Summary
Millions of Amazon Prime users in the United States will receive automatic refunds after a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The settlement addresses claims that Amazon enrolled customers in Prime without clear consent and made it hard to cancel. Refunds will be issued through PayPal, Venmo, or checks over the next few years, with specific eligibility rules for customers.
Key Facts
- Amazon and the FTC reached a $2.5 billion settlement agreement.
- Amazon allegedly signed up customers for Prime without clear consent.
- As part of the settlement, Amazon will pay $1.5 billion in refunds to customers.
- The FTC filed its lawsuit against Amazon in 2023.
- Refunds began on November 12, 2023, and will continue until December 2025.
- To qualify, customers must have enrolled through certain methods between 2019 and 2025 and used limited Prime benefits.
- Eligible customers will receive refund notifications by email and can receive payments via PayPal, Venmo, or checks.
- The FTC warns of potential scams and states it is not directly contacting people about refunds.
