Amazon Prime vs. Walmart ShippingPass: Which Is Better?

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Walmart ShippingPass is half the cost of Amazon Prime, but it doesn't offer the same benefits.

Walmart recently took the wraps off its new ShippingPass subscription, which offers free two-day shipping for a $49 annual membership fee. It seems like a direct challenge to the two-day free shipping offered to Amazon Prime members, who pay $99 per year.

Walmart's program starts with a 30-day trial, same as Amazon's. And there's no minimum order size for either. At first blush, Walmart is offering the same perk for half the price, but Amazon Prime comes with so many more perks.

MORE: What is Amazon Prime?

First, not all items at Walmart are available for ShippingPass's two-day shipping. For instance, any product that comes with freight charges is not eligible. To be fair, not all Amazon products qualify for free shipping either.

With Amazon Prime, though, you also get to share your account with family members. Same-day delivery is an option in some zip codes; in fact, one-hour delivery can be had on some items. Of course, at Walmart, you could just swing by a physical store to pick up an item. You can also return items to a brick-and-mortar Walmart location.

That said, Walmart's ShippingPass does not come with something like Prime Video and Prime Music for unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows and song, as Amazon Prime does. ShippingPass comes with unlimited photo storage in Amazon's cloud drive as well as access to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library for free e-book rentals. And that just covers the Amazon Prime media options.

Amazon Prime members get access to exclusive deals and discounts. Prime members get a 30-minute head start on Lightning Deals, and parents get a discount on FreeTime Unlimited, which gives you tons of child-friendly content for $2.99 instead of $4.99. Plus, some items are only available to Prime members, such as Grand Theft Auto and FIFA 16.

So, for $50 more per year, Amazon offers a ton of additional perks that Walmart's ShippingPass doesn't. However, ask yourself where you do the bulk of your online shopping and if you're going to take advantage of all those media streaming perks. Then you'll know which service is right for you.

Anna Attkisson
Anna Attkisson
Anna Attkisson is the editorial director at Tom's IT Pro. After getting infected with the tech bug at Wireless World and Cellular Business magazines as an intern in 1998, Anna Attkisson went on to dabble in a sorts of publications covering everything from children’s fashion to cars. During the last 9 years she’s returned to her roots where she’s been writing and editing for Laptop Mag and Tom’s Guide, before moving on to Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Anna Attkisson at @akattkisson.
2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Spike_2
    One of my main concerns when contemplating on buying something online was and is if something is wrong with what I ordered, the process of sending it back. So Walmart is looking extremely impressive that I can buy online from their site and if something is wrong, I can return it to any of their local stores right here and get a refund just that quick. Nobody can do that with Amazon or any other store online that does not have local stores. And the cost of their shipping pass is cheaper than going with Amazon Prime. Yes Amazon Prime offers media stuff, but for me, I don't really use it. If I buy something online I absolutely NEED to have a fast way to get a refund if something goes wrong. It's just that simple. So, Walmart just earned my business over Amazon. No shipping something back and waiting days to get a refund. Just go into a Walmart store and get a refund the same day I return it. Simple. Sorry Amazon, but there's nothing better or faster to able to return an item for a refund or exchange than to be able to go into a local store to do it. Amazon doesn't have local stores to be able to accommodate that need. Amazon started out as an online business (no brick and mortar stores) and trying to create their own offline store but like it's in one or two cities. They have a loooooong way to go to catch up with other stores that already have hundreds of local stores all throughout the nation and other parts of the world. So Amazon loses my business. It's a no-brainer. I NEED a fast refund (whenever needed) just as equally as I want a fast delivery. The two go hand-in-hand. Can't have one without the other. And Walmart offers both and can because they have local stores all over the place.
    Reply
  • akattkisson
    Totally understand the need for face-to-face, in-store returns. I've never had a problem with returns and Amazon, but physical mail can be such a hassle.

    18216276 said:
    One of my main concerns when contemplating on buying something online was and is if something is wrong with what I ordered, the process of sending it back. So Walmart is looking extremely impressive that I can buy online from their site and if something is wrong, I can return it to any of their local stores right here and get a refund just that quick. Nobody can do that with Amazon or any other store online that does not have local stores. And the cost of their shipping pass is cheaper than going with Amazon Prime. Yes Amazon Prime offers media stuff, but for me, I don't really use it. If I buy something online I absolutely NEED to have a fast way to get a refund if something goes wrong. It's just that simple. So, Walmart just earned my business over Amazon. No shipping something back and waiting days to get a refund. Just go into a Walmart store and get a refund the same day I return it. Simple. Sorry Amazon, but there's nothing better or faster to able to return an item for a refund or exchange than to be able to go into a local store to do it. Amazon doesn't have local stores to be able to accommodate that need. Amazon started out as an online business (no brick and mortar stores) and trying to create their own offline store but like it's in one or two cities. They have a loooooong way to go to catch up with other stores that already have hundreds of local stores all throughout the nation and other parts of the world. So Amazon loses my business. It's a no-brainer. I NEED a fast refund (whenever needed) just as equally as I want a fast delivery. The two go hand-in-hand. Can't have one without the other. And Walmart offers both and can because they have local stores all over the place.

    Reply