Amazon Prime brings a major change as invitee programme ends in October

Account holders have already begun receiving notifications of the change, with invited guests set to be informed in the coming weeks.

By  Storyboard18| Sep 10, 2025 12:48 PM
Such stringent oversight marks part of a larger shift in corporate America, where businesses are scrutinising expenses more closely than in the past.

Amazon will end its long-running Prime Invitee Programme from 1 October 2025, marking a major shift in how Prime benefits can be shared. The scheme, which allowed members to extend free two-day shipping perks to another adult at a different address, is being retired in favour of a new system called Amazon Family.

Account holders have already begun receiving notifications of the change, with invited guests set to be informed in the coming weeks.

What replaces it: Amazon Family Under the new model, only household members living at the same physical address will be able to share Prime benefits. Amazon Family will allow one Prime subscriber to extend perks to:

One additional adult

Up to four teenagers

Up to four children

Amazon confirmed to CNBC that this is now the sole method for sharing Prime benefits. Those leaving a household group must wait 12 months before joining another.

It will have a big impact on users. For members accustomed to splitting Prime benefits with family or friends at different addresses, this change means they will need to purchase their own subscription to continue enjoying the service.

Despite the shift, Amazon insists demand for Prime remains strong. Prime continues to see strong growth and customer engagement in the US and internationally. Prime Day 2025 and the surrounding weeks recorded record-breaking global sign-ups.

First Published onSep 10, 2025 1:35 PM

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