You can delete your Prime membership through your Amazon account settings, but the process depends on whether you want to cancel just Prime or close your entire Amazon account

Deleting Prime is not the same as deleting your Amazon account. If you cancel Prime, you keep your Amazon login, your order history, and the ability to shop without Prime benefits. If you close your entire Amazon account, you lose access to everything — your orders, saved addresses, payment methods, and any digital content you bought.

Most people who want to "delete Prime" actually want to cancel the membership and stop paying the subscription fee. That takes about two minutes in your account settings. Closing your whole account is permanent and takes longer, so make sure you know which one you need before you start.

Key Takeaways

  • Canceling Prime membership stops the subscription charge but keeps your Amazon account active for shopping without Prime benefits.
  • You can cancel Prime through Account Settings > Memberships and Subscriptions > Your Prime Membership, then select "End Membership".
  • Amazon may offer you a discount to keep Prime before you finish canceling — you can accept or decline and continue with the cancellation.
  • If you close your entire Amazon account instead, all your order history, saved information, and digital purchases are deleted permanently.
  • Refunds for unused Prime time depend on how you paid and when your billing cycle ends, so check your confirmation email after canceling.

How to cancel Prime membership without closing your account

Open Amazon.com and sign in. Go to Account > Account Settings in the top right corner. Click "Memberships and Subscriptions" in the left menu, then select "Your Prime Membership." You will see a button that says "End Membership" or "Cancel Prime" — click it.

Amazon will show you a screen asking why you are canceling and offering you a discount (usually 50% off for three months). You can take the discount if you want to stay, or click "Continue to Cancel" at the bottom to proceed without it. After you confirm, you will get a confirmation email with your cancellation date. Your Prime benefits stop at the end of your current billing period, not when ready.

If you paid for Prime with a gift card or promotional credit, that credit does not come back — it stays in your account as Amazon balance. If you paid with a credit card or debit card, Amazon refunds the unused portion of your membership to that same card, though it may take a few business days to appear.

What happens to your account and orders after you cancel Prime

Your Amazon account stays open and you can still shop. You just lose the Prime benefits: free two-day shipping, Prime Video access, Prime Music, and Prime Reading. Regular Amazon shipping becomes available again, usually at a cost per order. Any orders you already placed with Prime shipping will still arrive with Prime shipping — canceling does not affect orders that are already in progress.

Your order history, saved addresses, payment methods, and wishlists all remain in your account. You can log back in anytime and reactivate Prime if you change your mind. Amazon keeps your account active even after cancellation, so there is no important date to decide.

How to close your entire Amazon account

If you want to delete everything — your account, order history, saved information, and all access to Amazon services — you need to close your account entirely. This is permanent and cannot be undone. Go to Account > Account Settings > Login & Security, then scroll to the bottom and click "Close Your Account." Amazon will ask you to confirm and may ask why you are leaving.

Before you close your account, make sure you have no active orders, no outstanding refunds waiting to be processed, and no balance on a gift card or promotional credit. If you have an active Prime membership, you should cancel it first (though Amazon will cancel it automatically when you close your account). If you have a Kindle or other digital content, you will lose access to it.

After you close your account, you cannot use that email address to create a new Amazon account for 180 days. If you want to shop on Amazon again before then, you will need to use a different email address.

Refunds and what to expect after cancellation

If you cancel Prime mid-cycle, you get a refund for the unused portion. The amount depends on your billing date and how much time is left in your membership period. For example, if you pay $139 per year and cancel after three months, you would get a refund for the remaining nine months, though the exact amount varies based on your membership type and when you signed up.

The refund goes back to the payment method you used — a credit card, debit card, or bank account linked to your Amazon account. It does not go back as Amazon credit. If you paid with a gift card, the credit stays in your account as Amazon balance and does not refund to your original payment method.

Check your confirmation email after you cancel — it will show your refund amount and the date your Prime benefits end. If you do not see a refund within a few business days, contact Amazon Customer Service through your Account > Contact Us page.

Reasons to cancel vs. reasons to keep your account open

You might cancel Prime if you do not use the free shipping often enough to justify the cost, if you prefer shopping at other retailers, or if you signed up for a trial and do not want to be charged. You might also cancel if you are trying to reduce subscriptions or if you have access to Prime through someone else's family plan.

You might keep your Amazon account open even after canceling Prime because you still want to shop there occasionally, you have gift cards or credits in your account, or you want to keep your order history. Keeping the account costs nothing — you only pay if you reactivate Prime or make purchases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I get a refund if I cancel Prime mid-month?

Yes, you get a refund for the unused portion of your membership, calculated from your cancellation date to the end of your billing cycle. The refund goes back to your original payment method (credit card, debit card, or bank account) within a few business days. If you paid with a gift card, the credit stays in your Amazon account instead.

Can I cancel Prime and keep shopping on Amazon?

Yes. Canceling Prime only removes the membership benefits. Your account stays active, your order history remains, and you can still shop. You just pay regular shipping costs instead of getting free two-day shipping. You can reactivate Prime anytime if you change your mind.

What happens to my Prime Video if I cancel Prime?

You lose access to Prime Video when your Prime membership ends. If you want to keep Prime Video but cancel Prime shipping, you can subscribe to Prime Video separately for a lower monthly cost. That option appears on your cancellation screen.

Is there a way to pause Prime instead of canceling it?

Amazon does not offer a pause feature for Prime. You can cancel and reactivate anytime, but there is no way to temporarily suspend the membership. If you think you might want Prime again soon, canceling and reactivating later is the closest option.

What if I close my Amazon account by mistake?

If you close your account, you cannot undo it. You can contact Amazon Customer Service to ask if they can reopen it, but they may not be able to restore your order history or account information. It is better to cancel Prime only unless you are certain you want to delete everything.