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Amazon recently agreed to a $2.5 billion USD settlement with the FTC over alleged deceptive practices related to Prime membership. While $1 billion will go to the government, the remaining $1.5 billion will be distributed to the roughly 35 million affected customers, putting up to $51 in refunds in your pocket.
The settlement deals with specific Prime sign-up flows that the FTC says made it too easy to accidentally sign up. If in 2019-2025 if you signed up for Prime using certain paths on the site, you may be eligible for a refund.
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To receive an automatic refund (up to $51), you must meet specific criteria set forth in the agreement.
in 2019 June 23-2025 June 23 you must have signed up for Prime using one of the “challenged sign-up streams”. This includes a universal lead solution page, a delivery option selection page, a lead video sign-up flow, or a one-page checkout.
In addition, you must use benefits (eg free shipping) no more than three times within 12 months of signing up. If you meet these criteria, Amazon will automatically refund your money within 90 days of checkout.
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If you are unable to receive an automatic refund but still registered within the valid period, you may be eligible for a second round of refunds.
Amazon will send a claim form to customers who signed up through the challenged sign-up streams and used up to 10 Prime benefits in a 12-month period.. This form will be sent within 30 days of the automatic refund.
You will have 180 days to complete and submit the claim form as soon as you get it. After reviewing your claim, Amazon will issue a refund within 30 days of approval.
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If Amazon distributes less than $1 billion after the first two rounds of returns, it needs to expand eligibility to more customers.
Another suitable group would be those who signed up through the disputed enrollment stream, used up to four Prime benefits, but didn’t file a claim. This would continue for customers who used five benefits and so on until Amazon fulfills its billing obligations.
Keep an eye out for emails in the coming months. email to receive notifications of potential refunds, even if you didn’t initially meet the first two steps.
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