You can cancel Amazon Prime at any time, and Amazon will refund your most recent payment if you cancel within the first week
Amazon Prime is a paid membership that renews automatically every month or year, depending on which plan you chose. If you want to stop paying, you have two main options: cancel completely (which ends all Prime benefits immediately) or pause your membership for up to three months (which temporarily stops charges but keeps your account active). Both actions happen in your Amazon account settings, not through customer service.
The refund policy depends on how long you have had the current membership period. If you cancel within seven days of your most recent charge, Amazon refunds the full amount. After that window closes, no refund is issued, but your membership continues until the renewal date. Pausing does not charge you during the pause period, but your membership resumes automatically when the pause ends.
Key Takeaways
- You cancel Prime through Your Account > Memberships and Subscriptions > Prime Membership, not by contacting customer service.
- Amazon refunds your most recent payment only if you cancel within seven days of being charged.
- Pausing your membership for up to three months stops charges without losing your account or Prime history.
- After cancellation, you lose access to Prime Video, free shipping, Prime Music, and other Prime benefits immediately.
- If you cancel before your renewal date, your membership stays active until that date arrives.
How to cancel Prime through your account settings
Open Amazon.com and sign in to your account. Move your cursor to the top right corner where your account name appears, then click "Account" from the dropdown menu. Look for "Memberships and Subscriptions" and click it.
On the Memberships and Subscriptions page, find "Prime Membership" and click the button next to it. You will see your current plan (monthly or annual), the renewal date, and a button that says "Cancel Membership" or "Manage Membership." Click "Cancel Membership." Amazon will ask you to confirm and may show you a discount offer to keep your membership. You can ignore this offer and proceed with cancellation by clicking the final confirmation button.
After you confirm, Amazon sends a confirmation email to the address on your account. Your Prime benefits stop immediately, though if you paid for a full year and cancel before the renewal date, you keep access until that date arrives. If you cancel within seven days of your most recent charge, check your account in two to three business days for the refund.
How to pause Prime instead of canceling
If you want to stop paying temporarily but keep your account and Prime history intact, pausing is faster than canceling and restarting. Follow the same steps to reach Memberships and Subscriptions, then click "Manage Membership" instead of "Cancel Membership."
You will see an option to "Pause Your Membership." Click it and choose how long you want to pause — Amazon offers one month, two months, or three months. During the pause, you will not be charged, and you will not have access to Prime benefits. When the pause period ends, your membership automatically resumes and charges begin again on the first day after the pause ends.
Pausing is useful if you know you will not use Prime for a few months but plan to return. You keep your saved addresses, payment methods, and Prime Video watchlist. If you change your mind during the pause, you can cancel completely at any time through the same Memberships and Subscriptions page.
What happens to Prime Video, shipping, and other benefits after cancellation
When you cancel Prime, you lose access to all Prime benefits the moment the cancellation takes effect. Prime Video stops working immediately — you can no longer watch movies, shows, or Prime Video Channels you subscribed to through Prime. If you had a separate Prime Video subscription (not bundled with Prime), that subscription continues separately and you are still charged for it.
Free two-day shipping ends, and you no longer see Prime-may be able to access items marked with the Prime badge on product pages. Prime Music, Prime Reading, and exclusive Prime member deals all stop. If you use Prime for business (Amazon Business Prime), that membership also ends.
Your order history and account information stay on Amazon, so you can still shop and use your saved addresses and payment methods. You just pay regular shipping rates and lose the member-only discounts and fast delivery.
If you cancel before your annual renewal date
Annual Prime memberships renew on a specific date each year. If you cancel before that date arrives, your membership stays active and you keep all Prime benefits until the renewal date. After that date passes, your membership does not renew and you lose access.
For example, if your annual membership renews on March 15 and you cancel on March 1, you keep Prime until March 15. On March 16, your membership ends. This is different from monthly memberships, which end immediately when you cancel.
You can see your renewal date in the Memberships and Subscriptions section. If you want Prime to end sooner, you must cancel and then contact Amazon customer service to request an early termination — Amazon does not offer this through the self-service cancellation tool, but customer service can sometimes process it if you ask.
Canceling Prime on mobile devices
The process is the same on the Amazon mobile app as on a computer. Open the app, tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) at the bottom right, then tap "Account." Scroll down and tap "Memberships and Subscriptions," then tap "Prime Membership." Tap "Manage Membership" or "Cancel Membership" depending on what you want to do, and follow the same confirmation steps.
Some older versions of the Amazon app do not show the Memberships and Subscriptions option in the Account menu. If you cannot find it, open a web browser on your phone, go to Amazon.com, and use the computer steps instead. The mobile website works the same way as the app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a refund if I cancel Prime?
Amazon refunds your most recent payment only if you cancel within seven days of being charged. After seven days, no refund is issued. If you paid for an annual membership and cancel before the renewal date, you keep access until that date but do not receive money back for the unused time.
What happens to my Prime Video watchlist and saved shows after I cancel?
Your watchlist and viewing history stay on your Amazon account. If you restart Prime later, your watchlist is still there. However, you cannot watch any Prime Video content while your membership is canceled, even if you started watching something before you canceled.
Can I cancel Prime and restart it later?
Yes. You can cancel and restart Prime whenever you want. When you restart, you start a new membership period. If you had a monthly membership, restarting costs the current monthly rate. If you had an annual membership, restarting costs the current annual rate, which may be different from what you paid before.
Will canceling Prime affect my Amazon shopping account?
No. Your Amazon account, order history, saved addresses, and payment methods all stay active. You can still shop on Amazon after canceling Prime — you just pay regular shipping rates instead of getting free Prime shipping.
How long does it take for a refund to show up after I cancel?
Refunds typically appear in your account within two to three business days, though it can take up to five business days depending on your bank. The refund goes back to the payment method you used when you were charged.