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In September 2020, Walmart launched its own subscription service, Walmart Plus, to compete with Amazon Prime. It is essentially a service that you can pay monthly or yearly for, and get free and fast shipping, as well as a few other perks.
While Walmart has said many times that Walmart Plus isn’t meant to compete with Amazon Prime, it’s quite evident that it is precisely what this is. Walmart Plus is still fairly new, especially when compared to Amazon Prime, but the company has continued to add new perks and features since launching in 2020. Here’s everything you need to know about Walmart Plus.
What is Walmart Plus?
As mentioned, Walmart Plus is a subscription service from Walmart whose primary purpose is to give you unlimited fast shipping. That includes a discount to Walmart’s new Express two-hour delivery option. So if you forgot to grab something in your last Amazon order, you can use Walmart and have it delivered in just two hours.
Walmart is leveraging its 4,756 stores across the US to make fast shipping a reality. Considering everything that is part of Walmart Express shipping is available in the stores, it means that Walmart only needs to get it from their store to your home in less than two hours. Making it a lot cheaper and a lot more viable.
Walmart Plus also has a few other perks that are available like dibs on must-have deals, similar to Amazon Prime—and discounted gas.
How much is Walmart Plus?
You can sign up for Walmart Plus in a yearly or monthly membership.
Yearly, Walmart Plus is going to cost you $98, which puts it over $40 cheaper than Amazon Prime. If you’d rather pay monthly and not fork over $98 right now, there is also a monthly plan for $12.95, and that is very similar to Amazon Prime’s price per month.
Obviously, the yearly plan is a much better option, as per month, you’re going to be paying $155.40, nearly a third more than just opting for the yearly price.
Is there a free trial available?
Walmart does offer a free trial. It’s not quite as generous as some other services out there. But Walmart Plus does give you a free 30-day trial. That’s long enough to check out the service and figure out if it is worth it for you or not before you start paying for it.
If you already shop at Walmart (not Sam’s Club) a lot, then Walmart Plus is likely a good option for you.
How can I sign up?
You can sign up for Walmart Plus by clicking here.
You’ll be able to start your 30-day free trial, and afterward, it’ll charge your card either per month or yearly, depending on the option you choose.
What perks are included?
There are a few perks available for Walmart Plus now, with more coming in the future. As Amazon did with Prime, Walmart is going to continue to add extras to make the yearly membership worthwhile for its customers.
Free Unlimited Delivery
The biggest perk for Walmart Plus is the free unlimited delivery, which can pay for itself with just two deliveries. And this works for over 160,000 items.
With the free unlimited delivery, you can get your delivery as early as the same day, and depending on your area, you can get it within two hours. Walmart also offers one-hour delivery windows. So you can plan ahead to be home for your delivery. Unlike Shipt or Instacart, Walmart Plus does not upcharge you for groceries. You’ll see the same low prices every day.
The process is very simple. Within the app, add products to your cart. This includes groceries, electronics, and anything else that Walmart sells. Then, you can choose your pickup or delivery time during checkout. And you’ll be able to get your items. If you select pick up, you can head to the store, and someone will come out with your items for you.
There are two caveats to the free unlimited delivery. Firstly, your order does need to be at least $35. Even if you are subscribed to Walmart Plus. Secondly, the Free Unlimited Delivery is not available everywhere. For instance, I am near two Walmart locations in my area, and the Walmart Plus website says that they are not available in my area. Luckily, you can use their website to see it.
Member prices on fuel
This is going to be another big perk for Walmart Plus customers. At launch, this did not apply to Sam’s Club gas stations, but as of November 2020, that has been rectified.
You can get discounted gas at Walmart and Murphy Stations, up to $0.05 off per gallon. And access member prices at Sam’s Club fuel centers. That gives you over 2,000 convenient locations to fill up and save.
If you need to find a Walmart Plus gas station, you can click here and find one near you.
