Amazon Ends Prime Invitee Shipping Program Amid Slowing Sign-Ups

NEW YORK - Amazon announced on September 2, 2025, that it will discontinue its Prime Invitee program, which allowed Prime members to share free, two-day shipping with people outside their household. According to an updated customer service page, the invitee sharing feature will be phased out on October 1, and existing invitees will be notified by September 5.

Under the new structure, Prime members can only share benefits through Amazon Family, which limits sharing to one other adult-and up to four teenagers and four children-who reside at the same primary residential address. Those who currently receive free shipping via a Prime Invitee will need to obtain their own membership at $14.99 per month or $139 per year.

The move aligns with Amazon’s efforts to drive additional Prime subscriptions after internal data revealed U.S. sign-ups lagged behind both last year’s figures and the company’s targets. In the 21 days leading up to this year’s extended Prime Day event, new U.S. Prime memberships totaled 5.4 million, falling about 2% short of last year’s tally and the company’s own expectations, according to Reuters.

Amazon noted that while Prime Day generated record sales and sign-up levels over 25 days, the metric of sign-ups in the three weeks preceding the event remained below par. Industry analysts suggest that forcing separate households to maintain individual memberships could help Amazon boost its subscriber base following slower growth.