What to Know:

• Walmart is combining Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus benefits for $120 annually.
• Existing Sam’s Club Plus members can activate Walmart+ at no additional cost.
• Only the primary Sam’s Club Plus member gets the included Walmart+, although some benefits can be shared with another household adult.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are just 66 days left until Christmas!

Wait – you weren’t thinking about that yet? Halloween is still 11 days away, Thanksgiving is more than a month from now, and Black Friday hasn’t even arrived.

But while you may not be thinking about Christmas shopping, the folks in Bentonville, Arkansas, certainly are. And today, Walmart made a big announcement that could change how millions of Americans shop.

Or not.

The Parent company wants the dids to play nice

In case you haven’t heard, Walmart Inc., the parent company of Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club, announced Tuesday it’s combining the benefits of the two retailers’ premium membership programs into one package.

Walmart+ costs $98 annually on its own, while Sam’s Club Plus costs $120. Purchasing both separately would cost $218 a year. Under this new alignment, customers can receive both sets of benefits for $120, a potential savings of $98 a year, or about 45%.

But the two retailers aren’t actually merging their memberships into one account. Customers will continue using separate Walmart and Sam’s Club accounts, which must be linked to activate the combined benefits.

So, what do you get for $120?

The combined membership includes many of the benefits previously offered through the two separate programs.

Walmart+ benefits include:

• Free shipping on eligible Walmart purchases with no minimum order.
• Free scheduled delivery on qualifying Walmart orders of $35 or more.
• Gas discounts of generally 10 cents per gallon at participating stations.
• A choice of ad-supported Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential streaming.
• Eligible prescription delivery and certain return pickup services.

Sam’s Club Plus benefits include:

• Access to Sam’s Club warehouses and member-only pricing.
• Free delivery and shipping on qualifying orders of $50 or more.
• Early shopping hours and preferred curbside pickup windows.
• 2% back in Sam’s Cash on eligible purchases, up to $750 annually.
• Additional savings on eligible tire, battery, and optical purchases.

Some benefits have restrictions, and not every purchase qualifies. For example, the streaming benefit includes one service at a time, not both (though members can switch their selection every 90 days). Also note: the combined membership is annual only – there’s no monthly option or free trial.

What happens if I’m already a member?

Walmart says existing customers have several options depending on their current memberships.

• Already have Sam’s Club Plus? You can activate Walmart+ without paying anything extra.
• Have a basic Sam’s Club membership? You can upgrade to Plus for an additional $60 annually and receive Walmart+ benefits.
• Already pay $98 annually for Walmart+? You can switch to the combined membership for an additional $22 annually.
• Already pay for both? Walmart says most members who link their accounts will qualify for a prorated refund of their existing Walmart+ membership.

Customers who receive Walmart+ through credit card benefits, promotional offers, or other sponsored programs should review their eligibility carefully. Switching could mean losing an existing discount or statement credit.

The Catch: Not every Plus member can link accounts

I mentioned in the headline that there’s a catch to this deal – it’s nothing too serious, but it could trip up members trying to link their two accounts. In fact, this easily fixable “glitch” is what motivated me to write this story; hopefully I can save you some time and a little bit of frustration.

Sam’s Club memberships generally include a complimentary household cardholder, often a spouse or another adult living at the same address. Both people can enjoy eligible Sam’s Club Plus shopping benefits, but under Walmart’s new eligibility rules, only the primary Sam’s Club Plus member can activate the included Walmart+ membership.

A complimentary member who attempts to link accounts may receive a warning explaining they aren’t eligible (yours truly).

The good news: that doesn’t necessarily mean the household loses out. Walmart allows an eligible primary member to share certain Walmart+ benefits with one other adult living in the same household – the second person must have their own Walmart account and accept an invitation.

But there’s a detail easily overlooked – Walmart requires the primary member to share a payment card. The household member can use it for orders on Walmart.com or in the Walmart app – not in stores – and sees only the last four digits. And one more thing: not every benefit transfers. The Paramount+ or Peacock streaming perk – and the Burger King deals – stay with the primary member.

How to activate your membership

According to Walmart’s instructions, existing Sam’s Club Plus members can begin by signing in to the Sam’s Club app and looking for the option to link accounts. Members can also start the linking process through Walmart’s combined membership page. The primary member will need to sign in, verify their identity, and complete the account linking.

Once the accounts are connected, Walmart+ benefits can be accessed through Walmart, while Sam’s Club Plus benefits remain available through Sam’s Club. Members who want to share eligible Walmart+ benefits with another household adult can send an invitation through their Walmart+ membership settings.

Is the new membership going to be worth it?

For households already paying separately for Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus, the potential savings are straightforward: nearly $100 annually, assuming they would otherwise continue purchasing both memberships at regular prices.

If you’re already a Sam’s Club Plus member, the new arrangement is particularly attractive. Walmart+ comes at no additional cost – including your choice of Peacock Premium (regularly $12.99 a month) or Paramount+ Essential (regularly $8.99 a month). If you’re already paying monthly for either service, that could translate into more than $100 a year in savings.

But for someone who only uses Walmart+, upgrading to the $120 combined plan would cost an additional $22 annually. Whether that’s worthwhile depends on how often they would shop at Sam’s Club. Some folks live miles away from a Sam’s Club, and the convenience may not outweigh the potential savings.

What if you’re already paying for another retail membership?

When Walmart+ launched in September 2020, it was widely viewed as their answer to Amazon Prime, offering many of the same conveniences at a lower annual membership price. Now, six years later, Walmart is upping its game by adding something Amazon Prime doesn’t include: a warehouse-club membership.

Amazon Prime costs $139 annually. Compare that with Walmart’s new $120 combination, and there are some significant pros and cons to weigh:

• Both offer free shipping on eligible purchases, grocery delivery, streaming entertainment, and discounts on gasoline. But the similarities only go so far.
• Amazon Prime includes Prime Video, while Walmart’s new membership offers a choice of ad-supported Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential.
• Amazon customers have access to grocery delivery through Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and participating retailers. Walmart’s combination offers grocery delivery through Walmart and Sam’s Club, along with the convenience of picking up orders at their physical stores.
• And both offer fuel discounts. Amazon Prime members can save 10 cents per gallon at participating stations through its partnership with BP’s Earnify program. Walmart+ offers comparable discounts at participating stations nationwide. Sam’s Club members also get access to member-only fuel prices at participating warehouse locations.

And as mentioned, there’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room: the warehouse club.

Sam’s Club Plus members can shop for bulk groceries and household essentials, earn 2% back on qualifying purchases, and access other membership benefits.

On the other hand, Amazon Prime includes perks such as Prime-exclusive shopping deals, fast shipping options, and an included Grubhub+ membership for food delivery. Walmart’s combined membership doesn’t offer a directly equivalent restaurant-delivery membership.

Ultimately, the $19 difference in annual membership fees may be less important than where you shop, what you buy, and which benefits you actually use.

For households already shopping at Walmart and Sam’s Club, the new arrangement could be a substantial bargain. For others, it may simply be another membership competing for a piece of an already stretched household budget.

And that’s something worth considering before you sign up for one more subscription – even if Christmas is just 66 days away.