Money Research Collective’s editorial team solely created this content. Opinions are their own, but compensation and in-depth research determine where and how companies may appear. Many featured companies advertise with us. How we make money.
Amazon Is Cutting Off This Free Shipping Benefit Next Month
By Pete Grieve MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Amazon will phase out its Invitee sharing program Oct. 1, shifting members to Amazon Family.
Amazon is winding down a program that has allowed family members to share Prime shipping benefits and even have packages sent to different addresses.
On Oct. 1, customers who are part of the Amazon Invitee program will “lose access to the shared Prime delivery benefit, but can use Amazon Family instead,” according to a customer service page.
The change has led to confusion and frustration among shoppers who share Prime benefits, and users are letting out those complaints on social media.
When customers received notice of the changes last week, comparisons were immediately drawn to Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing. Amazon’s move is also being called the latest signal that the “mooch economy” is ending.
The online retailer is defending its move, emphasizing that customers have not been able to join Amazon Invitee since 2015. In a statement, Amazon said the company is “phasing out” the old program as it promotes a new option for families.
Is Amazon ending Prime sharing?
Amazon is ending a specific program that allows family members to share the Prime shipping benefit. The option will be removed at the beginning of October.
To maintain access to free expedited Amazon shipping, customers currently sharing Prime through the Invitee program will need to make their own Prime accounts (typically $139 per year) or join the Amazon Family program. Impacted users are being offered a promotional Prime membership rate of $14.99 for a year.
Customers were able to join Amazon Invitee from 2009 to 2015. The company then rolled out Amazon Household in August 2015, which offered more limited shared shipping benefits. Amazon Household is now becoming Amazon Family.
What is Amazon Family?
The new program lets customers share Prime perks with household members.
Amazon digital benefits such as Prime Video can be shared through Amazon Family, according to the retailer. (Amazon Invitee offered only shared shipping benefits.)
Here’s the catch with Amazon Family: Shipping benefits can be shared with only one person — and that individual must have the same primary address as the main account holder.
“Amazon Family enables Prime members to share a range of benefits with one adult —whether that is a spouse, family member or roommate — and Prime Video and additional digital content like Kindle eBooks, audiobooks and games, with up to four children in their household,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
What about password sharing?
At this time, Amazon hasn’t announced any new efforts to crack down on password sharing. On social media, users are also wondering if they’ll still be able to ship packages to family members at other addresses. Again, Amazon hasn’t announced any changes to other shipping policies.
Reduce payments and make debt manageable with a Debt Relief program
Recommended for debts above $20,000
- Fast & easy online registration with 24/7 customer assistance
- Free, no-obligation evaluation
- Low monthly payments with no upfront fees
- A+ rating from the BBB
- $20 Billion+ debt resolved
- Helping people overcome debt since 2002
Serving customers with $20,000 of debt and more
- 100% free, no-risk consultation
- No upfront enrollment fees
- Get out of debt in 24-48 months
- Applying won’t affect your credit score
- A+ BBB rating
- Building financial well-being since 2011
Best for people with $10,000 in unsecured debt or more
- Fast and easy application process
- No upfront fees
- Free consultation, 100% confidential
- Become debt-free in 24 to 48 months
- AFC accredited and A+ rated by the BBB
- Resolving debt since 2009
More from Money:
Amazon Is Now Selling… Used Cars?
Research Shows Retail Therapy Is More Than Just a Myth
How to Shop More Ethically — Without Breaking the Bank
Pete Grieve is a New York-based reporter who covers personal finance news. At Money, Pete covers trending stories that affect Americans’ wallets on topics including car buying, insurance, housing, credit cards, retirement and taxes. He studied political science and photography at the University of Chicago, where he was editor-in-chief of The Chicago Maroon. Pete began his career as a professional journalist in 2019. Prior to joining Money, he was a health reporter for Spectrum News in Ohio, where he wrote digital stories and appeared on TV to provide coverage to a statewide audience. He has also written for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Sun-Times and CNN Politics. Pete received extensive journalism training through Report for America, a nonprofit organization that places reporters in newsrooms to cover underreported issues and communities, and he attended the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in 2021. Pete has discussed his reporting in interviews with outlets including the Columbia Journalism Review and WBEZ (Chicago's NPR station). He’s been a panelist at the Chicago Headline Club’s FOIA Fest and he received the Institute on Political Journalism’s $2,500 Award for Excellence in Collegiate Reporting in 2017. An essay he wrote for Grey City magazine was published in a 2020 book, Remembering J. Z. Smith: A Career and its Consequence.