No more free Prime shipping sharing, says Amazon

Close to moving in together? Now may be a Prime time to consider taking the next step. Amazon this week confirmed that it will begin requiring customers to live under the same roof in order to share free, two-day shipping under Prime.

Until now, the retail giant’s Prime Invitee program let members extend shipping benefits to outsiders. That ends this fall. Those invitees will get a notice on Sept. 5 telling them to either (a) sign up for their own account, or (b) move in with the account holder.

• Replacing it is Amazon Family, which allows sharing with one other adult in your household, plus up to four teens and four kids.
• And the service isn’t just shipping—Amazon Family benefits include streaming, grocery discounts, and digital perks.

Prime directive: With the move, Amazon is nudging freeloaders toward full-price options, in a shift that comes as US Prime sign-ups were underwhelming in the lead-up to this year’s Prime Day.

Looking ahead…Amazon’s move will officially take effect on Oct. 1, ahead of a holiday shopping season that’s projected to be unusually muted. A new PwC report indicates Americans are planning to spend 5% less compared to last year, which would mark the first holiday spending pullback since 2020.