It finally happened. Maybe you saw the annual price creep up again, or you realized you haven't watched a single thing on Prime Video in six months. Or maybe you're just tired of the "Buy it Again" nudges. Whatever the reason, you've decided to pull the plug. But here’s the thing: Amazon doesn’t exactly make it easy to say goodbye.
In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) actually sued them over this. They called it the "Iliad" flow—a reference to the epic Greek poem because the cancellation process was such a long, winding odyssey.
Honestly, the way people usually ask how do you cancel amazon prime isn't because they can't find the button. It's because the button keeps moving, or it's buried under three layers of "Are you sure you want to lose free shipping?" guilt trips. As of early 2026, things have changed slightly thanks to a massive $2.5 billion settlement, but the "dark patterns" are still lurking.
The Straight Shot: How to Cancel Right Now
If you're on a desktop, don't just click around aimlessly. Log in and head straight to the Accounts & Lists menu at the top right. From there, select Prime Membership.
Look at the top right of that management page. You'll see a section titled Manage Membership. Click the drop-down that says Update, cancel and more.
This is where it gets annoying. You have to click End Membership.
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Amazon will then show you a "Benefits at a Glance" page. It’s basically a digital scrapbook of all the things you’re about to lose. Look past the icons for Prime Delivery and Prime Video. At the bottom, there are usually three buttons. You want the one on the right that says Continue to Cancel.
They might ask you one more time. Just keep hitting the button that confirms you want to end it. If you see a yellow button that says End on [Date], that’s your finish line.
What about the mobile app?
If you're using the Amazon Shopping app on your phone, the process is slightly different but follows the same logic.
- Tap the Profile icon (the little person silhouette at the bottom).
- Tap Your Account.
- Scroll down to Account Settings and hit Manage Prime Membership.
- Tap the Manage Membership drop-down.
- Hit End Membership.
The $2.5 Billion Elephant in the Room
You might have heard about the 2025/2026 FTC settlement. It’s a big deal. The government basically called out Amazon for making the cancellation process an intentional maze. Because of this, Amazon had to simplify the "flow."
But there’s a silver lining for your wallet. If you’re one of the 35 million people who were "tricked" into signing up or who tried to cancel and gave up because it was too confusing, you might actually be owed money.
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The FTC settlement specifically targets people who signed up between June 2019 and June 2025. If you barely used your benefits—like, less than three times in a year—you might get an automatic refund of up to $51. Checks and digital payments via PayPal or Venmo started rolling out in late 2025, and a manual claims process is active through mid-2026 for those who didn't get an automatic payout.
Why You Might Want to Pause Instead
Amazon introduced a "Pause" feature which is a bit of a middle ground. When you pause, you don't get charged, but you also don't lose your Prime Video watchlists or your Amazon Photos storage.
If you cancel completely, Amazon Photos is the big risk. You usually get a grace period, but eventually, they’ll start deleting photos if you’re over the free 5GB limit. If you have years of family memories backed up there, back them up somewhere else before you hit that final cancel button.
Pausing is limited to 6 months. After that, it either resumes or you have to make a choice. It’s a good option if you’re just trying to save money during a tight season but know you’ll want those Prime Day deals later.
Subscribed via a Third Party? (The Real Headache)
This is where the standard "how do you cancel amazon prime" advice fails. If you got Prime through your Verizon bill, an Apple subscription, or the Google Play Store, Amazon literally cannot cancel it for you.
I’ve seen people get stuck in a loop where Amazon says "Go to Apple" and Apple says "Go to Amazon."
If you see a message saying your membership is managed by a third party, you have to go to that specific app's subscription settings. For iPhone users, that’s in your Apple ID settings under Subscriptions. For Android, it's in the Google Play Store menu. If it's through a phone carrier, you usually have to log into your carrier's "Add-ons" or "Services" dashboard.
The Partial Refund Myth
One thing people get wrong is thinking they’ll get a full refund no matter what.
If you've used Prime shipping even once in the current billing cycle, you generally won't get a full refund. Amazon typically offers two choices:
- Cancel at the end of the period: You keep your benefits until your month or year is up. No money back, but no more charges.
- Cancel immediately: If you haven't used any benefits since your last charge, you might get a full refund. If you've used a couple, they might offer a pro-rated refund, but this is becoming rarer as they lean into the "End on [Date]" model.
Honestly, it's usually better to just set it to cancel at the end of the period. That way, you don't accidentally lose access to a package that's currently in transit or a movie you were halfway through watching.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
Don't just close this tab and forget. Subscriptions are designed to be "sticky."
- Check your "hidden" benefits: Before you quit, see if you have any "No-Rush" credits or unused Amazon Photos. Download anything you need to keep.
- Audit your "Memberships & Subscriptions": Sometimes people have Prime and a separate Kindle Unlimited or Paramount+ channel subscription through Prime. Canceling Prime doesn't always automatically kill those sub-channels. Double-check your "Memberships" tab to ensure you aren't still being billed $12.99 for a channel you can't even access anymore.
- Screenshot the confirmation: This is purely for your own protection. Amazon’s system has been known to "glitch" and keep memberships active. Having a screenshot of the "Cancellation Confirmed" screen is your best weapon if you need to dispute a charge with your bank later.
- Look for the FTC Claim Notice: Check your email (and spam) for a message from
admin@SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com. If you were a member between 2019 and 2025, you might have money waiting for you that covers the cost of several months of the service you're trying to cancel anyway.
If you’re ready, go to the Prime Membership page now. Scroll past the fluff. Find the "Update, cancel and more" link. Be firm. Don't let the "Are you sure?" pop-ups win. Once you see that specific expiration date in red text, you’re officially free.