Amazon Prime’s free shipping perk will be restricted to household members only starting next month as the shopping juggernaut phases out the “Prime Invitee program.”
The program, which allowed Amazon Prime members to share their shipping benefits with people outside their household that didn’t have a membership, will end on Oct. 1, according to the company’s website.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to FOX Business that it is ending the Invitee program, which launched in 2009, and focusing its advertising on its Amazon Family program, which includes allowing members to share several membership benefits with one other adult in their household, up to four teens added before April 7, 2025, and up to four profiles for children.
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These benefits include fast and free delivery on Prime eligible items, access to exclusive Prime events and deals, Prime Video, Prime Reading and access to third-party benefits like Grubhub.
Amazon didn’t disclose specific figures for its Prime membership in its latest earnings call. However, they described the last Prime Day sale, which kicked off in July, as its “biggest Prime Day shopping event yet.”
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“This year’s Prime Day event was bigger than any previous four-day period that included a Prime Day event, with record sales and more items sold during the four days,” Amazon posted in a July blog following the two-day shopping bonanza.
The company also said independent sellers, most of which are small and medium-sized businesses, also achieved record sales and a record number of items sold.
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| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 225.34 | -3.66 | -1.60% |
Amazon has charged an annual fee of $139 for its Prime membership in the U.S. since 2022. That is an uptick from its previous cost of about $119 a year.
However, J.P.Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth said in a research note that the bank thinks the Seattle-based e-commerce giant could raise the price of its popular Amazon Prime membership in 2026.
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