Amazon could owe you cash as $2.5B settlement expands - USA Today
If you were eligible for a settlement payment stemming from the "historic" Amazon Prime settlement last year, you could be owed even more money.
The Federal Trade Commission announced on Thursday, Sept. 17, that Amazon will "accelerate and expand payments" to eligible consumers under last year's $2.5 billion settlement, which resolved allegations that Amazon enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and knowingly made it difficult for them to cancel.
According to the FTC, under the September 2025 settlement, Amazon was required to pay up to $1.5 billion in redress to consumers harmed by the company's deceptive practices in addition to a $1 billion civil penalty. As of September 2026, Amazon has issued more than $845 million in payments to consumers, the FTC said.
This week, the FTC said a federal court approved a joint motion filed by the FTC and Amazon approving measures to accelerate and expand future redress payments to consumers. Under the revised order, more consumers will now qualify for refunds from Amazon and the maximum payment cap has been raised from $51 to $200 total.
All future payments will be distributed automatically, according to the FTC, "eliminating the need for consumers to submit claims or additional paperwork to Amazon."
The original order required Amazon to pay refunds of up to $51 to consumers who used fewer than 10 Prime benefits during a one-year period. Under the revised order, Amazon will begin issuing automatic payments to millions of additional consumers who used between 11 to 20 Prime benefits in a one-year period.
These consumers were not included in the earlier refund payment phases but now will be eligible for automatic refunds starting Oct. 1, 2026. The payments will be made via electronic payment (Venmo or PayPal) or mailed check without requiring consumers to submit claims, respond to notices or complete any forms.
If consumer-accepted payments do not reach the required threshold by February 2027, Amazon will provide additional automatic payments to consumers who previously received refunds under the settlement, according to the FTC.
As part of the revised order, consumers who have accepted payments will be eligible to receive an additional $149, for a total of $200. This last round of supplemental payments will start by April 2027 and will also be distributed automatically.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on Xย @GabeHauariย or email him at Gdhauari@usatoday.com.
