Canceling Amazon Prime takes under a minute, and here is the part most people miss: Amazon can actually refund you. Cancel without having used your Prime benefits since the last charge and you get the current period back, not just access until it runs out. Below is the exact path on web and in the app, how the refund rule works, and how to tell Prime apart from Prime Video and paid Channels, which is where a lot of “I cancelled but I am still being billed” confusion comes from.
How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership
On the web, open Account, then Prime membership (Amazon labels this area Prime Central), and choose to end the membership (you may go through Manage membership first). In the Amazon Shopping app, open the menu, go to your Prime membership, and choose the same end-membership option. Amazon then gives you a choice: end now, or keep your benefits until the current period finishes. There is no cancellation fee and no phone call, since Prime is a no-commitment membership you can stop at any time.
Cancel and get your money back
Most subscriptions only let you run out the clock. Amazon is more generous: if you cancel and have not used any Prime benefits since your most recent charge (no Prime shipping, no Prime Video, none of the perks), you are eligible for a full refund of that current period, paid back to your original payment method. If you have already used a benefit, you keep Prime until the period ends but do not get money back. Amazon also treats the first few days specially: cancel within three business days of signing up (or of converting from a free trial to a paid plan) and you can get a full refund, minus the value of any benefits you already used. When the flow offers to end your membership now versus later, ending now is what triggers the refund if you qualify.
Canceling during a free trial
Started a Prime free trial and changed your mind? Cancel any time before the trial’s end date and you will not be charged. You also keep every Prime benefit until that end date, so there is no penalty for cancelling early: your access simply stops when the trial would have converted to paid. The safe move is to cancel right after you sign up, while you still remember, because the benefits run to the end either way.
Prime vs Prime Video vs Channels
These get mixed up constantly, and it is exactly why some people cancel Prime yet keep getting charged.
- Amazon Prime is the full membership (shipping, Prime Video, and the rest). Cancel it under Account, Prime membership.
- Prime Video can also be a standalone streaming subscription for people who do not want full Prime. If that is what you have, you manage it as its own subscription, not under Prime membership.
- Prime Video Channels (add-ons like a premium network you subscribe to through Prime Video) are billed separately from Prime and do not stop when you cancel Prime. Cancel them under Account & Settings, then Subscriptions, on the Prime Video site. Canceling a Channel does not refund earlier charges, and your access runs to the end date shown on the confirmation.
When does Prime renew, and when are you charged?
Your renewal date and plan (monthly or annual) are shown on your Prime membership page, the same place you cancel. Amazon charges you on that date automatically, and its terms do not promise an advance reminder, so do not count on an email. If you only want to avoid the next charge, you do not have to cancel today: note the renewal date and cancel any time before it. The catch is remembering, which is exactly where a reminder that is not buried in your inbox helps. Full detail: when does Amazon Prime renew.
FAQ
How do I cancel Amazon Prime? Open Account, go to Prime membership (Prime Central), and choose to end the membership. It works the same on the web and in the Amazon Shopping app, with no fee.
Can I cancel Amazon Prime and get a refund? Yes, if you have not used Prime benefits since your last charge: you get a full refund of the current period. Cancel within three business days of signing up and you can get a full refund minus any benefits already used. Otherwise you keep Prime until the period ends.
How do I cancel Amazon Prime on the app? In the Amazon Shopping app, open the menu, go to your Prime membership, choose to end it, and confirm. The path mirrors the website.
How do I cancel an Amazon Prime free trial? Cancel before the trial’s end date from your Prime membership page. You keep the benefits until that date and are not charged.
I cancelled Prime, so why am I still being billed? You are probably paying for a Prime Video Channel or a standalone Prime Video subscription, which are billed separately. Cancel Channels under Account & Settings, then Subscriptions, on the Prime Video site.
Does canceling Prime also cancel Prime Video? Prime Video is included in Prime, so ending Prime ends that access. But add-on Channels, and a standalone Prime Video plan, are separate and must be canceled on their own.
Never get charged for a Prime you forgot
LapseGuard reminds you before Amazon Prime renews, so a refund window or a free trial never lapses without you noticing. Add your renewal date once and it watches the calendar for you. Free, on your device, no account.
Related reading: How to cancel any subscription and The real cost of forgotten subscriptions