Is Walmart Plus Worth It?
There are tons of exciting Walmart Plus benefits – but are they worth the $98 annual fee?

With Walmart Plus Week just around the corner, you might be debating whether or not to sign up for the membership to shop exclusive deals during the sales event.
As Walmart expands its offerings and beefs up its membership program, the major retailer has become a popular alternative to Amazon Prime. It offers many of the same perks and comes with a lower membership fee. Even though it’s cheaper than Amazon Prime, is Walmart Plus worth it?
To help you decide, we’ve laid out the cost, benefits and potential savings that come with Walmart Plus. Add up the savings of the perks you would use to decide if Walmart Plus makes sense for you.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
How Much Is Walmart Plus?
The standard Walmart Plus membership costs $12.95 per month or $98 per year.
But those on Medicaid or eligible government assistance programs can sign up for Walmart Plus Assist. It comes with all the same perks, but costs just $6.47 per month or $49 per year.
And if you sign up now, you can pay $0 for the first 30 days. Thanks to this free trial offer, you can try out all the Walmart Plus benefits you’ve heard about before committing to the fee.
Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Walmart Plus to get free shipping, exclusive deals, free Paramount Plus and other cool perks. After the trial, membership renews at $12.95/month or $98/year.
9 popular Walmart Plus benefits
So, what do you get in exchange for that membership fee? Walmart is adding new perks all the time as it aims to compete with Amazon Prime. But these are some of the most popular Walmart Plus benefits available right now:
- Fast, free shipping with no order minimum. This includes same-day or next-day delivery when available.
- Free Paramount Plus Essential plan (and discounted rates on Paramount Plus with SHOWTIME).
- Save on gas. Get 10 cents off per gallon at over 13,000 Exxon, Mobil, Walmart and Murphy stations. You also get to pay member’s prices at Sam’s Club stations.
- Free prescription delivery.
- Free same-day grocery delivery on orders of $35 or more. Note that time slots are available on a first come, first-served basis, so you may need to plan ahead for busier shopping seasons, like holidays.
- Free Pawp virtual pet care membership, which includes unlimited, on-demand virtual visits with licensed vets.
- Member’s only discounts and freebies at Burger King, including 25% off your order every day and a free Whopper every three months.
- Free returns, including the ability to have your returns picked up from your house.
- Save time in-store with Mobile Scan & Go.
How much could you save with a Walmart Plus membership?
As great as those Walmart Plus benefits sound, how do you know if they are worth the $12.95 per month (or $98 per year) you’d pay to access them? The answer depends on which of those perks you’d actually use.
To help you figure out how much you would really save with membership, we tallied up the potential annual savings of some of the the key Walmart Plus benefits:
- $59.99 on Paramount Plus Essential. If you would upgrade to Paramount Plus with SHOWTIME, you’d save $55 per year on the upgraded streaming subscription as a Walmart Plus member.
- $43.30 average savings on gas. This is based on the Department of Energy’s estimate that the average car uses 433 gallons of gas per year. At 10 cents off per gallon, that’s $43.30 per year. Estimate how many gallons of gas you use to get a more precise savings calculation.
- $99 saved on Pawp virtual pet care membership. If you aren’t already a member, you can estimate your savings by figuring out how many of the vet visits you make in a year could be done virtually instead.
- About $25 per year at Burger King, if all you did was redeem your free Whopper every three months. Since prices vary from one restaurant to the next, the exact savings on your free Whoppers depend on your location. If you also use your daily 25% discount now and then, your total savings will be higher.
- $6.99 minimum saved per order on shipping fees. To calculate how much you’d save here, you’ll need to estimate how often you’d order from Walmart and how often those orders would come out to less than $35 (the minimum threshold to get free shipping without membership).
Estimating your savings on groceries is a little trickier. If you currently rely on delivery services like Amazon Prime or Instacart to get groceries delivered to your door, here’s what your savings on fees could look like:
- $119.88 saved on grocery delivery compared to Amazon Prime, where members pay an additional $9.99 per month to get unlimited free same-day grocery delivery (and still need to meet the same $35 minimum threshold that Walmart Plus requires). The savings reflect the amount you’d save each year if you kept your Prime membership, but ditched the extra $9.99 monthly charge for grocery delivery. If you canceled Amazon Prime altogether, you can add another $139 to your annual savings with Walmart Plus.
