced on September 25, the second-highest amount ever levied against a company by the agency.
Of that historic number, $1.5 billion is meant to be set aside as restitution that will go directly to Prime subscribers, capped at $51 per person. The other $1 billion will be paid to the government as civil penalties. If you signed up for an Amazon Prime or “unsuccessfully attempted to cancel” your Prime subscription in the U.S. between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, you could be eligible for a share of the settlement. Since this deal is through the FTC, current and former Prime subscribers outside of the U.S. are not eligible for a refund.
