Amazon is sending out refunds to millions of customers as part of a $2.5 billion settlement with federal regulators over how it marketed and managed Prime subscriptions, with payments arriving as either a paper check or digital transfer. The settlement was first announced in September 2025, but customers are now just starting to receive their payouts. The case, which Fortune has previously covered as a major test of Big Tech’s subscription tactics, is focused on allegations that Amazon steered people into Prime and made it too difficult to cancel their subscriptions.
Who gets paid
- Refunds are intended for U.S. customers who were enrolled in Prime through sign-up flows the Federal Trade Commission deemed misleading, such as certain checkout and promotional screens that pushed Prime as the default option.
- Regulators have said tens of millions of people could qualify, with individual refunds generally tied to Prime membership charges and topping out at $51.
Why this matters
- The $2.5 billion package ranks among the largest enforcement actions in the agency’s history, combining money for consumer redress with a sizable penalty aimed at deterring similar tactics across the subscription economy.
- The case also fits into a broader regulatory push against so‑called “dark patterns,” which are design choices that can nudge users into recurring charges. It’s a crackdown that could reshape how tech and media companies present free trials and cancellations.
What customers should know
- Eligible consumers may receive the money in different ways: some will get paper checks mailed to the address linked to their Amazon account, while others will receive refunds through digital payment services, with amounts reflecting the disputed Prime fees.
- The FTC encourages people to act promptly once a payment arrives, since checks typically carry a limited window before they expire. Digital transfers may need to be accepted by a set deadline. The regulatory body also warns that it does not call or text consumers to ask for fees or personal data to release funds, so don’t trust bots or scams that say otherwise.
When to expect checks
- Refunds began rolling out in late 2025 and are continuing into early 2026, meaning many customers are only just now seeing envelopes or notifications tied to the Prime settlement.
- Consumers who believe they were affected but have not received money will have another opportunity through a formal claims process, which the agency has said will open later in 2026, with additional waves of payments to follow after that window closes.
For this story, Fortune journalists used generative AI as a research tool. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
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