Amazon has just announced a change coming soon for Prime subscribers: the ability to share Prime’s shipping benefits with members outside your household is ending soon.
Prime Invitee program will be discontinued October 1
Amazon Prime’s fast, free shipping has long been the tentpole benefit of the subscription program.
But until now, even non-Prime subscribers could benefit from free Prime shipping as part of an ‘Invitee’ program.
In Prime’s earlier days, subscribers could invite several friends or family members outside the household to benefit from free, fast Prime shipping too. This was called the ‘Prime Invitee’ program.
No other Prime benefits were included—so no Prime Video support, for example. But free shipping was a huge perk nonetheless.
Over time, Amazon scaled back the Prime Invitee program to be more restrictive as a way to encourage additional Prime signups.
But now, per an updated support page about sharing your Prime benefits, that program is officially being discontinued October 1.
Until now, if you had been invited to share the free Prime shipping from a Prime subscriber, you could still enjoy that benefit. But starting October 1, that will no longer be the case.
Amazon has started notifying users who will be impacted by the change. Email notices include an offer for a discounted first year of Prime subscription to those who sign up.
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