Walmart Plus — everything you need to know

By Louis Ramirez
last updated

Walmart Plus takes on Amazon Prime

Walmart Plus
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Black Friday is starting early at Walmart headquarters. The retailer will launch its first batch of Walmart deals on Wednesday, November 8 at 12 p.m. (ET) for Walmart Plus members only. (Non-members get access starting at 3 p.m. ET). Additionally, through November 8 at 12 p.m. (ET), you can get Walmart Plus for just $49/year at Walmart. That's 50% off and the best deal I've ever seen on Walmart Plus.

Walmart Plus is a membership program designed for frequent Walmart shoppers. The subscription service competes with the likes of Amazon Prime and My Best Buy. Walmart Plus offers subscribers in-store and online benefits, such as unlimited free delivery and fuel discounts from participating gas stations. Members also get early access to Walmart deals during major retail holidays. 

This past summer, Walmart announced new perks for members. Walmart Plus members now earn 5% Walmart cash on hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals, and more when booking via Walmart's new travel hub (which is powered by Expedia). This is in addition to other perks like free access to Paramount Plus. Walmart is frequently adding new perks to keep its membership enticing for both new and current members. 

Walmart Plus: was $98 now $49/year @ Walmart

Walmart Plus: was $98 now $49/year @ Walmart
Save 50% Walmart Plus is a subscription service from Walmart. Priced at $98 per year (or $12.95/month), it's now on sale for just $49/year. This deal is available to new members only. Membership includes perks like unlimited free delivery on more than 160,000 items as well as fuel discounts at more than 2,000 Walmart and Murphy USA fuel stations. The latest perk includes free access to Paramount Plus at no extra cost. 

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Walmart Plus members also get early access to select deals and exclusive access special sales events. These perks come in handy during major retail holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

A Walmart Plus membership traditionally costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month. However, it includes a free 30-day trial. Make sure you check our Walmart promo codes page for additional discounts. Here's everything you need to know about Walmart Plus membership. 

Walmart Plus membership

Walmart Plus membership costs $98 per year or $12.95 per month. (It includes a free 30-day trial period). The membership program — which is Walmart's version of Amazon Prime — is a rebranding of Walmart's $98-per-year Grocery Unlimited service. The grocery delivery service launched in 2019 and quickly expanded to 1,400 additional stores in September of 2019. However, Walmart Plus goes beyond groceries to also include tech, beauty, and sports products. By comparison, Amazon Prime costs $139 per year or $14.99 per month. 

When do Walmart Black Friday deals start?

This year's Black Friday deals have started earlier than ever. Although Black Friday isn't till November 24, Walmart holiday previews have been ongoing since the start of the month. While most early deals have been available to the general public, Walmart Plus members usually get early/exclusive access to the retailer's November deals. Make sure to follow our Walmart Black Friday deals coverage for the best sales now through the end of the year.

Paramount Plus and Walmart Plus 

Walmart Plus now comes bundled with free access to Paramount Plus. Subscribers to Walmart's premium membership program will get a Paramount Plus Essential membership at no additional cost. The Paramount Plus Essential tier usually costs $4.99/month and is ad-supported. It doesn't include access to live broadcasts of local CBS stations. However, it's yet another perk enjoyed by members. 

Walmart Plus adds Rx savings for members

Members of Walmart Plus just got a new perk. Rx for Less is the name of Walmart Plus' latest benefit. The program offers discounts on commonly prescribed medications across a variety of health needs. Drugs including in Rx for Less include heart health medication, mental health medication, antibiotics, allergies, and diabetes management. Walmart Plus members now have access to select medications at zero cost, whereas others will be up to 85% off. RX for Less is available to paying members only. The discounts go into effect after your 15-day free trial. 

Walmart Plus waives shipping minimum for members

Walmart Plus members no longer need to meet the retailer's $35 minimum purchase requirement to obtain free shipping. Last year, Walmart announced members would be able to get free shipping on all purchases without worrying about hitting that $35 minimum threshold. 

In addition, Walmart is also expanding the number of locations where members can use their fuel savings. Walmart Plus customers now have access to fuel discounts at more than 500 Sam’s Club locations. All of these features are a welcome perk for shoppers, especially in light of Amazon shuttering its Prime Pantry service.

Walmart Plus perks

Walmart Plus

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Walmart Plus includes a handful of benefits that will grow over time. For instance, in early June the retailer held its first Walmart Plus Weekend sales event, which consisted of four days of exclusive sales for members. Other Walmart Plus benefits include the following: 

  • Unlimited free delivery: Customers will receive fast, free delivery on more than 160,000 items including tech, toys, household essentials, and groceries. Delivery will occur as fast as same-day with 1-hour delivery windows. 
  • Scan & Go: This feature in the Walmart app will allow for a faster way to shop in-store. Using the Walmart app, customers can scan their items as they shop and pay using Walmart Pay for a quick and touch-free payment experience.
  • Fuel discounts: Walmart Plus members will be able to save up to 5 cents per gallon at nearly 2,000 Walmart, Murphy USA, and Murphy Express fuel stations. Sam's Club fuel stations are also part of the lineup. Walmart also expanded the discounts so that members can enjoy an instant 10 cent discounts on every gallon of fuel purchased at participating stations. Members can also now save at Exxon and Mobil stations nationwide.

