Amazon has announced that it is ending a program that allowed its Prime members to extend free shipping benefits to people living outside their household.
In an update on its customer service webpage, the company said that the Prime Invitee program will end on October 1, and invited affected customers to sign up for their own Prime membership.
Newsweek contacted Amazon for comment outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The change could impact millions of long-standing Amazon customers across the United States who previously used Prime shipping without having a separate subscription.
The affected individuals will now be required to pay monthly subscription costs if they want to continue receiving Prime shipping services. Amazon is offering a discounted membership rate of $14.99 for one year, before rising to $14.99 per month, according to The Associated Press. The offer starts on Friday and runs until December 31.
What To Know
Amazon previously let Prime members share free, two-day shipping with another adult in their household even if they lived at another address.
But from October 1, the company will phase out its Prime Invitee Program and replace it with Amazon Family. This will let members share free shipping and other benefits with one adult, four children and up to four teens added before April 7, provided that they share the same primary residential address.
The other benefits included in the new program include; access to exclusive Prime events and deals; Prime Video (with ads); Prime Reading; access to third-party benefits; digital content such as audio books, eBooks, games and more.
Prime members will also be able to share their Amazon Music Prime benefit with one other adult in their family, allowing both adults to enjoy ad-free listening on shuffle mode.
What People Are Saying
An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that Prime membership “continues to show strong growth and customer engagement in the U.S. and internationally.”
They added that the company saw “record-breaking sign-ups worldwide” during Prime Day and the three weeks leading up to it.
What Happens Next
From October 1, individuals who received free shipping through the Invitee program but do not live with the account holder will need to set up their own Prime subscription to retain the benefit.
Existing Prime account holders can share their benefits by accessing the “share your Prime benefits” section of their account, and selecting “manage your Amazon Family.” Users can then add adults or children who live at the same address.
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