Amazon Prime lets you add family members to your account so they can watch shows, order items, and use Prime benefits without needing their own subscription
You can share your Prime membership with up to six household members through a feature called Amazon Household. Each person gets their own login and recommendations, but they all use the same Prime membership and payment method. This works for Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and free shipping on orders — though some benefits like Prime Gaming have limits on how many people can use them at once.
The process takes about five minutes and happens entirely in your Amazon account settings. You do not need to share your password, and each family member can set up their own profile with their own preferences and watch history.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon Household lets up to six people share one Prime membership, each with their own login and profile.
- You set up sharing through Account Settings, not by giving out your password or creating new accounts.
- Family members must live at the same address as the account holder for the setup to work.
- Shared members can watch Prime Video and use Prime shipping, but some features like Prime Gaming are limited to one person at a time.
- You can remove someone from the household at any time, and they lose access to Prime benefits immediately.
How to add family members to your Amazon account
Start by going to Account & Lists in the top right corner of Amazon.com, then select Account. Look for a section called Amazon Household — it appears near the bottom of the page under "Settings." Click on it.
You will see an option to Add an adult or Add a teen or Add a child, depending on the age of the person you want to add. For an adult, you will need their email address or phone number. They will receive an invitation to join your household, and they can accept it from their own Amazon account. They do not need to create a new account — they use their existing one.
For teens (ages 13 to 17) and children (under 13), the process is slightly different. You create a login for them or they use an existing one, and you control their spending limits and content restrictions. Teens can accept the invitation themselves, but children cannot — you manage their account directly.
What happens when someone joins your household
Once someone accepts the invitation, they immediately get access to all Prime benefits tied to your membership. They can watch anything on Prime Video, borrow books from Prime Reading, listen to Prime Music, and get free two-day shipping on may be able to access items. Their recommendations and watch history stay separate from yours — Amazon keeps track of who is watching what.
When they order something with free Prime shipping, the order goes to their address if they have set one up in their profile. If they do not have a separate address on file, orders default to the household address. You can see all orders placed by household members in your account, which is useful if you are managing spending for teens or children.
Each person can set up their own payment method for things they want to buy outside of Prime — like apps or digital content — but Prime shipping and video streaming use the main account's payment method.
The address requirement and why it matters
Amazon requires that all household members live at the same address as the account holder. This is how Amazon prevents one person from sharing a Prime membership with friends across the country. When you add someone, you confirm they live with you, and Amazon may verify this later.
If someone moves out — a child going to college, an adult moving to their own place — you should remove them from the household. If they stay on the account and order to a different address, Amazon may flag the account as suspicious. It is simpler to just remove them and let them start their own Prime membership if they want one.
Managing spending and content for teens and children
When you add a teen or child, you can set a monthly spending limit on their account. Any purchase they try to make above that limit requires your approval. You can also restrict what content they see on Prime Video — you can block shows and movies by rating, so a child account might only show content rated G and PG.
To adjust these settings, go back to Amazon Household and select the teen or child's name. You will see options for Spending Limits and Content Restrictions. Changes take effect immediately.
A teen can see that restrictions are in place, but they cannot remove them. A child cannot see the restrictions at all — they simply cannot access blocked content. If a teen or child tries to make a purchase over their limit, they get a message asking them to request permission from the account holder.
Removing someone from your household
If you want to stop sharing Prime with someone, go to Amazon Household and find their name in the list. Click the option to remove them — the exact wording varies, but it is usually Remove from Household or a trash icon next to their name. Confirm the removal.
They lose access to Prime Video, Prime shipping, and all other Prime benefits immediately. Their profile stays in their own Amazon account, but it no longer has Prime attached. If they want to keep using Prime, they will need to start their own subscription.
You can add and remove people as many times as you want. There is no limit on how many times you can change your household, though Amazon may notice if you are constantly swapping members in and out.
What does not get shared in a household
Some Prime features work differently in a household. Prime Gaming — the gaming benefits that come with Prime — can only be used by one person at a time. If two household members try to use Prime Gaming simultaneously, one of them will get an error. You can switch which person is the "active" Prime Gaming user, but only one person can claim game offers and in-game loot at any given time.
Prime Day deals and exclusive shopping events are available to all household members, but if there is a limited quantity of something, only one person per household can buy it. This prevents one person from buying up all the stock.
Your Prime Video watchlist and purchase history do not automatically share with household members. Each person has their own watchlist and their own order history. This is intentional — it keeps recommendations separate and lets you keep your purchases private.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share Prime with someone who does not live with me?
No. Amazon requires all household members to live at the same address. If you try to add someone at a different address, the setup will not work. Amazon may also flag your account if it detects orders going to multiple addresses that do not match the household address.
What if my family member has their own Amazon account?
They can keep their own account. When they join your household, their existing account gets Prime attached to it. They do not lose any of their order history, wishlists, or saved addresses — everything stays the same, just with Prime benefits added.
Can I see what my family members are watching on Prime Video?
You can see that they are watching Prime Video, but you cannot see their specific watch history or recommendations. Each person's viewing is private. If you want to monitor what a child is watching, you can set content restrictions by rating, which limits what shows up in their account.
What happens to Prime shipping if I remove someone from the household?
They immediately lose free two-day shipping. Any orders they place after removal will not may have access to for Prime shipping unless they have their own Prime membership. Orders they placed before removal are not affected.
Can a household member change the payment method for Prime?
No. Only the account holder can change the payment method for Prime. Household members can add their own payment methods for other purchases, but Prime shipping and video streaming always use the main account's payment method.