Sam’s Club Membership Cost in 2026: Club $60, Plus $120, Perks and Deals

Sam’s Club membership cost, as of November 2026: Club is $60 a year, and Plus is $120 a year with Walmart+ now included. That is what Sam’s Club’s join page shows, and it matches Walmart’s October 20 announcement. In this guide I break down what each tier gives you, whether the $60 jump to Plus pays for itself, what deals and discounts are actually shown, and how it stacks up against Costco, Walmart+ and Prime. I write it from the angle of a store owner at Ecommerce Paradise, so there is a section on whether a Business-type membership belongs in your operating budget.

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and terms change, so confirm everything on the provider’s own page before you pay. Nothing here is financial advice.

Sam’s Club Membership Cost at a Glance (November 2026)

Here is the quick comparison. Every fee below comes from Sam’s Club’s own join page or from Walmart’s corporate announcement, and anything I could not see on a page I was allowed to load is marked as not shown.

The short version: if you shop at a Sam’s Club a few times a month, Club at $60 is the entry price. If you also use delivery or would pay for Walmart+, Plus at $120 is the better value on paper. The sections below show the math so you can decide with your own numbers.

Sam’s Club Membership Fees by Tier

Sam’s Club’s join page lists two paid tiers, and both fees are annual. On that page, Plus is listed at $120 a year with a “now includes Walmart+” label, while Club is $60 a year. Walmart’s corporate announcement from October 20, 2026 confirms the $120 figure for the Plus and Walmart+ combination, which works out to the equivalent of $10 a month.

Club membership: $60 a year

Club is the base tier. The join page lists member-only items and prices, Instant Savings, member-only fuel prices at Sam’s Club, Scan & Go, free curbside pickup, a second membership card, the Sam’s Club Mastercard, travel and entertainment savings, bonus offers and a $60 Sam’s Club eGift card each year through T-Mobile.

What Club does not list is just as important. There is no Sam’s Cash, no free delivery or shipping from Sam’s Club, no early shopping, and no pharmacy, optical or auto savings. If you only ever walk the aisles, you may not miss any of that.

Plus membership: $120 a year

Plus is the upgrade tier, and the page now bundles Walmart+ into it. It adds up to 2% Sam’s Cash, free delivery and shipping at Sam’s Club, early shopping, early online access to deals, free pharmacy delivery, pharmacy savings, optical and hearing savings, Sam’s Garage auto and tire savings and pet prescription savings. On the Walmart side it adds free delivery from Walmart, gas savings up to 10 cents a gallon, a streaming choice and more, which I cover in the perks section.

The Plus join page also states that free shipping applies on eligible orders over $50. Walmart’s announcement footnotes a $50 minimum at Sam’s Club and a $35 minimum on scheduled Walmart orders.

Add-on members and the second card

The join page lists a second membership card as included with both Club and Plus. On the Plus join flow, the page says you can add an add-on membership with all Club benefits for a discounted annual price of $0. The page does not give a standard add-on price, so if you want a card for someone outside your household or on a different tier, check the current add-on terms in your account.

Business membership

The join pages I could load list only Club and Plus. The Plus join flow has an optional “Business information” section, but no Business price or terms appeared on any page I loaded. I will not guess a fee. If you are buying for a company, open the Business option on samsclub.com while signed in, or ask at the membership desk, and compare the number you see against Club and Plus before deciding.

How Sam’s Club Membership Fees Got to $60 and $120

The fees went up on May 1, 2026. According to NBC New York’s April 1 report, Club moved from $50 to $60 a year and Plus moved from $110 to $120. That is a $10 increase on each tier, or 20% on Club and about 9% on Plus.

The same report says the Sam’s Cash cap for Plus members would rise from $500 to $750 a year, with the 2% rate unchanged. Sam’s Club also confirmed to Fast Company that current members would renew at the updated rate in their next billing cycle, according to Yahoo Finance’s coverage. I could not find a primary Walmart or Sam’s Club press release for the April change, so I am relying on that reporting for the old fees and the date.

Then came the second change. On October 20, 2026, Walmart announced that Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus were being sold together for $120 a year, and its release says that is almost $100 less than paying for the two separately. I covered the announcement as news in my Walmart+ and Sam’s Plus bundle post, and the facts I repeat here are the ones I re-checked against Walmart’s own release.

Is Sam’s Club Plus Worth the Extra $60?

