Amazon limits Prime shipping perks to household members only

Amazon, a leading e-commerce company based in the United States, is making significant changes to its Prime membership benefits. As of October 1, 2025, the company will discontinue its Prime Invitee program, which has allowed members to share free shipping perks with individuals outside their household. This program has been in place since 2009 and is being replaced with the Amazon Family program. Under the new structure, Prime members can only share benefits with one other adult in their household along with limited profiles for children and teens. This change is part of a broader strategy by Amazon to streamline its membership offerings. The decision to end the Prime Invitee program was communicated through an update on Amazon's customer service section of their website and was confirmed by a spokesperson from the company. Users who don't live with the account holder are encouraged to sign up for their Prime membership, which is currently available at a discounted rate of $14.99 for one year until December 31, 2025. Post this period, the standard monthly fee will be $14.99 or an annual fee of $139. This initiative aims to encourage subscriptions among users who might have previously relied on the shared benefits from friends or family members. The Amazon Family program allows account holders to share their perks with additional household members, creating a more focused structure for benefit sharing. This means that members can still enjoy free two-day shipping and access to exclusive deals, but only with individuals they reside with, such as spouses or family members. The changes reflect Amazon's ongoing efforts to focus its marketing on household sharing strategies while phasing out broader programs that prevent a more targeted approach to membership benefits. Additionally, Amazon's recent Prime Day sale was highlighted as a record-breaking event, indicating strong consumer interest in its Prime offerings, despite the membership fee increase to $139 seen since 2022. Analysts suggest that further membership fee increases may be likely in the future to continue funding Amazon's expansion efforts and competitive advantages in the e-commerce landscape. As the company invests in logistics and delivery services, these changes may also align with its goals to improve customer experience in more remote areas of the United States where faster delivery options are being developed.