Amazon is pulling the plug on 16-year old Prime feature this week

Amazon has announced the discontinuation of its Prime Invitee program, a service that has been around for 16 years, which allowed family members to share free shipping benefits. Effective October 1st, users enrolled in this program will no longer have access to complimentary delivery services. Initially launched in 2009, the Prime Invitee feature permitted Prime members to extend their free two-day shipping perks to another adult, regardless of whether they resided at the same address. In a statement provided to USA Today, Amazon emphasized that Prime members can now share a variety of benefits through the Amazon Family model, which includes fast, free delivery, exclusive deals during shopping events like Prime Day, access to Prime Video for movies and live sports, Amazon Music, and more. The transition affects those who joined the Prime Invitee program from its inception in 2009 until 2015, when the company ceased accepting new members. To ease the shift, Amazon is offering a limited-time deal for affected customers: 12 months of Prime membership for just $14.99, available until December 31st. Under the new Amazon Family structure, all members must reside at the same physical address. This model permits one Prime member to share their benefits with an additional adult, up to four children, and four teenagers, all of whom must live at the same residence. Furthermore, Amazon previously informed CNBC that this new arrangement aligns more closely with its service objectives and will be the sole method for sharing Prime benefits. To manage their Amazon Family settings, Prime members can navigate to the Prime Membership settings, access the Share Prime Benefits section, and add adults or children as needed. It is important to note that users can leave and rejoin families; however, anyone who departs must wait a full year before joining another household.