If you’re used to shopping at Walmart and enjoy the retailer’s huge range of merchandise and low prices, you may want to join its membership program called Walmart Plus.
The Walmart+ membership is a relatively new offering, providing several main benefits such as gas discounts, same-day delivery on some orders, free shipping, and an app with a scan-and-go feature for in-store shoppers.
Walmart Plus costs $12.95 per month or $98 per year. But is it really worth paying the subscription fee? Here is all the information you need to know about this membership program, how is it compared with other same-day delivery services, and how to benefit from it if you decide to join.
What Is Walmart Plus?
When Amazon Prime was launched back in 2005, it changed the way people shop online. It established a kind of comfort and flexibility that shoppers have grown to expect from other retailers. This way, it explains why Walmart, in order to compete with its greatest rival, would follow the same path and launch a similar service.
However, Walmart+ falls short of the benefits provided by Amazon Prime, which includes a large number of products, but also music, eBooks, streaming video, and much more. Depending on your purchasing habits and where you do your groceries, a Walmart Plus membership may be beneficial for you.
If you live near a Walmart, do your groceries and purchase gas at Walmart frequently or get deliveries from them, its membership may be ideal for you.
How Does Walmart Plus Work?
As we said before, you can enroll in the Walmart+ program and pay $12.95 monthly or $98 yearly. It’s quite easy to join this subscription service: just go to Walmart’s sign-up page and fill in all the required details. But here’s a trick some people don’t know: if you purchase the monthly membership, you’ll end up paying $155 in one year. However, if you choose the annual membership from the beginning, the cost is $98.
Walmart offers the chance to go for a free 30-day trial subscription. However, you must be a paid member if you want to have access to the Walmart Plus Weekend deals.
Here’s an important detail you may want to know: if you choose to cancel your Walmart Plus membership, you won’t receive any refunds. However, you’ll keep having access to your membership benefits until the paid period expires.
What Can You Do With Walmart Plus?
Home Delivery
Once you sign up for the Walmart+ program, you can order anything from groceries and household essentials to toys and tech, all for free same-day delivery. However, before signing up, make sure that delivery is available in your neighborhood. When the service launched, orders had to meet a $35 minimum so customers could get free shipping.
Starting with December 2020, that requirement has been waived, which means you no longer have to worry about that. Even so, if your order is under $35, you’ll be charged a fee of $5.99.
Walmart Plus delivery slots function on a first come, first served basis, and you can place as many orders as you’d like if time slots are available. You can also use the Walmart app to track the driver’s location once the store has shipped your order. Delivery is contact-free which means there’s no signature required.
In-Store
Members who use the Walmart app have access to the Scan & Go feature, which allows you to scan products in-store while you’re shopping. In order to pay, you have to load a credit or debit card into the app. Once you do this, you can scan the QR code found at the self-checkout kiosks — this step will generate your receipt. You can also bag everything you purchased at the kiosk.
Unfortunately, you cannot use coupons through the Scan & Go feature, so if you really want to benefit from discounts, you’ll have to skip the Walmart service.
Gas Discounts
When Walmart Plus first launched, members could save up to 5¢ per gallon at Walmart, Murphy Express, and Murphy USA gas stations. However, as of April 2022, all members can save up to 10¢ a gallon at every Exxon and Mobil station, as well as up to 10¢ off at some Walmart & Murphy stations.
All members can also benefit from member prices at Sam’s Club stations. There are about 14,000 participating gas stations all over the country. You can check this map to find any near you.
To unlock your gas station savings, you need to go into the Walmart app, select member prices for fuel, and follow the on-screen steps. You must pay at the pump rather than inside, which means payments must be cash-free.
You can get however many gas discounts you want because there are no limits. So if you happen to fill up more than once per day for whatever reason, you’ll always enjoy member prices.
Spotify Access
All Walmart Plus members get six months of Spotify Premium — which is the music streaming service’s ad-free version — for free. Since the Spotify Premium individual subscription is $9.99 per month, you’d basically get a $60 value if you sign up for the Walmart program.
Early Deal Access
The idea of giving subscribers early access to discounts and deals is one that Amazon has previously capitalized on with its Amazon Prime program. Members receive both early notifications and access to upcoming product releases and deals, including Black Friday discounts which can be pretty major when there’s a limited supply.
As a Walmart Plus member, you can also get periodically early access to discounted gadgets such as Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Keep an eye on what’s new by visiting the Early Access storefront.
Find Your Medications
If you spend a lot of money on medications, Walmart Plus may be able to help you save some money. Members can get certain prescriptions for free while purchasing other medications through Walmart Pharmacies can save them up to 80%. You’ll be given a digital savings card that you can use to fill prescriptions through the Walmart mobile app.
This doesn’t replace insurance and may not be used in combination with any other coverage. Discounts aren’t available in Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts, Arizona, Puerto Rico, and North Dakota, according to the information found on the website. California doesn’t allow for free medication, yet some are available for as little as $2.
Is Walmart Plus Worth It?
If you live nearby a Walmart store and are used to ordering delivery, or you fill up your car once a week, then an annual membership can easily be justified. For instance, those who order weekly delivery save around $32 per month in fees (without a Walmart Plus membership, delivery fees range from $7.95 to $9.95). Those savings alone are a good deal exceeding the membership cost.
Also, let’s say you purchase 20 gallons of gas per week. This would give you a discount of up to 10 cents per gallon, which means you’d save around $8 per month. That’s close to covering your Walmart+ fee.
However, before you sign up, consider your purchasing habits. If you happen to shop at Walmart only from time to time, you may want to try a free membership program at another retailer or supermarket. Still, if you’re unsure whether you’ll benefit from this program, consider trying the 30-day free trial. You can cancel it for free if you decide it’s not giving you any benefits after two or three weeks.
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