It's unclear what other perks Walmart Plus will offer in the near future. However, it's no secret that Walmart and Amazon price match each other all the time, especially on retail holidays like Black Friday. The renewed rivalry could make for excellent deals.

Walmart Plus vs. Amazon Prime

Walmart Plus

(Image credit: Walmart)

During Amazon's Q1 2021 earnings call, the company revealed there are over 200 million paid Prime members worldwide. That's a number that Walmart Plus is certainly hoping to reach. 

Once the country's top retailer, Walmart has watched as its rival Amazon has dominated online sales. Amazon now accounts for roughly 38% of all online retail sales in the U.S., according to eMarketer. By comparison, Walmart is a distant second place with just over 5% of the U.S. e-commerce market. The hope is that Walmart Plus will help it take some of that market share from Amazon. 

This isn't the first time Walmart has taken on Amazon Prime. In 2015, Walmart launched ShippingPass, an unlimited online shipping service that cost $50 per year and promised deliveries in three days or less. This was Walmart's attempt to undercut Amazon Prime, which at the time cost $99 per year. Two years later, Walmart dropped its membership fee and switched to a 2-day free shipping program on orders of $35 or more. 

However, Walmart's biggest chest thump came in 2016, when it purchased Jet.com for $3 billion. The hope was that Jet.com would help Walmart establish a bigger online presence. (Walmart announced last month that it was permanently closing Jet.com). 

The Walmart vs. Amazon feud continued into 2019. Just as Amazon announced its plans to offer 1-day shipping, Walmart followed suit with its own 1-day shipping pilot. Most recently, Walmart announced 2-hour Express delivery for an additional $10 over Walmart's typical delivery fees. 

Even on big retailer days like Black Friday, Walmart has shadowed Amazon with similar sales of its own. Walmart Plus is an extension of this ongoing battle and only time will tell if it's the true knockout punch that it needs to take on Amazon and its legion of subscribers. 

Louis Ramirez
Louis Ramirez

As deals editor at Tom’s Guide, Louis is constantly looking for ways to avoid paying full price for the latest gadgets. With over 10 years of deals-hunting experience, Louis price checks against multiple retailers and searches high and low for the best deals to bring readers. A born-and-bred New Yorker, Louis is also an avid swimmer and marathoner. His work has appeared on Gizmodo, CNET, and Time Out New York.

13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mejustsayin
    It's been just over a month since it was introduced. Anyone here using Walmart Plus? I did a 30 day free trial but forgot to cancel. Got my dates wrong so now I am stuck with it for a year. Oh well, at least gas is cheaper, though I have to drive to another town and can get out of the store a bit faster. Maybe they will add more features making it worth it.
    Reply
  • dikil
    Walmart recently made all soft drinks unavailable for grocery delivery. You are still required to buy at least $35 worth of grocery, so this is a real bummer.
    Reply
  • DickieD
    My experience with Walmart’s online ordering is that it has been slow and the inventory count isn’t accurate. Items sometimes remain in “processing” status well past the projected delivery date. Sometimes they cancel orders without explanation. One order I had was for four items. They cancelled the order and refunded me for one. Customer service told me to please wait 24 hour for the remainder of the refund. 24 hours past, no refund. Then an apology and an assurance of a refund in 48 hours. Didn’t happen. They refunded but only after multiple sessions with a CSR. Amazon is better at delivering goods and the few issues I’ve had over years were quickly made right. Competition is good and I hope Walmart improves. But as it is now I’m not likely to renew my + account.
    Reply
  • Wastrel
    mejustsayin said:
    It's been just over a month since it was introduced. Anyone here using Walmart Plus? I did a 30 day free trial but forgot to cancel. Got my dates wrong so now I am stuck with it for a year. Oh well, at least gas is cheaper, though I have to drive to another town and can get out of the store a bit faster. Maybe they will add more features making it worth it.

    Don't sign up for Walmart+. I did it by accident (I don't know how, but they make it hard to avoid), and after 15 days they billed me $98 for an annual membership. I have canceled that (the Walmart online rep was very helpful) but I am in doubt about ordering online from Walmart, because I have no desire to become enmeshed in this foolishness again. Pay a shipping charge instead, and be careful about clicking on "free shipping."

