It's a win for the little guy, as Amazon Prime customers could be entitled to a massive $2.5 billion payout.
Another of the world's biggest companies has been given much more than a slap on the wrist, this time amid accusations that the streaming service was misleading its customers.
Growing from the tiny acorn of a bookstore in Jeff Bezos' garage, Amazon has branched out into an epic oak tree with a current market cap of $2.63 trillion. Bezos has become one of the richest men in the world, and moving beyond just selling books, you can now purchase everything from pre-built houses to paintings worth $32 million on Amazon.
As part of Amazon's diversification, it's also tried to muscle into the world of streaming with its Amazon Prime service.
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Giving us belters like The Boys, Invincible, and Fallout, it's also got upcoming adaptations like the long-awaited live-action God of War and Spider-Man Noir.
Why is Amazon paying $2.5 billion?
Away from previous legal wranglings with Toys 'R' Us and potential lawsuits with the record-breaking Beast Games, Amazon has also been dealing with a class action lawsuit where it was deemed to have misled customers by changes to Prime's ad-free subscription package.
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If all of that wasn't enough to deal with, the Federal Trade Commission has also agreed to a $2.5 billion fine over accusations that Amazon 'tricked' people into signing up to Prime and made it difficult to cancel.
The lawsuit was raised in 2023, and although Amazon has denied any wrongdoing, it agreed to the landmark settlement. In a September 2025 statement, Amazon reiterated: "Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers.
“We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership."
It's thought that 35 million customers could be eligible, with some already getting an automatic payout just before Christmas.
Who is eligible for Amazon Prime's $2.5 billion payout?
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The first round of eligibility focused on US residents who'd signed up for a Prime membership between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025. They also needed to have only used their Prime benefits three times or less, although they were automatically given compensations via PayPal or Venmo. If these payments weren't accepted, Amazon sent a check to the address that was registered to the account.
If you think you're still entitled to a payout, don't worry, because we've got you covered on how to claim. Those who were signed up to Amazon Prime between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, are again in this round, although you need to have used your benefits 10 times or fewer within a single year.
Amazon should contact you directly, and it's then a case of filling in a form while providing your ID and a pin code.
Speaking to NBC news Amazon spokesman Mark Blafkin told the outlet: “If consumers are eligible to submit a claim but were not eligible for automatic payments, they will be notified between December 24th and January 23, 2026.”
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There's still plenty of time left, as the deadline is July 23, 2026, to submit your claim. In terms of what you could be paid, the $2.5 billion payout means customers can expect around $51 each for the inconvenience.