Amazon shoppers who returned items may still be eligible to claim part of $309 million settlement

US shoppers have until the end of November to seek compensation from a $309 million Amazon settlement.

The e-commerce company has also faced another settlement this year after being accused of not properly refunding customers.

Under the deal, Amazon is said to have either underpaid refunds or failed to issue them at all to shoppers who qualified.

In some cases, customers were refunded and later charged again for the returned item.

The lawsuit said Amazon advertises “free, no hassle returns,” but often does not send refunds or re-charges customers who sent items back in line with its refund and exchange rules, sometimes by incorrectly saying the return never reached Amazon.

The settlement covers Amazon customers who started a return or asked for a refund for a physical product between September 5, 2017, and February 12, 2026.

Those customers must not have received a proper refund.

Amazon denies any wrongdoing, but agreed to the settlement to avoid more court action.

The company has also said it will improve its monitoring of return processing times going forward.

The settlement is split into two groups, Subclass A and Subclass B, and each claimant should receive an email explaining which group they are in.

Subclass A, which makes up about 92.7% of claimants, will be paid automatically.

Subclass B must file a claim by December 1.

No average payout for Subclass B claimants has been reported yet.

To file, customers need to provide details about the relevant order or orders, including the order number, product description, and the date of the refund request.

What is a class action settlement?

A class action allows a group of people, known as a class, to join together in one court case.

These cases are often brought by one or a few plaintiffs who say a company or another entity harmed a large number of people.

Once a lawsuit is certified as a class action, it applies to all class members, meaning people with similar complaints to those who filed it.

Companies frequently settle class actions by paying class members, who usually give up the right to pursue additional legal claims if they accept the money.

Such agreements often include a denial of wrongdoing by the defendant, and businesses commonly settle to avoid the expense of continued litigation.

Examples that can lead to class actions include pollution, discrimination, and false advertising.

Claimants must also submit the amount they requested, a possible reason the refund may have been rejected, and the Notice ID from the email they received.

Additional documentation may also be requested.

A final settlement hearing in the Amazon case is scheduled for March 16, 2027.

If the deal is approved, payments will be sent after the hearing.