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 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 deals to shop now — Quick links
- Adult/children's bikes: up to $250 off all models
- Apparel: up to 60% off men's and women's clothing
- Backyard play: coolers, basketball hoops, more on sale
- Fans, air conditioning, air purifiers: deals from $64
- Fitness & exercise: up to 40% off yoga mats, weights, treadmills
- Gaming laptops: MSI, Asus, Gateway from $749
- Grilling accessories: BBQ deals from $7
- HDTVs: deals from $98
- Kitchen appliances: save on Ninja, Keurig, Instant Pot, more
- LEGO toys: sets from $16
- Nintendo Switch: games from $13
- Outdoor cooking: BBQ grills and accessories from $29
- PC gaming: laptops and desktops from $599
- PS5: games/accessories from $29
- Smartphones: shop all sales from $49
- Tailgating gear: deals from $8
- Toys: up to 55% off Barbie, Nerf, more
- Xbox Series X|S: games/accessories from $24
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 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.
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Walmart Plus vs. Amazon Prime
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.