Starting next month, Prime members who want to share shipping perks with other customers must live together at the same primary residential address, a change from the company's previous allowance.
With Amazon's previous Prime Invitee Program, customers could only share their shipping benefits, and those benefits could be shared with anyone, regardless of where they live. With Amazon Family, Prime customers can share shipping and digital benefits, but with household members only, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
The change is coming at the end of the month. Once the invitee program ends, Prime members who want to share benefits and digital content with family members will have to make them part of their Amazon Family, the company shared online.
Amazon made the announcement on its customer service website that it is ending its Prime Invitee Program.
Amazon also sent a notice to customers announcing the change, which quickly made its rounds on social media. When asked why all shoppers didn't get the notice, an Amazon spokesperson said the notice was sent to customers who registered for the Prime Invitee Program between the program's launch in 2009 and 2015, when the program stopped accepting new members.
The company said on its website that with Amazon Family, Prime members can share benefits with one other adult, up to four teens added before April 7, 2025 and up to four children in their household.
"Prime members can instead share a broad range of Prime benefits with Amazon Family, including: fast, free delivery; access to exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day; movies, series, and live sports with Prime Video; Amazon Music and additional digital entertainment; access to a free Grubhub+ membership; and fuel savings at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco, and participating ampm locations," the company said in its statement to USA TODAY.
The switch to household-only sharing comes after Amazon reported 5.4 million U.S. sign-ups in the 21 days leading up to Prime Day and the company's four-day sales event in early July. The number of new customers was about 116,000 fewer than the year before, and 106,000 below the company's goal, reported Reuters.
According to Amazon, the program will end on Oct. 1. That's when Prime invitees will lose access to Prime delivery.
Amazon Prime members who want to share benefits with others must ensure they:
Prime invitees who lose access can ask a Prime member in their household to add them to their Amazon Family, or sign up for their own Prime membership (which costs $14.99 per month for a standard plan), Amazon said.
Amazon said on its website that Amazon Family grants customers access to:
Prime members can also share their Amazon Music Prime benefits with one other adult in their Amazon Family, which includes ad-free listening on shuffle mode.
Amazon said in order to sign up for Amazon Family, customers can:
According to Amazon, Prime members and family members must share payment methods in order to share Prime benefits. Family members can use their own payment methods to make purchases.
Amazon added that family members can leave and re-join an Amazon Family anytime, but they have to wait 12 months before joining a different Amazon Family.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia - the 757. Email her at [email protected].