Why You Can Trust CNET How to cancel your Amazon Prime subscription and close your account
Amazon Prime isn't for everyone. Here's what you'll need to do if it's time for you to move on from your $119 yearly membership.
Amazon and its Prime service aren't for everyone.
Amazon Prime may have over 150 million subscribers, but if it lost its magic for you one way or another -- including after a free trial -- you can cancel your subscription and close out your account. You might even get a prorated refund for the amount of time left on your Prime subscription.
Amazon may not make it immediately simple to do either, and keep in mind that once you close out your Amazon account, you're going to lose access to quite a few services. Then again, if you rarely use the service, dropping the Prime subscription service means you won't pay the current fee of $12.99 a month, or $119 per year.
Below we'll show you how to cancel your Prime subscription, request a refund and close out your account. It isn't necessary to close your account if you're only interested in unsubscribing from Amazon Prime. We'll also sum up the Amazon services you'll no longer be able to use.
Before you close your Amazon account, cancel your Prime subscription.
How to cancel your Amazon Prime subscription
To cancel your Amazon Prime subscription, sign in to your Amazon account and click the Account drop-down. Then, select Prime Membership. Next, click Update, cancel and more under the Membership heading, followed by End membership. Alternatively, you can visit this support page and click the End Membership button to jump straight to the right page.
You'll have to confirm three different times you want to cancel your membership. Amazon will attempt to move you to one of several other options (also pictured below):
- A monthly instead of yearly subscription
- Receive an alert a few days before your subscription renews so you can decide then
- Pause your membership on your renewal date
- Cancel your membership on the renewal date
If you want to cancel your membership completely, you'll need to move past these other options to get to that point.
You'll be asked multiple times if you're sure you want to cancel Amazon Prime.
Who could get a refund when canceling Amazon Prime?
According to the terms and conditions, people who cancel without using any Prime benefits (such as free shipping or Prime Video) may be automatically eligible for a refund.
However, according to DoNotPay, you can request a partial refund for the remaining time. It seems to be hit or miss on whether or not you'll get one, but it's worth contacting Amazon support and asking.
I contacted Amazon's chat support while researching this article and was quickly told that there were no refunds given, but you may have better luck than I did, especially if you're fully closing out your account. DoNotPay recommends calling Amazon support or using the Contact Us form instead of chat.
It will take three to five days for Amazon to process any refunds. I suggest waiting until your refund is processed and in your bank account before fully closing your account.
Closing your account is permanent. You can't recover any information once it's done.
Now you can close your Amazon account
With your Prime membership canceled and payment returned, you can close your Amazon account if you'd like. Bear in mind, this is a permanent process and once it's done you'll lose any data tied to your account along with access to everything Amazon-related. If you change your mind in the future, you would need to sign up for a brand new Amazon account.
A few examples of what you'll lose access to: Prime Video, Amazon Music, Amazon Photos, Audible and all Kindle content in addition to free, faster shipping on Amazon Prime items.
To begin, download any data you have stored in your Amazon account, such as anything stored in Amazon Photos before proceeding. The easiest way to do that is to use the desktop app.
Amazon has a more complete list of everything linked to your account on this support page. After looking over the list, if you're interested in closing your account, visit this page on Amazon's site.
There, you'll be presented with a list of all the data and services linked to your account that will be deleted. Again, study it carefully to make sure there's nothing you need. For example, if you're a Whole Foods customer, your account at the grocer will also be deleted.
At the bottom of the list is a checkbox you'll need to select, followed by a final click on the button labeled Close My Account. Your request will be sent and processed.
Curious how to close other online accounts? We have your back. Here's how to close your Facebook account, leave Instagram or delete yourself from the internet altogether.