Amazon is shutting down a long-running program that allowed Prime members to share their free shipping perk with people who don’t live in the same household. According to an update on the company’s support page, the change will take effect on October 1, 2025.
Invitees who currently access Prime shipping benefits through the old sharing program will be prompted to sign up for their own subscription. Amazon is offering a discounted $14.99 annual plan for the first year, after which the standard monthly rate of $14.99 will apply.
Shift to Amazon Family
This move fully transitions Prime benefit sharing into Amazon Family (formerly Amazon Household), which limits account sharing to members of the same household. Amazon defines a household as the primary residential address where someone spends the majority of their time.
Amazon Family includes:
- Free shipping
- Prime Video
- Prime Reading
- Amazon Music
- Shared eBooks
- Third-party perks such as Grubhub+
- Profile options for one additional adult, up to four teens (only if added before April 7, 2025), and up to four child accounts.
Why the Change?
The decision mirrors recent crackdowns from streaming platforms aiming to curb password sharing and drive new subscriptions. The timing also follows a Reuters report that Amazon failed to meet U.S. Prime signup goals during its extended July Prime Day promotion, despite claiming record new memberships across a broader 25-day period.
For existing users, the end of the legacy sharing program closes a loophole that’s been around since before 2015, when Amazon originally stopped allowing new members to join. Starting in October, only those living under the same roof will be able to share Prime perks.