    On the other hand, I have had no problems with wrong orders, unreasonable delays or customer service after delivery. I had a recliner arrive with an arm that I could not attach because the arm did not have the hardware. I glued the arm on with Gorilla Glue, told them about it, and they refunded my money, so I have a free recliner.
    Reply
  • Karen M70
    I loved that Walmart+ was available during the beginning of Covid and tgat I didn’t have to go shopping with my 3yr old granddaughter. But , 7 months into my membership, I was ”banned” from online shopping w/Walmart. The reason they gave me was “returns violations”. Only problem is, I have NEVER returned anything to Walmart, seriously. As it turns out, when they deliver to the wrong address, bring your groceries hot (milk at 68 degrees), or just leave something out(which is frequent), you are violating their returns policy. (That is, if you ask for your money back). I spend hundreds of dollars a month there and I explained it to them, filed a complaint with BBB. They reinstated me after some unpleasant tweets. Yesterday, my ordered was missing 7 items ($32.49). I called and explained, asked for replacements (denied), and refunded. Today, I am banned again. No refund on membership fee, no talk, no email, no letter. Just can not EVER shop online with Walmart again. Think twice my friends, think twice.
    Reply
  • Moose and Squirrel
    Wow. Don't buy this.

    I got walmart+, inhome service because there aren't any tips on deliveries so it looked incredibly cheap on paper. And employees in a van, not some guy putting groceries in their trunk.

    Worked great while I was on the trial. Right after that ended, they did a no-show two out of three grocery delivery days. First time, 9am-1 delivery window, nothing, no message, no call, nothing. The second miss was for the same time window, and I got a text at 5:30pm saying "we're late, but we're still on our way". When nobody was here by 9 PM, I called the store. No answer. Called the 800 line, they said they'd call the store and reschedule for the next day. Early next day email from customer service saying "The store said they could not reschedule".

    Call the inhome # at the local store, eventually get someone in the corporate office that tells me "They couldn't get a driver those days, and then you canceled the orders". Nope. I canceled nothing.

    Called to talk to the store manager. "They aren't in. We don't know when they'll be in. They set their own schedules. Try back after 10, maybe 11?" It was 9:30.

    They did refund my walmart+, but when I asked for a refund of the annual inhome fee, they offered a "pro-rated" $3 out of 40, for something I hadn't used for a month paid out of 12.

    It'd be terrific if they actually showed up or didn't oversubscribe the employees, or perhaps the employees just figured out that nobody was in charge of the chicken coop, and they could just not do anything all day without consequences or oversight? No idea. Either way, they aren't equipped to handle the service that they're selling.

    Just wanted them to do doorstep delivery too, nothing fancy like bringing it into the house.
    Reply
  • robgroesbeck
    I started a trial of Walmart+ and was not able to locate any possible option to link my wife's Walmart online account with the Walmart+ subscription so that both of us can get the benefits from it. This is very easy to do with Amazon Prime. I tried to locate this in the Android app, online in the Android browser and with the Windows-based browser. I finally contacted customer support who informed me that this is impossible and that we would need to pay for two separate Walmart+ accounts in order for us both to use it. If this is truly the case, it's a fatal flaw in the product. If it's not the case, the ability to do so should be far simpler to locate and use and Walmart's customer support should be able to assist customers with it.
    Reply
  • GloryBe
    Walmart has it all backwards as far as i am concerned! I am one of numerous Baby Boomers, on a fixed income, no car who needs unlimited delivery FROM THE STORE With NO MINIMUM! I could care less about free shipping with no minimum because i buy way much more from the store!! Besides, i would much rather get shipping from AMAZON as they are QUICKER, and better and faster on RETURNS!! they should at the minimum give us a choice even of choosing free shipping OR free deliveries from the store with no minimum amount spent. Plain and simple. They are going to lose a grip of us seniors thats for sure!!
    Reply
  • cuvtixo
    dikil said:
    Walmart recently made all soft drinks unavailable for grocery delivery. You are still required to buy at least $35 worth of grocery, so this is a real bummer.
    I can't find conformation of this anywhere, and on the site I can get delivery of, for example, a six-pack of Sprite from the local store, just not "shipping" from any remote places. I assume it's only carbonated soft drinks, anyways, that won't be shipped. The price for under $35 isn't too bad, not worse than my local grocery store chain.
    Reply
  • cuvtixo
    Wastrel said:
    Don't sign up for Walmart+ ....
    Wastrel said:
    ...On the other hand, I have had no problems with wrong orders, unreasonable delays or customer service after delivery. I had a recliner arrive with an arm that I could not attach because the arm did not have the hardware. I glued the arm on with Gorilla Glue, told them about it, and they refunded my money, so I have a free recliner.
    Um... why are you listing all these good points after "don't sign up"?!?!?! And the fact they cancelled the membership after 15 days, "the Walmart online rep was helpful". You haven't given any good reasons, other than you yourself to forgot to cancel the free trial, that it's bad.
    Reply