Plus costs $60 more than Club. The cleanest way to test it is Sam’s Cash, the rewards you earn on eligible purchases. Walmart’s release lists 2% Sam’s Cash with a maximum of $750 per year. The Plus join page says “up to 2%” on in-club qualifying purchases, and Sam’s Club’s credit card page adds that it applies to qualifying pre-tax purchases made in clubs and through Curbside Pickup. Your actual rate therefore depends on what you buy and how you buy it.

The Sam’s Cash break-even

The formula is simple. Divide the $60 upgrade cost by the 2% rate and you get $3,000 a year, or $250 a month. If you spend more than that on purchases that earn the full 2%, the Sam’s Cash alone covers the upgrade, before you count free shipping, pharmacy savings or Walmart+.

The cap matters too. At 2%, you hit $750 after $37,500 of eligible spending in a year, so heavy buyers stop earning beyond that point. Here are hypothetical examples with arithmetic I re-checked, and they assume every dollar earns the full 2%, which may not be true for your cart:

Two cautions on that table. First, Sam’s Club’s Sam’s Cash page says you can redeem it in club, online, toward membership fees or as cash, and that it does not expire while you are an active member, but the program terms apply, so read them before you count it as money. Second, I did not see an exclusions list on the pages I could load, so treat the “all spend earns 2%” assumption as a best case.

The Walmart+ angle

The other way to value Plus is the Walmart+ bundle. Walmart’s Walmart+ page mentions a $98 annual membership fee only in a footnote (“Savings exclude the $98 annual membership fee”), so Club at $60 plus Walmart+ at $98 would be $158. Plus at $120 includes both a Sam’s Club tier and Walmart+, which is $38 less than that combination.

Walmart’s release says the $120 bundle is almost $100 less than members were previously paying for the two memberships separately, but the release does not break that comparison down. If you were already paying for both, Walmart’s release says most members are eligible for a prorated refund on Walmart+ once you link the accounts. The release does not spell out the full refund rules, so use the Walmart or Sam’s Club app and read the terms before you link.

My opinion: Club makes sense if you shop in person and rarely order online. Plus makes sense once you either spend a few hundred dollars a month at Sam’s Club or you value Walmart delivery, pharmacy delivery or the streaming choice. If you are somewhere in the middle, run your last three months of receipts through the table above.

Sam’s Club Membership Perks Worth Knowing

Perks drive the decision more than the fee does, and they differ by tier. Everything below is listed on the join page or in Walmart’s release, and each footnoted benefit carries its own restrictions.

Perks in both tiers

Club and Plus both list member-only items and prices, Instant Savings, member-only fuel prices, Scan & Go, free curbside pickup, a second membership card, access to the Sam’s Club Mastercard, bonus offers, travel and entertainment savings and the yearly $60 Sam’s Club eGift card tied to T-Mobile. The join page lists no conditions for the T-Mobile card, so check the terms from Sam’s Club and T-Mobile before counting it as free money.

Plus-only perks on the Sam’s side

Plus adds up to 2% Sam’s Cash, free delivery and shipping from Sam’s Club on eligible orders, early shopping, early online access to deals, free pharmacy delivery and pharmacy savings. It also lists optical and hearing savings, Sam’s Garage auto and tire savings and pet prescription savings. Those pharmacy and optical lines are where a family with regular prescriptions or glasses can get real value, but the page gives no dollar amounts.

Plus-only perks from Walmart+

The bundle brings in free delivery from Walmart, which Walmart’s footnote ties to a $35 minimum on scheduled orders. It also brings gas savings of 10 cents a gallon at more than 17,000 participating stations, one ad-supported streaming service (Peacock or Paramount+) every 90 days with extra registration, free online pet care, travel savings and Burger King savings. Walmart’s own Walmart+ page adds a 5% cash back credit card, but that requires separate approval and is a credit product, so read its terms before you decide anything.

For the full list of Walmart+ benefits on their own, see my comparison of Amazon Prime vs Walmart+. It helps if you are deciding between the streaming and shipping perks of each.

Sam’s Club Membership Deal: What Is Actually Offered Now

The “Sam’s Club membership deal” is one of the most searched phrases around this topic, so here is what I could verify and what I could not. On the join page I loaded in November 2026, I did not see a discounted first-year price for new members. The page shows ongoing benefits and a headline claiming Plus members can save over $700 a year, with a footnote saying that figure is an estimate based on average savings among members of both programs.

The real deal on the table is the bundle. Walmart’s announcement says new members can get both memberships for $120 a year, existing Club members can upgrade to Plus for $60 more with Walmart+ included, existing Walmart+ annual members can switch for $22 more, and Plus members can activate Walmart+ at no additional cost. The activation page named in the release is walmart.com/plus/samsclub.

