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FTC Settles Amazon for $2.5B Over Deceptive Prime Subscription Practices

Amazon.com, Inc.September 25, 2025Federal Trade Commission

Penalty Amount

$1,000,000,000

Consumers Affected

35,000,000

Summary

The FTC secured a $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon, including a $1 billion civil penalty and $1.5 billion in consumer refunds, for enrolling millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without proper consent and designing a deliberately difficult cancellation process. The order requires Amazon to implement clear enrollment disclosures, an easy cancellation method, and cease the unlawful practices.

Remedy

Amazon must pay a $1 billion civil penalty and provide $1.5 billion in refunds to approximately 35 million affected consumers. The company is permanently enjoined from using deceptive Prime enrollment and cancellation practices. Specific requirements include providing a clear button to decline Prime, disclosing all material terms (cost, billing frequency, auto-renewal, cancellation), creating an easy cancellation process using the same method as sign-up, and paying for an independent third-party supervisor to monitor the consumer redress distribution.

Monetary PenaltyConsumer RefundsInjunctionCorrective NoticeAudit Requirement

Laws Cited

FTC ActRestore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA)

Violation Types

Entity Details

Entity

Amazon.com, Inc.

Also known as: Amazon

Industry

Technology

Official Sources

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