Amazon will shut down its Prime Invitee program on October 1, 2025, ending a perk that let Prime members share free shipping with non-household users.
The program gave friends and relatives outside the same address access to Prime delivery without paying for a membership. In its place, Amazon will offer Amazon Family, which is free for Prime members but far more restrictive.
Amazon Family allows one additional adult and up to four children to share benefits, but all must live at the same primary address and use the same payment method. To ease the transition, Amazon is offering affected Invitee users a discounted Prime membership.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more – straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice – straight to your e-mail.
What the end of the Amazon Invitee program means
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Amazon began sending out notices to Prime users this week, explaining the end of the Invitee program. The updated Help & Customer Service page also describes the program’s end. “Prime benefit sharing through the Prime Invitee program will end on Oct. 1, 2025,” the page states. “Prime invitees will lose access to the shared Prime delivery benefit, but can use Amazon Family instead.”
The change affects Amazon customers who were getting free shipping without paying for Prime. The Invitee program let subscribers extend delivery perks to people outside their household, giving those invitees added convenience and savings when shopping.
This doesn’t affect the ability to ship gifts to others or send orders to different addresses. It only ends the option for invitees to place their own orders without a Prime subscription while still enjoying free shipping.
Amazon is offering invitees a discounted Prime membership at $14.99 for the first year. After that, the regular rate applies — $14.99 a month or $139 annually. The offer runs from September 5 through December 31. Alternatively, some shoppers may still qualify for free shipping through Amazon Family.
How the Amazon Family model works
Amazon Family is free for Prime members, and it allows them to share some Prime benefits with family members, including one additional adult and up to four children. To qualify, all Amazon Family members must live at the same primary address.
Members can enjoy several perks:
- Same-day, one-day and two-day delivery
- The ability to watch Prime Video on separate devices
- Access to exclusive Prime member offers, including events like Prime Day
- Two family members can enjoy ad-free top podcasts and music
Since Amazon Family requires all family members to live at the same primary address, it may not be a solution for Invitee program users who live at different addresses.
Additionally, Amazon Family members must all share the same payment methods, which Amazon requires to verify that the users are all members of the same household.
Additional ways to save on Amazon Prime
Amazon is offering a discounted rate for former Invitee users, but there are other ways to save on a Prime membership even if you weren’t part of the program.
The Amazon Prime Access program gives eligible households a 50% discount if their income is within 150% of the federal poverty guideline. Qualifying customers include those enrolled in programs such as SNAP or Medicaid. Enrollment requires online verification, such as a tax transcript or EBT card.
Through Amazon Prime for Young Adults, individuals ages 18 to 24 and students can start with a free trial. After the trial, they qualify for a discounted Prime membership. Perks include Prime Video channel subscriptions for $0.99 a month, two months of free Kindle Unlimited and other benefits.
How to save on Amazon shipping
While Prime offers perks like exclusive events, Prime Video and free delivery, you don’t always need a membership to skip shipping fees.
Orders of $35 or more qualify for free shipping if they’re fulfilled by Amazon. Planning ahead and bundling purchases can help you reach the threshold without paying for Prime.