What you need to do to add someone to your Prime membership
You can add up to four family members to your Amazon Prime account at no extra cost through a feature called Amazon Household. Each person gets their own login, their own recommendations, and their own watch history — they're not sharing a single account. The person you add will have full access to Prime benefits: free two-day shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music, and everything else included in your membership.
The process takes about five minutes and happens entirely online. You'll need the email address or phone number of the person you're adding, and they'll need to accept the invitation before they can start using Prime benefits.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon Household lets you add up to four family members to your Prime membership, and each person gets their own separate account and login.
- You'll need the email address or phone number of the person you want to add, and they must accept your invitation before they can use Prime.
- Family members can be removed at any time, and removing someone doesn't affect your own Prime membership.
- Each household member can set their own shipping address, so packages go to the right place even if you live in different locations.
How to set up Amazon Household and add your first family member
Start by going to amazon.com and signing in with your Prime account. Click on your account name in the top right corner and select Your Account from the dropdown menu. Look for a section called Login & Security or Account Settings — the exact name varies slightly depending on whether you're on a computer or phone.
Scroll down until you find Amazon Household. Click on it. If this is your first time setting up Household, Amazon will ask you to confirm your date of birth and set a password for your account — this is a security step to make sure only you can change household members. After that, you'll see an option to Add an adult or Add a teen. Choose the one that matches the person you're inviting.
Enter their email address or phone number in the box that appears. Amazon will send them an invitation. They'll receive an email or text message with a link, and they need to click that link and accept the invitation within seven days. Once they accept, they'll be added to your household and can start using Prime immediately.
The difference between adding an adult and adding a teen
When you add an adult, they have full control over their own account. They can change their shipping address, manage their own payment methods, and make purchases that charge to the household's payment method. An adult can also be removed from the household at any time by either person — the adult themselves or the account owner.
A teen (ages 13 to 17) has most of the same Prime benefits but with parental controls built in. You can set spending limits, require approval for purchases over a certain amount, and see their order history. Teens can't remove themselves from the household — only the account owner can do that. If a teen turns 18, they automatically convert to an adult account and gain full control.
If you're adding a child under 13, Amazon doesn't offer a separate child account through Household. Instead, you would share your own account with them, which means they'd see your recommendations and order history.
What happens with shipping addresses and payment methods
Each household member can set their own shipping address. This is the main reason to use Household instead of just sharing one login — packages go to the right place even if family members live in different cities or states. When someone in your household places an order, they choose their own address at checkout, and the package ships there.
All purchases made by household members charge to the same payment method on file — the one attached to the Prime account owner's account. You can't give individual family members their own separate payment methods through Household. If you want to track who's spending what, you can view the order history for each household member from your account settings.
How to remove a family member from your Prime account
Go back to Your Account and select Amazon Household. You'll see a list of everyone currently in your household. Next to the person you want to remove, click Remove or the three-dot menu and select Remove from household. Confirm the removal when Amazon asks you to verify.
Once removed, that person loses access to Prime benefits immediately. They can still use their Amazon account to browse and shop, but they won't get free shipping or access to Prime Video. Removing someone doesn't affect your own Prime membership or anyone else in the household.
Troubleshooting when someone won't accept the invitation
If the person you invited hasn't accepted after a few days, ask them to check their email spam folder — the invitation sometimes lands there by mistake. If they're using a phone number instead of an email address, make sure you entered it correctly, including the country code if they're outside the United States.
You can send the invitation again by going back to Amazon Household and selecting the option to invite them once more. The old invitation will expire, and they'll receive a fresh one. If they still don't see it, try inviting them with a different email address or phone number if they have one.
If the person you're trying to add already has their own Prime membership, they'll need to cancel that membership first before they can join your household. Amazon won't let one person be part of two Prime accounts at the same time.
What family members can and cannot do with Prime
Everyone in your household gets the same Prime benefits: free two-day shipping on may be able to access items, access to Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and Prime Gaming. They can use these services on their own devices with their own login. Their recommendations and watch history stay separate from yours.
Household members cannot change the Prime membership itself — they can't upgrade to Prime Video add-ons, pause the membership, or cancel it. Only the account owner can make those changes. If you want to add or remove services from your Prime membership, you'll need to do that from your own account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add someone who doesn't live with me to my Amazon Household?
Yes. Amazon Household doesn't require people to live at the same address. You can add family members in different cities or states. Each person sets their own shipping address, so packages go to wherever they actually live. The main requirement is that you're related or in a committed relationship — Amazon's terms say Household is for family members, not roommates or unrelated people.
What if I have more than four people I want to add?
Amazon Household has a hard limit of four additional people plus the account owner, for a total of five. If you need to add more than that, you would need to remove someone first. There's no way around this limit through Amazon's system.
Can a family member use Prime on multiple devices at the same time?
Yes. Each household member can watch Prime Video on different devices simultaneously. For example, one person can watch on a TV while another watches on a phone at the same time. There's no limit to how many devices can be logged in at once, though Amazon's terms ask that accounts not be shared outside the household.
What happens to a teen's account when they turn 18?
The account automatically converts from a teen account to an adult account. They'll gain full control and won't have spending limits or purchase approvals anymore. They'll still be part of your household unless they choose to leave or you remove them.
Can I see what other household members are ordering?
Yes. From your Amazon Household settings, you can view the order history for each family member. This helps you track what's being purchased and what's charging to your payment method. Teens' accounts show even more detail if you've set up parental controls.