Mobile Scan & Go
This is a feature that has been available to Sam’s Club members for quite some time (and honestly, it’s one of my favorite features, and a big reason why I prefer Sam’s Club over Costco). Basically, this allows you to shop and checkout with your phone. Just scan, pay and be on your way. No more standing in long lines to checkout.
This feature was made for the pandemic that we are currently experiencing. As it’s a contact-free checkout, and it means less time at the register.
To do this, simply sign into your Walmart Plus account on the Walmart app – which is available on iOS and Android. Then open the app once you get inside your Walmart store. Scan your items in-store using the barcode. If you have produce, you will need to weigh those by the pound at self-checkout. Once you’re finished, head to a self-checkout register and scan your QR code to finalize the payment. Then, you’ll get an exit pass and an e-receipt.
As you leave the store, a Walmart employee may scan your exit pass – to make sure you did indeed pay.
And that’s it. It’s not quite as streamlined as Sam’s Club is – and that’s partly due to the products that Walmart sells versus Sam’s Club. But it’s still quite fast. This is particularly useful during the holiday season when stores will be packed.
Early access to deals
This is one of the few perks that Walmart Plus and Amazon Prime both have. And that’s the ability to get early access to deals. And with Black Friday and Cyber Monday right around the corner, that’s a big deal – no pun intended.
It hasn’t launched just yet, but it is expected to launch very soon. Possibly just before Black Friday on November 27.
Paramount+ included
Recently, Walmart has joined forces with Paramount, to offer Paramount Plus to all Walmart Plus members. You will get the Essential plan included in your membership, which is a pretty good value. Considering Paramount Plus Essentials does cost $6 per month on its own. With Paramount Plus, you can enjoy over 40,000 episodes, hit movies, live sports and much more.
More Perks
That’s not all, Walmart Plus has continued to add even more perks, like Walmart Plus Travel. Giving you up to 5% Walmart Cash for booking your travel through Expedia on Walmart Plus. You can also get free flat tire repair and a free road hazard warranty at Walmart Auto Care Centers.
Walmart is also offering the ability to do returns from home. Making returning things so much easier. You can check out all of the perks on this page.
How does it compare to Amazon Prime?
As it stands right now, Amazon Prime is the better option versus Walmart Plus. But that might not be the case for long.
While Walmart Plus is indeed cheaper, Amazon Prime does offer fast delivery, along with Amazon Prime Now for two-hour deliveries. Amazon Prime also has a lot more products than Walmart Plus does. However, as Walmart Plus expands, that will change.
Additionally, Amazon Prime comes with many other perks, like Amazon Prime Video and access to Amazon Music Unlimited, which can save you a boatload per year on things like Netflix and Spotify.
On the flip side, however, if you are a big shopper of Walmart, then Walmart Plus is going to be a really good option for you, not only for delivery, but also for the streamlined shopping experience and the discounted gas.
They both have their perks and very different perks, we might add. So the best bet is to really check them both out and see which one works better for your lifestyle and shopping habits. It really comes down to whether you drive a lot or stay at home a lot. If you drive and travel a lot, then Walmart Plus is better, and if you’re at home all the time, then Amazon Prime is better.
You can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime here and a free trial of Walmart Plus here.
Should I sign up for Walmart Plus?
If you do a lot of shopping at Walmart, whether that’s delivery, pick-up, or in-store shopping, then it is more than worth it.
With the streamlined in-store shopping experience, plus the ability to get groceries (and more) delivered in as soon as two hours. The $98 per year fee is worth it. But make sure you sign up for the yearly or annual plan and not the monthly. At $12.95 per month, it is not worth the price, at least not yet as that is $57 more than the regular price of a year of the service.
The discounted gas is the cherry on top, particularly if you do not have a membership to Sam’s Club. As that membership is $40 per year, and gives you access to some other products. But now you won’t have to buy that and get a discount on gas. Sam’s Club normally has the cheapest gas in town. In my area, it is normally around $0.20 to $0.30 cheaper than every other gas station. So it’s worth it.
You can sign up for Walmart Plus here and take advantage of that 15-day free trial.
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