- $99 saved on grocery delivery compared to Instacart. This number is based on the cost of an Instacart Plus membership which includes $0 delivery fees on orders over $35. It doesn’t include the added service fees or tips that can drive up the cost of an Instacart delivery, so actual savings could be higher for those who switch from Instacart to Walmart Plus. If you don’t have a membership, but still use Instacart occasionally, tally up the total you paid in fees and tips through the app over the last month or so to estimate how much you’d save each month by ordering those items from Walmart instead.
But, if you don’t currently have groceries delivered on a regular basis, this particular Walmart Plus perk doesn’t necessarily save you money. However, it does still offer the convenience of saving you a trip to the grocery store without having to worry about the extra fees that come with other delivery services.
The other factor that makes calculating your grocery savings tricky is that this perk applies only to items in stock at Walmart.
If you’re a loyal Whole Foods shopper, trading Amazon Prime for Walmart Plus doesn’t make sense. The same is true for Instacart Plus members who regularly order from multiple stores.
To figure out how much Walmart Plus would save you on groceries, then, go “window shopping” on Walmart’s website for some of your must-have items.
If you can find most of what you’d buy on a typical grocery run at Walmart, you know you’ll definitely be able to make good use of that free same-day grocery delivery.
Bottom line
If the perks you’d use regularly make up for all or most of the Walmart Plus membership fee, then it’s definitely worth signing up for.
That way, the other benefits like exclusive deals, early access to sales and Burger King freebies are an added bonus that provide even more value – but not ones that you feel pressured to use to make your membership worth the fee.
Related content
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Rachael Green is a personal finance eCommerce writer specializing in insurance, travel, and credit cards. Before joining Kiplinger in 2025, she wrote blogs and whitepapers for financial advisors and reported on everything from the latest business news and investing trends to the best shopping deals. Her bylines have appeared in Benzinga, CBS News, Travel + Leisure, Bustle, and numerous other publications. A former digital nomad, Rachael lived in Lund, Vienna, and New York before settling down in Atlanta. She’s eager to share her tips for finding the best travel deals and navigating the logistics of managing money while living abroad. When she’s not researching the latest insurance trends or sharing the best credit card reward hacks, Rachael can be found traveling or working in her garden.
-
Top Four Retirement Withdrawal Strategies to Maximize Your Savings
These retirement withdrawal strategies avoid tax and stock market pitfalls that can eat into your savings.
-
Should You Buy These ETFs Before the Fed Cuts Rates?
The Fed is likely to lower interest rates this fall, and tactical investors may want to look closer at these ETFs before rate cuts resume.
-
Three Electronics to Buy Before Tariffs Hit (And One to Skip for Now)
With new tariffs taking effect August 1, certain electronics could soon cost more. Here's what to consider buying before prices rise.
-
P&G Raises Prices on 25% of US Products as Tariffs Take a Toll
Facing a $1 billion tariff bill in fiscal 2026, Procter & Gamble will implement mid-single digit price hikes starting in August to offset costs.
-
What Federal Interest Rates Mean for Your Grocery Bill
The relationship between grocery prices and the Federal Reserve has plenty of back-and-forth. Understand how they interplay.
-
Phone Plans for Travelers 55+: T-Mobile vs. the Competition
T-Mobile offers travel perks on certain plans. Are the plans worth the price compared to other options?
-
Apple Rolls Out AppleCare One to Simplify and Expand Device Protection
Apple's new multi-device plan brings extended coverage, theft protection and the ability to insure older gadgets.
-
Target's Price-Matching Policy is Changing. Here's How
Target's price-matching policies will soon change. See how they might affect your savings on purchases.
-
I Live Next to a Costco Business Center. Here Are 5 Things You Won't Find at a Costco Wholesale
You don't need to own a business to shop at a Costco Business Center. Here are five reasons to visit the one near you.
-
The Anti-Prime Day Deals Guide to Everyday Essentials Worth Stocking Up on at Walmart, Target and Sam's Club
Skip Amazon and shop these anti-Prime Day deals at Walmart, Target or Sam's Club to save on all of your household essentials.