You can add up to three other people to your Amazon Prime account, and they'll get access to Prime Video, free shipping, and other benefits without needing their own membership
Amazon Prime lets you share your membership with people in your household through a feature called Household. When you add someone, they can watch Prime Video, use Prime Music, borrow from your Kindle library, and get free two-day shipping — all without paying for their own Prime membership. Each person gets their own recommendations and watchlist, so your viewing history stays separate.
The process takes about five minutes and works on any device where you can access your Amazon account. You'll need the other person's email address or phone number, and they'll need to accept the invitation before they can start using Prime benefits.
Key Takeaways
- You can add up to three household members to one Prime account, for a maximum of four people total including the account owner.
- The person you add must have their own Amazon account with a valid payment method on file, even though they won't be charged.
- You add household members through your Account Settings on Amazon, not through the Prime Video app.
- The person you invite will receive an email or text asking them to confirm, and they can decline or leave the household at any time.
How to add someone on a computer or phone browser
Start by going to amazon.com and signing in to your account. Look for the account menu — on a computer, click the "Account & Lists" dropdown in the top right corner. On a phone browser, tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) and scroll down to find "Account".
Once you're in your account, look for a section called Household or Your Household. Click or tap on it. You'll see a button that says "Add Adult" or "Invite Household Member" — click that button. Enter the email address or phone number of the person you want to add, then click "Send Invite". Amazon will send them a message asking them to join your household. They have seven days to accept the invitation.
If you don't see a Household section, your account may not have Prime yet, or you may be using an older version of the website. Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache, then sign out and sign back in.
How to add someone through the Prime Video app
Open the Prime Video app on your phone, tablet, or streaming device. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner, then select "Settings". Look for an option called "Household" or "Manage Household".
Tap "Add Member" or "Invite Household Member". You'll be asked to enter the email address or phone number of the person you want to add. After you send the invite, they'll receive a notification on their phone or email asking them to confirm. Once they accept, they can start watching immediately on any device where they sign in with their own Amazon account.
Not all streaming devices support adding household members through the app — if you don't see the Household option, use the browser method instead.
What the person you're adding needs to do
The person you invite must have their own Amazon account before you can add them to your household. If they don't have one, they'll need to create it at amazon.com. They don't need Prime themselves — they just need an account with a valid payment method on file (a credit card, debit card, or other payment option). Amazon won't charge them, but they require a payment method for account security.
After you send the invite, they'll receive an email or text message with a link asking them to join your household. They click the link, confirm they want to join, and that's it. They can start using Prime Video, free shipping, and other Prime benefits right away. Their own Amazon purchases and recommendations stay completely separate from yours.
Removing someone from your household
If you need to remove someone, go back to your Household settings the same way you added them. Find the person's name in your household list and look for a "Remove" or "Delete" button next to their name. Click it, and they'll be removed immediately. They'll lose access to Prime Video and other Prime benefits on any device where they were signed in.
The person you remove can still see this happened — they'll notice they can no longer watch Prime Video or use Prime shipping. If you want to add them back later, you can send a new invite and they can accept it again. There's no limit to how many times you can add and remove people.
Troubleshooting common problems
If the person you're trying to add says they never received an invite, ask them to check their spam or junk folder — sometimes the email gets filtered. You can also resend the invite by going back to your Household settings and trying again. If they're still not receiving it, try using their phone number instead of their email address.
If someone can't sign in to Prime Video after being added, have them sign out completely, then sign back in with their own Amazon email and password. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to show the new household membership. If they're still having trouble, they should try uninstalling and reinstalling the Prime Video app.
If you see an error message saying "This person is already in another household," that person's Amazon account is already linked to a different Prime membership. They'll need to be removed from that household first before they can join yours. They can do this themselves by going to their own Account Settings and removing themselves from the other household.
What happens with billing and purchases
Only the account owner (the person paying for Prime) gets charged the membership fee. Everyone in the household gets the same Prime benefits, but they don't share a payment method for purchases. When someone in your household buys something on Amazon, it charges their own payment method, not yours. You can't see their purchases, and they can't see yours.
If you cancel your Prime membership, everyone in your household loses Prime benefits immediately. If you want to keep sharing Prime with others, you'll need to keep your membership active. If someone in your household wants to leave, they can remove themselves from your household at any time through their own Account Settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add someone who doesn't live with me?
Technically, Amazon doesn't verify where people live, so you can add anyone with an Amazon account. However, Amazon's terms say household members should live in the same home. If Amazon detects unusual activity — like someone in a different state using the account — they may ask you to verify the household or remove the person.
What if someone in my household already has their own Prime membership?
They can join your household and use your Prime benefits instead of their own membership. Their individual Prime membership will still be active and they'll still be charged for it, so they should cancel it if they want to stop paying. Adding them to your household doesn't automatically cancel their own membership.
Can I add a child to my Prime account?
You can add children through a separate feature called Amazon Household, which lets you set up a child account with parental controls. This is different from adding an adult. Go to your Household settings and look for "Add Child" or "Create Child Account" to set this up.
How many people can I add to my Prime account?
You can add up to three other people to your household, for a total of four people including yourself. If you need to add more people, you'll need to remove someone first.
Can someone be in multiple households at the same time?
No. Each Amazon account can only belong to one household. If someone tries to join a second household, they'll get an error message asking them to leave their current household first.