The FTC Prime Subscription Settlement is legit, it is not a scam. Customers who believe they are eligible but did not receive an automatic payment can submit a claim starting December 24, 2025, at www.subscriptionmembershipsettlement.com. Claims for those who used 4–10 benefits or tried to cancel unsuccessfully will be processed in 2026.
In September 2025, Amazon reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The settlement resolves allegations that Amazon used "dark patterns" (deceptive user-interface designs) to trick millions of customers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions and then intentionally made the cancellation process difficult.
Settlement Distribution
The $2.5 billion is split into two main parts:
- $1.5 billion is allocated for consumer refunds to approximately 35 million affected shoppers.
- $1 billion is a civil penalty paid to the U.S. government.
Eligibility for Refunds
To qualify for a payout (capped at $51 per person), you must meet these criteria:
- Be an Amazon Prime customer in the United States.
- Signed up for Prime between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.
- Signed up via a "challenged enrollment flow" (e.g., universal Prime page, shipping selection page, or Prime Video flow).
- Used Prime benefits (like Prime Video or Music) three or fewer times in any 12-month period.
How to Get Your Payment
The refund process is occurring in two stages:
- Automatic Payments (Nov 12 – Dec 24, 2025): Eligible customers who used three or fewer benefits are receiving automatic notifications via email.
- Payments are sent through PayPal or Venmo and must be accepted within 15 days.
- To receive a paper check instead, ignore the email; Amazon will mail a check to your default address.
- Claims Process (Starting Dec 24, 2025): Customers who believe they are eligible but did not receive an automatic payment can submit a claim starting December 24, 2025, at SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com. Claims for those who used 4–10 benefits or tried to cancel unsuccessfully will be processed in 2026.