Starting next month, Prime members who want to share shipping perks with other customers must live together at the same primary residential address, a change from the company's previous allowance.With Amazon's previous Prime Invitee Program, customers could only share their shipping benefits, and those benefits could be shared with anyone, regardless of where they live. With Amazon Family, Prime customers can share shipping and digital benefits, but with household members only, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
The change is coming at the end of the month. Once the invitee program ends, Prime members who want to share benefits and digital content with family members will have to make them part of their Amazon Family, the company shared online.
For those who are impacted by the switch, or those who enrolled in the invitee program between 2009 and 2015, Amazon will offer a limited-time Prime deal, the company confirmed to USA TODAY on Sept. 3. The offer includes 12 months of Prime for $14.99 and will be available until Dec. 31.
Amazon made the announcement on its customer service website that it is ending its Prime Invitee Program.
Amazon also sent a notice to customers announcing the change, which quickly made its rounds on social media. When asked why all shoppers didn’t get the notice, an Amazon spokesperson said the notice was sent to customers who registered for the Prime Invitee Program between the program's launch in 2009 and 2015, when the program stopped accepting new members.
The company said on its website that with Amazon Family, Prime members can share benefits with one other adult, up to four teens added before April 7, 2025 and up to four children in their household.
"Prime members can instead share a broad range of Prime benefits with Amazon Family, including: fast, free delivery; access to exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day; movies, series, and live sports with Prime Video; Amazon Music and additional digital entertainment; access to a free Grubhub+ membership; and fuel savings at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco, and participating ampm locations," the company said in its statement to USA TODAY.