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. Once you set it up, up to four additional people can use your Prime benefits — free two-day shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music, and the rest — without paying separately. Each person gets their own account and recommendations, but they all draw from the same membership.

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

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon Household lets you add up to four people to your Prime membership at no additional cost, and each person keeps their own separate account.
  • You can add adults and children, but adults in the household must verify their identity with a credit card or debit card on file.
  • The person you're adding will receive an invitation and must accept it before they can use Prime benefits.
  • You can remove someone from your household at any time, and they'll lose access to Prime benefits immediately.

How to set up Amazon Household

Start by signing into your Amazon account on a web browser (the mobile app doesn't have this option). Go to your Account menu in the top right corner and select Your Account. Scroll down to find Login & security and click it.

Look for the section labeled Household profile and click Manage your household. If you haven't set up a household yet, Amazon will ask you to confirm your address. Once that's done, you'll see the option to add adults or children to your household.

Adding an adult family member

When you choose to add an adult, Amazon will ask for their email address or phone number. Enter whichever one they use most often for their Amazon account. If they don't have an Amazon account yet, they'll need to create one before they can join your household.

The person you're adding will receive an invitation to their email or phone. They need to accept it within 30 days, or the invitation expires and you'll need to send another one. Once they accept, they can immediately start using Prime benefits on their own account — their own recommendations, their own order history, and their own payment methods stay separate from yours.

Amazon requires at least one adult in the household to have a valid credit card or debit card on file. If you're the one who set up Prime, you already have this. If you're adding another adult, they'll need to add a payment method to their account before the household can be fully active.

Adding a child to your household

You can also add children under 18 to your household. When you select the option to add a child, Amazon will ask for their name and date of birth. You don't need their email address or phone number — you create a child account directly.

Child accounts have parental controls built in. You can set spending limits, restrict what content they can watch on Prime Video, and control what they can purchase. Parents can manage these settings from the household dashboard at any time.

What happens after someone joins your household

Once a family member accepts your invitation, they can use Prime benefits on their own devices. They'll see their own recommendations on Prime Video, their own shopping history, and their own wishlist. When they order something with Prime shipping, it ships to their address if they've added one to their account.

However, all household members share the same Prime membership. You can't have one person use Prime Video while another uses free shipping at the same time — there's no limit on simultaneous use, but the membership itself is shared. If your Prime membership ends or you cancel it, everyone in the household loses access.

Removing someone from your household

You can remove a family member at any time by going back to Manage your household in your account settings. Find the person you want to remove and click the option to delete them from your household. They'll lose access to Prime benefits immediately, though any orders they've already placed will still be delivered.

If you remove someone and later want to add them back, you can send a new invitation. There's no waiting period — you can do this right away if you change your mind.

Troubleshooting common problems

If someone says they never received an invitation, check that you entered their email address or phone number correctly. Invitations can sometimes land in spam folders, so ask them to check there. You can also resend an invitation from the household settings page if the first one expired.

If an adult you're trying to add says they can't accept the invitation, they may need to create an Amazon account first or update their payment method. Child accounts don't require a payment method, so that's usually not the issue with children.

If you're having trouble accessing the household settings, make sure you're using a web browser, not the mobile app. The household management tools only work on Amazon.com, not in the shopping app.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Amazon Household is designed for people who live at the same address. The system asks you to confirm your address when you set it up, and it's meant for household members. That said, Amazon doesn't actively verify that people live together — it's an honor system. If someone moves away, you can remove them and add someone new.

What if I have more than four other people I want to share Prime with?

Amazon Household has a hard limit of five people total — you plus four others. If you need to share with more people, you'd need to remove someone to add someone else. There's no way to expand beyond five.

Do family members see my order history or payment information?

No. Each person in your household has a completely separate account. They can't see your orders, your addresses, or your payment methods. You also can't see theirs. The only thing you share is the Prime membership itself.

What happens to my household if I move?

You can update your address in your account settings, and your household stays intact. Everyone in the household will see the new address as the primary one for Prime deliveries, but they can still add their own addresses to their accounts for orders to ship to different places.

Can I have two separate Prime memberships in the same household?

No. One household can only have one Prime membership. If someone in your household has their own Prime membership, you'd need to decide which one to use for the household, and the other person would need to cancel theirs or keep it separate under a different address.