You can add up to four family members to your Prime account at no extra cost

Amazon Prime lets you share your membership with people in your household through a feature called Amazon Household. You can add up to four family members — adults or children — to a single Prime account, and each person gets their own login and recommendations. Everyone shares the same Prime benefits: free two-day shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music, and anything else included with your membership.

The process takes about five minutes and happens entirely in your account settings. You'll need an email address or phone number for each person you want to add, and they'll receive an invitation to join. Once they accept, they can start using Prime immediately.

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon Household lets you add up to four family members to one Prime account without paying extra, and each person gets their own login.
  • You can add both adults and children, but adults need their own Amazon account or will need to create one to join.
  • The person you're adding will receive an invitation by email or text and must accept it before they can use Prime.
  • You can remove family members at any time from your Household settings, and they'll lose access to shared Prime benefits immediately.
  • Family members can't see each other's purchase history or saved payment methods, but they do share the same shipping address.

How to set up Amazon Household

Start by signing into your Amazon account on a computer or the Amazon app. Go to Account & Lists in the top right corner, then select Account. Look for the Household section — it's usually near the bottom of the page. Click Manage Your Household.

You'll see options to add an adult or a child. If you're adding an adult, click Add an Adult and enter their email address or phone number. Amazon will send them an invitation. They'll need to accept it and either sign into an existing Amazon account or create a new one. If you're adding a child under 18, click Add a Child instead, and you'll set up a child account with parental controls.

The person you invited will receive an email or text message with a link to accept the invitation. Once they click the link and confirm, they're part of your Household and can start using Prime immediately. They don't need to do anything else — Prime benefits are automatic.

What each family member can and cannot see

Family members share Prime shipping benefits and video/music access, but they have separate digital spaces. Each person has their own watch history on Prime Video, their own music recommendations, and their own Kindle library. They cannot see what other household members have purchased, what's in anyone else's cart, or what payment methods are saved to other accounts.

However, all household members share the same shipping address. If you want packages to go to different addresses, you'll need separate Prime accounts. Also, only the account holder (the person who pays for Prime) can manage the Household settings, change the shared address, or remove members.

Adding children to your household

When you add a child, Amazon creates a separate child account that you control as the parent. You set up parental controls that limit what they can watch on Prime Video, what they can purchase, and how much screen time they get. The child account is linked to your Household but stays separate from adult accounts.

Children can use Prime Video with your restrictions in place, but they can't make purchases without your approval. You manage all of this from your Household settings. If a child turns 18, you can convert their account to an adult account, and they'll have full control over their own settings.

Removing a family member from your household

You can remove anyone from your Household at any time. Go back to Account & Lists > Account > Manage Your Household, find the person you want to remove, and click the option to delete them. They'll lose access to Prime benefits immediately, though they can keep their own Amazon account if they created one.

Removing someone doesn't affect their personal Amazon account or any purchases they've made. It only removes them from your Household and stops their access to your shared Prime membership. If they want Prime again, they'll need their own subscription or to be added to someone else's Household.

Troubleshooting common issues

If someone doesn't receive an invitation, check that you entered their email address or phone number correctly. Invitations sometimes take a few minutes to arrive, so ask them to check their spam folder. If they still don't see it after 10 minutes, you can remove them from Household settings and try adding them again with a different email address.

If a family member can't access Prime benefits even after accepting the invitation, have them sign out of the Amazon app or website completely, then sign back in. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to show the new Household membership. If that doesn't work, try removing them and re-adding them to Household.

If you're trying to add someone and get an error message, make sure they either have an existing Amazon account or are willing to create one. You can't add someone to Household without an Amazon account associated with their email or phone number.

What happens if someone moves out or gets their own Prime

If a family member moves to a different address, they can't stay on your Household because Prime shipping goes to one address. They'll need to either get their own Prime subscription or join someone else's Household at their new address. You can remove them from your Household, and they can sign up for Prime independently.

If someone already has their own Prime subscription, they can't be on two Households at once. They'll need to cancel their individual subscription first, then join your Household. Alternatively, they can keep their own Prime and stay off your Household — there's no requirement to share.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add someone who doesn't live with me to my Household?

Technically you can add anyone with an email address, but Amazon's terms say Household members should live at the same address. Since all household members share one shipping address, adding someone far away won't work well for Prime shipping anyway. If they need Prime, they should get their own subscription.

Do family members see my payment method or billing information?

No. Family members can't see your saved payment methods, billing address, or any financial information. They can only use the Prime benefits attached to your account. The account holder controls all billing and payment settings.

Can two people manage the Household, or just the account holder?

Only the person who pays for Prime and owns the account can manage Household settings. You can't give another adult permission to add or remove members. If you want shared control, you'd need to change who the account holder is, which requires contacting Amazon support.

What if someone in my Household orders something I don't want them to?

Adult household members can make purchases independently — you can't restrict what they buy. If you want to control purchases, add them as a child account instead, where you can set spending limits and require approval for purchases. For adults, the only option is to remove them from Household.

Can I have multiple Households, or am I limited to one?

You can only be part of one Household at a time. If you want to switch to a different Household, you'll need to leave your current one first, then accept an invitation to join another. You can't manage multiple Households from a single account.