Amazon customers may be getting a refund soon, if it hasn't already hit their bank accounts.
The Federal Trade Commission announced that payments from a $2.5 billion settlement with the company started going out on Nov. 12 and will continue through Dec. 24.
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The settlement requires Amazon to pay $1.5 billion to customers who were unintentionally signed up for a Prime membership. The company will also have to pay $1 billion in fines.
Amazon has denied any wrongdoing, instead saying the settlement allows the company to move forward.
"We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world," the company said following the settlement. " We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years."
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Who is eligible?
Customers may qualify for an automatic refund if they:
- live in the United States,
- enrolled in Prime between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, through one of the “challenged” sign-up flows identified by the FTC, and
- used no more than three Prime benefits within any 12-month period after enrollment.
No application is required; eligible customers will receive the refund automatically.
How much will customers get?
Most eligible Prime members will receive a refund of up to $51, which is the equivalent of their Prime subscription fees.
