Amazon Starts Rolling Out Automatic Payments as Part of Deceptive Enrollment Settlement

Amazon is starting to roll out automatic payments as part of an expanded federal settlement over billing and cancellation practices. The Federal Trade Commission announced that Amazon was accelerating and widening consumer refund payouts stemming from a $2.5 billion deceptive enrollment settlement.

The settlement, which was finalized in September 2025, requires Amazon to pay up to $1.5 billion in redress to consumers harmed by the company's deceptive Prime enrollment practices in addition to a $1 billion civil penalty.

Under the revised order, those automatic payments have started rolling out via PayPal, Venmo or mailed check, and the eligibility requirement has expanded beyond low-use subscribers to include millions who used between 11 and 20 Prime benefits over a one-year period.

The individual payment cap could be as high as $200, and those who have already cashed earlier checks could see an additional automatic supplemental payment of up to $149 starting in April 2027.