Starting next month, Amazon is changing the way Prime members can share their benefits. If you’ve been used to giving friends or distant relatives access to your Prime perks, you’ll need to rethink your strategy—because now, sharing will be limited to people living in the same household.
Previously, under Amazon’s Prime Invitee Program, members could share shipping benefits with anyone, regardless of where they lived. With Amazon Family, the sharing rules have always been stricter: benefits could only be shared with people in your household. Amazon confirmed to USA TODAY that this change will officially take effect at the end of the month.
Once the Prime Invitee Program ends on October 1, members who want to share benefits and digital content will need to add family members to their Amazon Family. This program allows you to share with one other adult, up to four teens (added before April 7, 2025), and up to four children in your household.
Amazon announced the change on its customer service website and also sent notices to members who were registered under the Prime Invitee Program between 2009 and 2015. These notices quickly made the rounds on social media, though not all shoppers received one.
What You Can Share with Amazon Family
Amazon Family offers a broad range of Prime perks, including:
- Fast, free delivery on eligible items
- Access to exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day
- Prime Video, including movies, series, and live sports
- Amazon Music and other digital entertainment
- Third-party perks, such as a free Grubhub+ membership
- Fuel discounts at participating BP, Amoco, and ampm locations
Requirements to Share Prime Benefits
To share benefits under the new rules, Prime members must:
- Link accounts through Amazon Family
- Live at the same primary residential address
- Agree to share payment methods for household verification
- Have a U.S. billing address for Prime Video sharing
What to Do if You Lose Access
If you’re currently a Prime Invitee and lose access on October 1, you have two options:
- Ask a household Prime member to add you to their Amazon Family
- Sign up for your own Prime membership ($14.99/month for a standard plan)
How to Sign Up for Amazon Family
Signing up is straightforward:
- Go to your Amazon Prime membership page
- Find the “Share Your Prime Benefits” section
- Select “Manage Your Amazon Family”
- Send invitations to household members
Family members can leave and rejoin Amazon Family at any time, though they must wait 12 months before joining a different household. Payment methods can be shared for verification, but members can still make purchases using their own cards.
This shift comes as Amazon navigates changing Prime memberships. Recently, the company reported 5.4 million U.S. sign-ups in the 21 days leading up to Prime Day—slightly below expectations. The move to household-only sharing seems aimed at keeping Prime benefits focused on core users.
