If you tend to shop a lot at Walmart, you need to know about Walmart Plus (Walmart+). This is Walmart's answer to Amazon Prime, a service with so many perks there has been little to compete against it for so long. Walmart does still have a few advantages over Amazon, though, and plans to push those leads through this new program. In particular, not only does Walmart+ include a similar free two-day delivery program, but you'll be able to get unlimited free delivery on more than 160,000 items from tech to groceries. And you'll pay in-store pricing. That's just one of the perks.
Rumors had Walmart+ originally launching in the spring, but the spread of COVID-19 led to a delay. Of course, everyone staying at home and shopping at home led to a spike in Walmart's sales, so it makes sense the company would want to capitalize off that momentum. Unfortunately even after the delay, it was expected to launch sometime in the summer and July and August passed without an announcement. However, the service is finally here and it's everything we wanted it to be.
As Walmart rolls out this exciting new service, we're going to be on top of all the newest information. We've got it all right here, and we'll continue to update this page as we find out more.
What is Walmart+?
Simply put, Walmart+ is Walmart's new subscription-based membership program. You pay an annual fee, you get perks. If you do most of your shopping at Walmart, or you used to and would like to go back to doing so, then Walmart+ is going to be of interest to you. Similar to Amazon Prime or a Costco membership, Walmart+ is going to give you some amazing perks just for using Walmart the way you always do.
While it will cost you something, the benefits you get will pay for themselves. And you can expect Walmart to continue to add to those benefits as Walmart branches out into things like online entertainment, grocery delivery, and more.
What's new for the holidays?
Walmart recently announced in early December that Walmart+ customers no longer have to worry about a $35 minimum free shipping threshold. Normally, anyone shopping online at Walmart has to reach at least $35 in their cart to get free shipping, and that didn't go away just because you'd signed up for the premium subscription service (unlike Amazon Prime where it did). Things are different now at least for the holidays.
The $35 minimum will still apply to groceries, however.
While we're talking about the holidays, Walmart has announced its holiday shipping deadlines. Make sure you pay attention to these times if you want to get your online orders in before Dec. 25.
When did Walmart+ launch?
Walmart+ went live Sept. 15. You can visit the website right now to sign up. New members can start with a 15-day free trial to test the waters.
How much does Walmart+ cost?
That's the big question right? Similar to Amazon Prime, Walmart+ is a subscription service requiring an annual payment. It costs $98 a year, but it also comes with a lot of perks to justify that price. If you don't want to pay the annual fee, you can pay just $12.95 a month (also similar to Prime). The service comes with a 15-day free trial in the beginning so you can give it a shot and see if it's worth the investment.
How does Walmart+ pricing compare to Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is currently $119, which means that Walmart+ comes in at $21 less. Prime does have a lot of ways to lower that price, though. Students can get many Prime benefits for half the cost. People on government assistance can get a discount. Although we know you can pay monthly for Walmart+ instead of annually if you want, Walmart+ doesn't yet offer other ways to lower the price.
What are the perks of Walmart+?
While there will be more and more perks added to this service over time, and there are plenty of services you can already take advantage of without a Walmart+ subscription like curbside pickup and two-day delivery, Walmart+ has launched with three major and exclusive benefits.
The first benefit is Unlimited Free Delivery. This is the big one. Get more than 160,000 items from tech to household essentials to groceries delivered as fast as same-day if that's available to you. You'll even pay in-store prices for the items. If you have this service as part of Walmart's Delivery Unlimited, you'll be automatically converted to Walmart+ and it's the same benefit.
The second perk is called Scan & Go. You can use the Walmart app to scan items while you're shopping in store and use Walmart Pay to pay for them. It's a quick, easy, touch-free experience that'll make your shopping that much faster.
Finally, you'll be able to save up to five cents a gallon at nearly 2,000 fuel stations run by Walmart, Murphy USA, and Murphy Express. In the future, this will expand to include Sam's Club stations.
Other potential perks that are probably still a ways off from actually happening include a Walmart+ credit card and a Walmart+ entertainment service. The latter would be a rival to Amazon Prime Video, the streaming service offered to Prime members, but Walmart is a long ways from bringing that to life. In the meantime, keep an eye on Camp by Walmart, which is a free service to any Walmart customer with the Walmart app. It is Walmart's first foray into digital entertainment and probably the precursor of bigger things to come.
What else should I know?
Walmart wants this to be a success. Amazon Prime has been around for 15 years at this point, and Amazon's online shopping has managed to surpass and dwarf Walmart in that time, despite Walmart being the next largest retailer in the U.S. It's a safe bet that they will continue to add more and more benefits over time to match whatever Amazon is doing.
It also might not be perfect right out of the gate. It's not like people haven't tried to compete with Amazon Prime before. It's just very difficult. Expect a few hiccups along the way, but remember that Walmart has an amazing network of brick and mortar stores that can support this new endeavor in a way Amazon cannot.
Let Thrifter help you
Remember one of the key elements to this new Walmart+ benefit will be early access to deals, and with the guaranteed faster shipping times you'll be able to take advantage of all the discounts Walmart has. Of course, it's hard to take advantage of things you don't know about, and that's why you should follow our team at Thrifter. We are professional deal hunters, and we will be dedicated to finding all the deals that Walmart has to offer, early access or otherwise. Follow our team, especially on Twitter, so you can see the deals as soon as we do.
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