The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a significant expansion of its consumer refund program related to Amazon Prime, allowing more customers to receive compensation while increasing the maximum refund from $51 to as much as $200.

The updated program is part of the FTC's landmark 2025 settlement with Amazon and follows the approval of a revised court order designed to speed up payments and extend eligibility to additional consumers.

The original $2.5 billion settlement resolved FTC allegations that Amazon enrolled millions of customers in Prime subscriptions without their informed consent and made it unnecessarily difficult for users to cancel their memberships. Under the agreement, Amazon committed up to $1.5 billion in consumer refunds and paid a $1 billion civil penalty. As of September 2026, more than $845 million has already been returned to eligible consumers.

More Consumers Now Qualify

Under the revised court order, millions of additional Prime subscribers will now qualify for automatic refunds.

Previously, refunds were limited to customers who had used fewer than 10 Prime benefits during a one-year period. The new rules expand eligibility to consumers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits, allowing many more people to receive compensation.

Refunds will begin being distributed automatically on October 1, 2026, through PayPal, Venmo, or mailed checks. Eligible consumers will not need to submit claims, complete paperwork, or respond to any notices.

Maximum Refund Increased to $200

The FTC also announced that if total accepted refund payments do not reach the required distribution threshold by February 2027, Amazon will issue additional automatic payments.

Consumers who have already received refunds under the settlement could receive up to an additional $149, bringing the total maximum refund to $200 per eligible customer. These supplemental payments are expected to begin by April 2027.

FTC Warns Consumers About Scams

The FTC emphasized that Amazon is solely responsible for administering the refund program. The agency will notcontact consumers to request personal information or payment in connection with the refunds.

Officials also warned consumers to be cautious of scammers claiming to represent the FTC. Neither the FTC nor Amazon will ever ask consumers to pay money or provide financial information in order to receive a refund.

According to the FTC, the expanded refund program is intended to ensure that more consumers affected by Amazon's deceptive enrollment and cancellation practices receive compensation while reinforcing the agency's commitment to protecting consumers from unfair and misleading business practices.