One more offer is listed on Sam’s Club’s credit card page: a $60 statement credit for opening a Sam’s Club credit card account between October 28 and December 2, 2026 and using it for $30 in eligible Sam’s Club purchases within 30 days, subject to credit approval. That is a credit card promotion, not a membership discount, and I am not recommending it. If you consider it, read the issuer’s terms and remember that card offers change.

You will also find discounted Sam’s Club memberships on deal sites and gift-card resellers from time to time. I did not verify any of them, so I am not listing prices. My rule is to trust only offers shown on samsclub.com or walmart.com, check which tier the offer covers, and find out what the renewal price will be after the first year. For Sam’s Club’s current offers and their fine print in one place, see my Sam’s Club membership discount guide.

If you are comparing deals across memberships, my roundup of the best shopping memberships puts Prime, Walmart+, Costco and others side by side.

Sam’s Club Membership for Students, Seniors, Teachers and Military

Readers search for “Sam’s Club membership for students,” “for seniors” and “for teachers” all the time, so I looked for official answers. Here is what Sam’s Club’s public pages show.

Sam’s Club has a membership offers page that lists offers for military, teachers and educators, students, first responders, seniors (60 and over) and government assistance recipients, with eligibility checked through ID.me. Its questions refer to new membership offers. The page text I could load shows no prices, so I cannot tell you what each offer costs, whether it is a first-year price or what you would pay at renewal. Pick your group on that page and read the price and terms before you pay.

Sam’s Club’s help center may also have articles on some of these offers, but this guide does not cover their terms, so check the help center directly. The Club and Plus join pages I loaded showed no student, senior, teacher or military price, so treat any number you read elsewhere as unverified until you see it on samsclub.com.

There is one adjacent verified fact. Walmart’s own Walmart+ page lists $49 a year or $6.47 a month for government assistance recipients and college students, but that is for standalone Walmart+, and I did not see anything saying the Sam’s Club Plus bundle qualifies. For comparison, Amazon’s page lists Prime Student at $69 a year after a six-month trial, per Amazon’s Prime cost page, which was last updated in July 2025, so confirm it is still current.

Sam’s Club Renewal, Cancellation and Refunds

Renewal and refund rules are where a lot of people get surprised, so read the terms in your account. What I can say from pages I could read is limited. Sam’s Club told reporters that existing members renew at the new rate in their next billing cycle, as covered above.

An older Sam’s Club fee FAQ page still describes a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your membership, a refund of the current year’s fee if you cancel, a limit of one Plus refund per member or business per year, and prorated upgrades and downgrades. That page still carries 2022 fee numbers, so I use it only for the policy wording and not for pricing. Because it is dated, confirm the current terms before you rely on it.

The join pages I loaded did not state auto-renewal, cancellation or refund terms, and the terms and conditions page is not something I could read. If you join during a promotion, set a calendar reminder a few weeks before renewal and look at what the full price will be.

Sam’s Club vs Costco vs Walmart+ vs Amazon Prime

The fee alone does not tell you which one wins. Here are the verified headline numbers side by side. Costco figures come from its Executive Rewards page and Walmart+ from Walmart’s own page. Prime comes from Amazon’s cost page, which shows a July 2025 update date, so confirm current Prime pricing before you sign up.

The Costco row comes from Costco’s Executive Rewards page, which says Executive is a $65 upgrade that brings the total to $130, with a 2% reward capped at $1,250 per 12-month period. The $65 upgrade implies a Gold Star fee of $65, but I did not find a page showing the Gold Star price directly, so check Costco’s own join page for that number. My Costco membership cost guide covers its tiers in full.

On paper, Sam’s Club Plus at $120 is $19 below Prime’s $139 and $10 below Costco Executive’s $130, and it carries a lower reward cap ($750 versus $1,250). Costco’s cap is reached at $62,500 of spending, and Sam’s at $37,500, so the cap only matters to very heavy buyers. If you want one membership for fast shipping on everything, Prime is still the broader catalog play, and you can look at current Prime pricing and the free trial on Amazon. For a side-by-side of the two warehouse clubs, see my Costco vs Sam’s Club comparison.

If you are trying to cut membership costs overall, my guide to Amazon Prime alternatives walks through four other options. And if your main goal is to avoid warehouse trips entirely, check how the delivery minimums above compare with what you spend per order.

