Amazon after a death: orders, subscriptions and the account

Start with what is open

Before you close anything, look at what is live on the account. There may be orders on the way, an order that arrived damaged, or a return in progress. A refund or a delivery that lands after the death still needs someone to receive it or send it back. Find out what is outstanding before you touch settings, so nothing is stranded.

If the account is on a shared household plan, other people's orders may sit under the same login. Look at who else uses it before you make changes.

Report the account to Amazon

Amazon has a process for closing or taking over an account when the holder dies. It usually asks for proof, often a death certificate and something showing you are the person handling the estate. That may be a will naming you, a grant of probate or the equivalent paper where you live. Rules and forms differ by country, so check Amazon's current help page for the exact steps and the documents they accept. Say once, plainly: check Amazon's current help page before you send anything.

Keep copies of everything you send. Ask for a reference or a case number if they offer one.

Cards, balances and stored payment methods

• Stored cards: note which cards are saved, and tell the bank or card issuer that the holder has died so they can freeze or close them.
• Gift card balance: check whether a balance is sitting on the account, and note it for the estate.
• Amazon credit or a store balance: note the amount and ask Amazon how it is handled.
• Open orders paid by a card that will be closed: expect a failed payment and deal with it before dispatch if you can.

Subscriptions that keep charging

Amazon subscriptions are easy to forget because they renew quietly. Look for recurring deliveries, digital subscriptions and memberships tied to the account. Each one is a small bill that will keep coming to a card until it is cancelled or the card is closed. Write down what you find and the date each one renews.

Cancelling is usually simpler than transferring. If the family wants to keep a subscription, it is often easier to open a fresh one in a living person's name than to move the old one across.

A seller account is different

If the person sold through Amazon rather than just shopped, there is more to deal with. There may be stock, a payout owed, buyer messages waiting and a tax record to keep. Payouts are usually tied to a bank account, so tell the bank as well. Ask Amazon's seller support how to handle a seller account after a death, and keep the records of sales and payouts for whoever deals with the estate.

Don't close a seller account in a hurry. Money may still be due, and buyers may still need answers.

What to write down now

If this is your own account, the kindest thing you can do is leave a short note. You don't need to hand over your password. What your family needs is a map, not the keys. For why that matters, see why not share passwords.

• The email address used to sign in, and where that email lives.
• Whether you are a shopper only, or also a seller.
• Any subscriptions or recurring deliveries, and roughly when they renew.
• Which cards are saved, without the full numbers.
• Whether there is a gift card or account balance worth knowing about.
• Where you keep order confirmations or receipts that matter.

Put that note in the Bills and subscriptions section of your envelope. It gives your family a starting point without handing them your login. The same section can hold your other recurring bills, which makes the first weeks easier. See bills still arriving for how to work through them.

After the account is sorted

Once orders are delivered, subscriptions are cancelled and the account is closed or handed over, check the email inbox tied to it. Amazon confirmations and receipts may still arrive for a while, and some of them are useful for the estate. Keep the final emails together with your other papers.

If you are planning ahead, add this to your wider list. Our checklist walks through the accounts families most often need, and covers explains what a sealed envelope can hold.