Amazon Prime members could see some extra money in their pockets as part of a settlement from the Federal Trade Commission over the technology’s subscription enrollments.
The FTC is not contacting people about the refunds. The FTC said anyone contacting consumers about the refunds is a scammer and should be reported.
The lawsuit alleges that the retailer enrolled millions of customers in Amazon Prime subscriptions without their consent and made it difficult to cancel.
Amazon started rolling out additional refunds up to $200 on Oct. 1, as part of a revised order to expand payouts. This new round of payouts is for customers who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits during a one-year period, according to the FTC. The refunds will be delivered automatically.
The initial 2025 settlement under President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance secured a $2.5 billion settlement that required Amazon to refund up to $51 to customers who used fewer than 10 Prime benefits during a one-year period.
The FTC does not require any action from customers, and they will be automatically refunded, according to the release.
Amazon has issued more than $845 million in redress payments to consumers as of September 2026, the FTC said.
Additional automatic payments could go out in February 2027 if the accepted refunds by customers do not reach the required threshold.
Amazon notice of a class-action settlement sent to qualified customers, June 12, 2026. (Provided by Washington Examiner/Judy Kim)
Amazon notice of a class-action settlement sent to qualified customers, June 12, 2026. (Provided by Washington Examiner/Judy Kim)
Amazon notice of a class-action settlement sent to qualified customers, Oct. 1, 2026. (Provided by Washington Examiner/Judy Kim)
Amazon notice of a class-action settlement sent to qualified customers, Oct. 1, 2026. (Provided by Washington Examiner/Judy Kim)
Amazon is also facing separate legal challenges. The FTC and 22 states alleged Amazon concealed unfair charges. The August lawsuit says that Amazon inflated prices of products in its online search advertising auctions, leading advertising customers and consumers to pay higher prices.
The states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington.
The Washington Examiner obtained one lawsuit specific to Washington, which alleges that Amazon violated federal antitrust laws by charging higher commission fees and causing higher pricing on third-party goods.
Customers were contacted via email about the settlement, and do not have to take action to be included. The trial date for the lawsuit is June 14, 2027.
Another settlement obtained by the Washington Examiner details Amazon’s return policy violations in Washington.
The settlement includes customers who tried to initiate a return or get a refund for an Amazon product from Sept. 5, 2017, to Feb. 12, 2026, and either did not receive a refund, received it in an untimely fashion, or it was incorrect. The other issue noted that customers did receive a refund, but were later incorrectly charged.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SNAP INCREASES STARTING OCT. 1
Emails were sent to customers who were identified as part of the class action lawsuit. Claims must be submitted by Dec. 1, 2026.
The final approval hearing for that settlement is March 16, 2027.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
