The new Walmart Plus membership service is now live and may well be your next essential purchase if you have a Walmart nearby or are looking to save money on fuel purchases at a range of gas stations. Even more so given the minimum $35 spend to get free shipping has been removed - there's no minimum spend at all now.
Much like an Amazon Prime membership, one of the main draws of Walmart Plus is the super-fast deliveries. However, it might be even better for many shoppers thanks to a huge range of stores offering same-day delivery for Walmart Plus members.
- Walmart Plus: Free trial at Walmart.com
We've certainly got our eye on Walmart Plus as a candidate for buying a PS5, likewise for buying an Xbox Series X and we expect the store to have some of the best Nintendo Switch bundles around too if last year was anything to go by.
Is Walmart Plus worth the money, then? Let's have a look at everything we know so far about what you get and how much it will cost you. After all, with so many stores and services wanting a monthly sub nowadays, it would be wise to keep an eye on them and avoid any that you don't ultimately need. Especially when most of us are already signed up for the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney Plus bundles, Spotify, Sling TV, Hulu, and the like. Not to mention all the essentials like food and household bills.
When does Walmart Plus start?
It's been something of a soft roll-out, but the official date is September 15 2020. So, anytime from now then!
How much does Walmart Plus cost?
There are two options when you sign up for Walmart Plus. You can pay $12.95 a month (cancel any time), or if you want to commit for 12-months, there's an option to pay $98 upfront for a year.
That annual option is looking like a great value choice as it saves you $57.40 compared to paying the monthly fee for a year. Thankfully, you'll have the option of upgrading if you do start out monthly, so we think that's a good shout if you'd like to test out how much you're going to get from Walmart Plus.
Given a typical Walmart grocery delivery charge is $7.95, it pays for itself after two deliveries per month, or basically one if you've gone for the annual deal.
Want to see what it's like? Check out the 15-day free trial at Walmart.
Is there a Walmart Plus free trial?
Yes, your membership will start with a 15-day Walmart Plus free trial. So long as you cancel beforehand (set a reminder on your phone for day 14), you won't get billed for the package you signed up for. Actually, you have 48 hours after your paid membership starts to cancel if you do miss that date in your diary, but you'll have to contact customer care or cancel via your account page and get a refund, so you do have a nice bit of flexibility.
What do you get with Walmart Plus?
Ah, the most important part. Walmart Plus gets you unlimited (up to) same-day deliveries not just on groceries, but the range of tech and gadgets. Alternatively, you can arrange a convenient timeslot to pick up your shopping at Walmart. You'll also save 5 cents per gallon on gas at Walmart & Murphy gas stations - that's over 1,500 locations around the US. There's a handy map of locations on the Walmart Plus page, if you're curious.
Walmart Plus members also get access to Mobile scan & go which allows you to scan the barcode on items while you shop in-store as you put them in your basket or kart before using the contact-free checkout without having to scan everything again.
The website says there's 'more to come', so we're crossing our fingers this means Walmart Plus members might be in line to get some exclusive discounts. We're not expecting Walmart to roll out anything to rival Amazon Prime Video in all honesty, though.
What if I'm a Walmart Unlimited Delivery customer already?
You don't need to do a thing, your Walmart Unlimited Delivery membership has now been upgraded to the new Walmart Plus service. It doesn't cost you anything extra and you get the new features of Walmart Plus too.
Is there a minimum order amount for Walmart Plus delivery?
Not any more! In early December 2020, Walmart removed the $35 minimum spend which really makes the Walmart Plus membership much more attractive.
Sure $35 wasn't a major amount if you were using the service for your main food order each week. But now, if you only need a few things, you won't be paying over the odds for delivery, or adding items you don't really want right now in order to hit that $35 amount. If you're only shopping for one, this is much better too. If you're not keen on heading outside at the moment due to the pandemic, then Walmart Plus might be just what you're looking for.
So that's everything we know so far about Walmart Plus. If you live in an area that's eligible to get the benefits then it may well be worth picking up a membership as it looks like a great time saver if you want to get your grocery shopping delivered to your home, arrange for a quick pickup on your way back from work, or are picking up the kids on the school run.
That fuel discount might be a solid saver for you too if you have one of the eligible gas stations nearby. Do check the prices of fuel after the 5 cents comes off though as you might find other local options are cheaper depending on your location.
It's early days for the service, but we think it'll be super handy in the next few months during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals events, not to mention shopping around the holidays and minimizing your exposure to Covid-19 in public places.
We'd test the waters for a while with the monthly payment plan if you need longer than the 15-day free trial period to see if it's worth it. Or if you're already a regular at Walmart and would like to get your groceries delivered to your home more often anyways, then diving into that 12-month sub and saving nearly $60 is a no-brainer.
Check out the latest sign up options over at Walmart.
