On Oct. 20, 2026, Walmart announced that Sam’s Club Plus now comes with Walmart+, and the Plus fee stayed at $120 a year. The Club tier didn’t change at all. What changed is what the extra money on a Plus renewal buys.
That lands hardest on anyone whose renewal notice is showing up now. If your last renewal billed at $50 or $110, the next one bills at $60 or $120 under the prices that took effect May 1, 2026, so this is the first renewal where picking Plus also decides whether you keep paying for Walmart+ on its own.
Here is where it stands: a Sam’s Club Club membership costs $60 a year, and Plus costs $120 a year with Walmart+ included. Walmart’s release lays out a different move for each kind of existing member:
- Club member: upgrade to Plus for $60 more a year, and Walmart+ comes with it.
- Walmart+ annual member: switch to Walmart+ with Sam’s Club Plus for $22 more a year.
- Plus member: activate Walmart+ at no additional cost.
- Paying for both: link your Walmart+ and Sam’s Club accounts. Walmart says most members are eligible for a prorated refund for Walmart+.
$60 a Year Is the Whole Fee Gap Between Club and Plus
Both tiers get you into the club at member prices. The difference sits in a handful of rows on Sam’s Club’s membership comparison page, and Walmart+ is now one of them.
| Benefit | Club, $60 a year | Plus, $120 a year |
|---|---|---|
| Club access, member prices, member fuel prices | Yes | Yes |
| Second membership card, Scan & Go, free curbside pickup | Yes | Yes |
| 2% Sam’s Cash on qualifying purchases | No | Yes, up to $750 a year |
| Free delivery and shipping from Sam’s Club | No | Yes ($50 minimum on Sam’s delivery) |
| Walmart+ benefits | No | Included |
The Walmart+ row covers free delivery on scheduled Walmart orders of $35 or more, a choice of Peacock or Paramount+ with ads (one service at a time, switchable every 90 days, with its own registration), and 10 cents a gallon off at participating gas stations. All of it is subject to Walmart’s terms.
Keep the Sam’s Cash row in perspective. Sam’s Cash is a reward balance you spend at Sam’s Club, not money sent to your bank, and it only accrues on qualifying purchases; Sam’s Club’s terms list what doesn’t count.
Your Move Depends on What You Already Pay For
Every path in Walmart’s release ends at the same $120 a year. What differs is what you pay today and what you have to do.
| You pay now | What Walmart says to do | Yearly fee after |
|---|---|---|
| Club, $60 | Upgrade to Plus for $60 more | $120 |
| Walmart+ annual, $98 | Switch to the bundle for $22 more | $120 |
| Plus, $120 | Activate Walmart+ at no extra cost | $120 |
| Plus and Walmart+ annual, $218 | Link the accounts; most members get a prorated Walmart+ refund | $120 |
The $98 for annual Walmart+ comes straight from Walmart’s own math: the $120 bundle minus the $22 annual members pay to switch. It’s also why Walmart calls the bundle almost $100 less than the two memberships separately. That saving is real only for a household that would otherwise pay for both.
The $22 step is for annual Walmart+ members. If you pay for Walmart+ monthly, or it comes through a credit card benefit, a promotion or a discount program, check the price and any refund the app shows before you switch, since moving could cost you a credit or discount you already have.
Three Account Values to Look Up Before You Upgrade or Link
What I’d want to know first is how my Walmart+ is being paid for, because that one detail decides whether the $22 switch, the refund or neither applies. After that, two more values from your accounts finish the picture.
- How Walmart+ is billed: annual, monthly, or through a card or discount program, and when it renews. That’s in the Walmart+ section of your Walmart account.
- Who holds the primary Plus membership: news reports say only the primary Sam’s Club Plus member can activate the included Walmart+; the free household card gets an eligibility warning. Linking has also been reported to fail when the Sam’s Club and Walmart accounts use different email addresses, so check both if it doesn’t go through.
- Last year’s qualifying Sam’s Club spending: your purchase history in the Sam’s Club account is the number to multiply by 2%.
If you’re paying for both, the refund is whatever Walmart shows for your remaining Walmart+ term after you link. There’s no published formula. Early reports ranged from a few dollars to nearly a full year of Walmart+, depending on how much of the Walmart+ year was left.
If the app doesn’t show a refund, or you’re not sure your separate Walmart+ renewal has stopped, this is the question to put to Walmart or Sam’s Club support:
I’m the primary Sam’s Club Plus member and I also pay for an annual Walmart+ membership. I’ve linked the two accounts. What prorated Walmart+ refund applies to my account, and will my separate Walmart+ membership still renew?
Joining, upgrading and linking all happen in the Walmart or Sam’s Club app, or at walmart.com/plus/samsclub.
Same $60 Upgrade, Opposite Answers for Two Households
These are hypothetical households, not real members’ accounts. Prices come from Walmart and Sam’s Club; spending figures are round numbers, and taxes are left out.
Household A: Club plus annual Walmart+
Household A pays $60 for Club and $98 for annual Walmart+, $158 a year in fees. Upgrading to Plus for $60 and linking the accounts brings the fees to $120, so it pays $38 a year less before buying anything, earns 2% in Sam’s Cash on qualifying Sam’s purchases on top, and gets whatever prorated Walmart+ refund the account shows after linking.
Household B: Club only, no Walmart delivery
Household B pays $60 for Club and doesn’t use Walmart delivery or the streaming choice, so the extra $60 for Plus has to come back as Sam’s Cash. At $250 a month of qualifying Sam’s purchases, $3,000 a year, 2% is $60 in Sam’s Cash, the same as the extra fee. At $150 a month, $1,800 a year, it’s $36 in Sam’s Cash, $24 short.
For Household B, Plus pays for itself only if it would actually use the Walmart+ side or spend enough at Sam’s. Your own line is easy to find: divide the extra fee by 0.02. For a Club member that’s $60 ÷ 0.02, or $3,000 of qualifying purchases a year; for an annual Walmart+ member moving to the bundle it’s $22 ÷ 0.02, or $1,100, and that household also gains club access. Swap in your own spending and what Walmart+ is worth to you.
If you also carry a Costco card and are rethinking its top tier, here is what Costco refunds when you downgrade from Executive, the same 2%-tier question from the other club’s side.
Who Should Pay for Plus This Renewal
Most of this comes down to one question: would your household pay for Walmart+ anyway? If yes, Plus is the cheaper fee bill, $120 against $60 plus $98. If no, it’s a Sam’s spending decision you can settle with last year’s purchase history and a 2% multiplication.
If you’re already on Plus, activate Walmart+ in the app. If you pay for both, link from the primary member’s account now, then check what refund the account shows and whether your separate Walmart+ still lists a renewal. Sam’s Club Business memberships, Sam’s Club Mastercard rewards and cancellation refunds follow their own terms on the Sam’s Club membership page.
One linked account is the difference between paying $120 and paying $218 a year for the same set of benefits.
Sources: Walmart news release, “Meet Your $120 Life Hack: Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus, Together,” Oct. 20, 2026; Sam’s Club membership page, checked Oct. 27, 2026. Households A and B are hypothetical examples with round spending figures, not real customer accounts.