I’ll be upfront: I was skeptical. Another subscription, another monthly charge, another thing to cancel and forget about. But I’ve been a Walmart+ member for a while now, and I’ve done the math. This membership doesn’t just break even — it pays for itself multiple times over, every month, in ways I didn’t expect.
Let me walk you through exactly how it happens.
Delivery Fees: The First Place It Pays Off
Walmart+ includes free same-day grocery delivery on orders over $35. Without a membership, grocery delivery typically costs $7–$10 per order in delivery fees, plus service fees on top of that. If you order groceries even twice a month — which is extremely conservative — you’re already looking at $14–$20 in fees avoided.
The membership costs $12.95/month. Two grocery deliveries and you’ve already come out ahead. Everything else is upside.
Shipping Fees: Gone
Free shipping on every Walmart.com order, no minimum. Think about how many times you’ve added something random to an online cart just to hit a free shipping threshold — or paid $5–$8 in shipping on a small order because you needed just that one thing. With Walmart+, every order ships free. One or two saved shipping charges a month, and that’s another $10–$15 back in your pocket.
Gas Savings: Underrated but Real
Walmart+ members save up to 10 cents per gallon at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, and Murphy gas stations, plus member pricing at Sam’s Club fuel centers. This one depends on how much you drive, but let’s do a quick calculation: a 15-gallon fill-up saves you $1.50. Fill up twice a week and that’s $12–$13/month in gas savings.
For some members, the gas discount alone covers nearly the entire cost of the membership. Without changing a single other behavior.
The Streaming Subscription: $7–$13/Month in Value
Every Walmart+ membership includes a free Paramount+ or Peacock subscription — your choice. Paramount+ runs $7.99–$13.99/month depending on the plan. Peacock is similar. If you’re currently paying for either of these — or if you’ve been meaning to sign up — getting it bundled into your Walmart+ membership is a straightforward win.
Let’s say conservatively you value the streaming perk at $8/month. That’s $8 of the $12.95 membership cost covered by entertainment value alone.
Early Sale Access: Hard to Quantify, Easy to Feel
When Walmart runs its big sale events — like Walmart Deals in June or Black Friday Deals for Days in November — Walmart+ members get early access to the highest-demand items. These are the products that sell out in the first hour. Getting in early isn’t just a perk; it’s an actual financial advantage. Scoring a TV or laptop at sale price instead of regular price can mean savings of $50, $100, or more in a single purchase.
You only have to get one hot-item deal to justify a full year of membership.
The Running Total
Let’s be conservative and add it up. Two grocery deliveries saved: $15. Two shipping charges avoided: $10. Gas savings: $12. Streaming value: $8. That’s $45 in monthly value against a $12.95 membership cost. The membership is returning roughly 3.5x what it costs — every single month — without doing anything special or changing shopping habits dramatically.
And that’s before factoring in early sale access, pharmacy delivery, mobile Scan & Go, and travel savings through Walmart’s booking portal.
The Free Trial Makes It a No-Brainer
New Walmart+ members can try the membership free for 30 days. One month, no charge, full benefits. You’ll know within the first few weeks whether the delivery and shipping savings alone cover the cost. Spoiler: they almost certainly will.
After that, it’s $12.95/month or $98/year if you go annual (which works out to about $8.17/month — an even better deal).