Sam’s Club Business Membership for Ecommerce and Small Business Owners

If you run an online store, a warehouse club membership is an operating expense to price like any other. It is not a sourcing strategy, and it helps to be clear about the difference.

Buying consumer goods at Sam’s Club to resell online is a retail arbitrage play with thin margins and no authorized-dealer support. High-ticket dropshipping works the opposite way, with brand suppliers who give you dealer pricing and ship direct. If you want that model, start with what high-ticket dropshipping is. Then read my guide on how to find suppliers for high-ticket products.

Where a membership can help a store owner is on the operating side. Office supplies, packing materials for your own samples, snacks for a small team and a Plus-level shipping perk for restocking orders over $50 are all things a business buys. I did not see a price list on the pages I could load, so compare unit prices on the items you actually buy before assuming a warehouse club beats your current supplier.

Three practical points before you sign up as a business:

• Check the Business option and its terms on samsclub.com. I could not see the fee or the resale rules, so do not assume resale is allowed.
• Keep business purchases separate from personal ones. If you have formed an entity, putting the membership under it makes your records cleaner, and my business formation guide explains the setup.
• Ask your accountant how to treat the fee and the Sam’s Cash rewards. I am not a tax professional, and the treatment depends on your situation.

My opinion is that for a lean online store, the better use of $120 is usually ad testing, a store theme or a payment fee buffer. If you are weighing these costs against each other, my breakdown of first-year startup costs shows where the money tends to go.

Is a Sam’s Club Membership Worth It?

Here is how I would decide, using only the facts above. Pick the tier by habit, not by the headline.

• Choose Club at $60 if you shop in person a few times a month, do not order delivery and want warehouse pricing and fuel prices.
• Choose Plus at $120 if you spend about $250 or more a month on eligible purchases, use online delivery, or would otherwise pay for Walmart+ separately.
• Skip both for now if you live far from a club, buy mostly specialty items, or cannot name three things you would buy there monthly.

The strongest case for Plus is the bundle. At $120 you get a Sam’s Club tier and Walmart+ for $38 less than Club plus Walmart+ alone, and for $19 less than Prime. The weakest case is a person who would pay $120 just to own a card they use twice a year.

Whatever you pick, remember that the savings figures on any membership page are estimates. Do your own math with receipts, watch the delivery minimums, and read the terms in your account. If you are still deciding on what to sell in your own store, my high-ticket niches list is a better next click than another membership.

Sam’s Club Membership FAQ

How much does a Sam’s Club membership cost in 2026?
As of November 2026, Sam’s Club’s join page shows Club at $60 a year and Plus at $120 a year with Walmart+ included. The fees rose on May 1, 2026, from $50 and $110, according to NBC New York.

Is Sam’s Club Plus worth it over Club?
It costs $60 more. At the full 2% Sam’s Cash rate, you would need about $3,000 a year in eligible spending for the rewards to cover that gap, before counting delivery, pharmacy or Walmart+ perks. That is a hypothetical, and Sam’s Club says the 2% applies to qualifying purchases made in clubs and through Curbside Pickup, so check which of your purchases earn it.

Does Sam’s Club have a membership discount for students, seniors or teachers?
Sam’s Club’s membership offers page lists new-membership offers for students, seniors (60 and over), teachers and educators, military, first responders and government assistance recipients, verified through ID.me. The page text I could load shows no prices, and this guide does not cover the help center articles, so check the price on the offer itself before you pay.

What is the best Sam’s Club membership deal right now?
The verified offer is Walmart’s bundle: Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus together for $120 a year, with upgrade pricing for existing members listed in its October 20 release. I did not see a discounted first-year price on the join page, so treat third-party deals as unverified.

Can I add a second person to my Sam’s Club membership?
The join page lists a second membership card as included with Club and Plus, and the Plus join flow shows an add-on membership at $0 with Club benefits. Check your account for the current add-on terms before you rely on it.

Final Word

Sam’s Club membership cost is simple on the surface: $60 for Club and $120 for Plus with Walmart+. The real question is whether your spending and habits make the tier worth it, and the table above gives you a way to test that with your own receipts. Prices change, so verify them on samsclub.com before you join, and remember that I could not confirm the Business fee or the prices of the student, senior, teacher and military offers.

Related Articles

If you found this useful, these guides go deeper on related topics:

• Best Credit Cards for Groceries: Verified Earn Rates
• Best Credit Cards for Ecommerce Businesses
• Best Payment Processors for Small Business
• A Beginner’s Guide to Ecommerce Shipping
• Competing With Big-Box Stores on Black Friday

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.

He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.

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