Amazon is officially ending a popular program this week, ceasing a perk that has allowed members to share free shipping benefits with others for the past 16 years.
The Prime Invitee Program, which debuted in 2009 and enabled customers to share Prime delivery benefits with individuals outside their household, was discontinued on Oct. 1, with all invitees losing access to Prime delivery. The change was announced on Amazon’s customer service site.
Amazon noted that the Prime Invitee Program will be replaced by Amazon Family, where Prime members can share a fuller array of benefits with one other person in their household, up to four teens (who were added before April 7) and up to four profiles for children.
The company said customers will have access to more perks than just Prime delivery with Amazon Family.
“Prime members can instead share a broad range of Prime benefits with Amazon Family, including: fast, free delivery; access to exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day; movies, series, and live sports with Prime Video; Amazon Music and additional digital entertainment; access to a free Grubhub+ membership; and fuel savings at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco, and participating ampm locations,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
The company is offering a limited-time Prime membership deal for those who were using the Prime Invitee Program, but anyone can sign up. The deal offers 12 months of Prime at a discounted rate of $14.99 per month or $139 annually, available from Oct. 3 through Dec. 31, 2025.