Amazon is phasing out a long-standing Prime membership benefit as it is ending its Prime Invitee Program on Oct. 1.
The program, which began in 2009 and stopped accepting new members in 2015, and allowed Prime members to share their free shipping perk with people outside their household.
Amazon launched its Prime membership service in 2005, initially offering free two-day shipping on eligible purchases for an annual fee of $79. The program has since grown to include a wide range of benefits, such as streaming with Prime Video and Prime Music, with the cost of membership increasing over time.
In place of the invitee program, the company is directing members to its Amazon Family program. The service, which is formerly known as Amazon Household, allows members to share benefits with one other adult, up to four teens, and up to four children, provided they all live in the same household. Benefits shared through this program include free shipping, access to Prime Day deals, Prime Video, and a free Grubhub+ membership, among others.
An email notice earlier this month from Amazon to users stated, “We are writing to inform you that the Prime Invitee Program, which allowed sharing Prime’s fast, free delivery with others, will end on October 1, 2025.”
An Amazon spokesperson told news outlets that the invitee program, which only shared the shipping benefit, “is being phased out, and Prime members can instead share a broad range of Prime benefits with Amazon Family.”
For those who will be impacted by the change and do not currently have a Prime membership, Amazon is offering a discounted one-year membership for $14.99 if they sign up between Sept. 5 and Dec. 31.
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