Amazon is ending Prime subscription-sharing program on October 1: What is changing

Amazon is discontinuing a popular program that allowed Prime members to share their

free shipping benefits

with individuals living outside their immediate household. The company has reportedly begun notifying users that the

Prime Invitee Program

will officially end on October 1, 2025. A notice has been sent to users stating that invited guests would also be informed of the change by September 5.Previously, Prime members could extend their free, two-day shipping to one other adult, even if they used a different shipping address.

Amazon says it is bringing new family program

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the change to CNBC, stating that the company is phasing out the program in favor of its Amazon Family option. This was later announced via a customer help page which said that the new service allows Prime members to share shipping and other benefits with one additional adult, four children and up to four teens.

However, all users under the

Amazon Family program

must share the same primary residential address.Starting next month, those who previously enjoyed shared Prime benefits but do not reside with the account holder will now be required to purchase their own Prime membership to continue receiving free shipping. “Amazon Family members can leave and re-join your Amazon Family anytime, but they must wait 12 months before joining a different Amazon Family,” the company said.

To share select Amazon Prime benefits, user can:

An Amazon spokesperson maintained that Prime membership "continues to show strong growth and customer engagement in the US and internationally," adding that the company saw "record-breaking sign-ups worldwide" during the recent Prime Day event and in the weeks leading up to it.