Prime Members Face Reduced Free Shipping Perks from Amazon

Amazon Scales Back Prime Shipping Sharing

What’s Changing?

Amazon is shutting down a little-known but long-running perk that allowed Prime members to extend free shipping to someone outside their household. The program, called Prime Invitee, will officially end on October 1, just before the holiday shopping rush.

Launched in 2009 and closed to new sign-ups in 2015, Prime Invitee let members give a pared-down Prime account to a friend or relative at another address. That invitee didn’t get streaming or special deals but did enjoy free, fast delivery. Since then, those who joined have kept the shipping benefit — until now.

Starting this fall, the option disappears. While Prime members can still ship items to others, friends or relatives will no longer receive free delivery through their own accounts unless they buy their own Prime subscription.

Why Is Amazon Making the Move?

The decision is largely about boosting revenue. People who once benefited from Prime Invitee without paying will now need to purchase their own memberships. Subscription income already makes up about 7% of Amazon’s overall sales, bringing in more than $12 billion in the last quarter. But Prime’s growth has slowed, hovering at modest double-digit rates for nearly two years, and most households that want Prime already have it.

By removing Invitee, Amazon hopes to convert free riders into paying customers. Since the Invitee option never included premium features like streaming or Prime Day deals, the company expects that full members — who tend to spend more regularly — will bring in more long-term sales.

How Will It Affect Customers?

For Invitee users, the change means higher costs. Those accustomed to free shipping will either have to cover delivery fees or subscribe to Prime themselves.

To soften the blow, Amazon is offering former Invitee participants a discounted year of Prime membership at $14.99 for 12 months before the regular price kicks in ($14.99 monthly or $139 annually).

Amazon points customers instead toward Amazon Family, which allows a Prime member to share all benefits — including shipping, streaming, and deals — with another adult living in the same household.