By Sydney LakeAssociate EditorDown Arrow Button IconBy Sydney LakeAssociate EditorDown Arrow Button IconJanuary 6, 2026, 2:25 PM ETThe Amazon Prime FTC settlement was first announced on September 25, 2025. Getty Images—Charles McClintock WilsonAmazon is sending out refunds to millions of customers as part of a $2.5 billion settlement with federal regulators over how it marketed and managed Prime subscriptions, with payments arriving as either a paper check or digital transfer. The settlement was first announced in September 2025, but customers are now just starting to receive their payouts. The case, which Fortune has previously covered as a major test of Big Tech’s subscription tactics, is focused on allegations that Amazon steered people into Prime and made it too difficult to cancel their subscriptions.
Who gets paid
Refunds are intended for U.S. customers who were enrolled in Prime through sign-up flows the Federal Trade Commission deemed misleading, such as certain checkout and promotional screens that pushed Prime as the default option.
Regulators have said tens of millions of people could qualify, with individual refunds generally tied to Prime membership charges and topping out at $51.
