What Is Walmart Plus In 2022? A Complete Guide to Walmart‘s Amazon Prime Competitor
As an ecommerce seller, I often get asked about major retail players like Walmart and how their programs compare to Amazon. Walmart Plus is the mega-retailer‘s version of Amazon Prime with some unique benefits. Keep reading this 2800+ word guide to understand everything about Walmart Plus from an ecommerce insider‘s perspective.
An Overview of Walmart Plus
Walmart Plus is a new membership program that Walmart launched in 2020 to better compete with Amazon Prime. It offers free shipping, fuel discounts, and other benefits to Walmart customers for an annual or monthly fee.
In short, Walmart Plus is a paid subscription service that provides free delivery from Walmart without a minimum order size, fuel discounts, and other perks. It‘s ideal for frequent Walmart shoppers.
For regular Walmart customers, especially grocery shoppers, Walmart Plus can provide excellent value. The cost of the membership can quickly be offset by the shipping and gas savings alone.
However, more occasional Walmart shoppers may not find enough benefits to justify the $98 annual fee. It comes down to your personal shopping habits.
Now let‘s dive deeper into everything this new membership has to offer!
Walmart Plus Benefits and Features
Here are all the key benefits included with a Walmart Plus membership:
Free unlimited delivery from Walmart stores with no minimum order size. This applies to groceries and up to 200,000+ items across the store.
Fuel discounts of up to 5¢ per gallon at Walmart, Murphy USA, and Murphy Express gas stations. Sam‘s Club fuel stations are also included.
Scan & Go mobile checkout in the Walmart app to skip store lines.
Member prices on select Walmart items for extra savings.
Early access to Walmart promotions, events, and more.
Additional perks like Rx for Less prescriptions may be available in select locations. See the Walmart Plus website for full details by location.
How Walmart Plus Delivery Compares to Amazon Prime
One of the biggest benefits Walmart is touting is the unlimited free delivery. How does this compare to Amazon Prime?
Walmart Plus members get free next-day and 2-day shipping on orders over $35, with no additional cost. For an extra fee, same-day delivery is also available in certain areas.
Amazon Prime members get free 1-day shipping on millions of items, and 2-day shipping on other eligible items. But non-Prime members need to spend $25 to qualify for free standard shipping on Amazon.
So Walmart Plus provides faster free shipping minimums compared to Amazon overall. This makes the grocery delivery and membership pricing compelling, which we‘ll explore next.
Scanning Walmart Plus Grocery Delivery & Pickup Options
As an ecommerce seller, grocery delivery is a rapidly growing area that I watch closely. Walmart Plus offers a few options to get your grocery order:
- Unlimited free delivery on grocery orders over $35
- Next-day delivery on most grocery orders
- Same-day delivery from local stores in select locations
- Curbside pickup for online grocery orders
The ability to get grocery delivery regularly with no additional fees or order minimums is a major perk, especially for large households.
Walmart Grocery has scaled up significantly in recent years. They now offer pickup and delivery of fresh produce, meat, pantry items, essentials, and more. This makes Walmart Plus appealing for regular grocery shoppers.
Walmart Plus Pricing and Membership Options
Walmart Plus has two membership tiers available:
- Monthly Plan: $12.95/month
- Annual Plan: $98/year (~$8.17/month)
The annual plan can save you around $40 compared to paying monthly. But both plans provide the same benefits.
Here is how the Walmart Plus pricing compares to Amazon Prime:
| Membership | Monthly Price | Annual Price |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart Plus | $12.95 | $98 |
| Amazon Prime | $12.99 | $119 |
As you can see, the pricing is very similar. Walmart Plus comes in around $21 cheaper for the annual plan.
One thing to note is that Walmart Plus does not offer monthly plans like Amazon Prime. You have to pay the full $98 annual fee upfront if you want to lock in savings all year.
Students can get Walmart Plus for $49 per year, a nice discount off the regular price.
Saving Money with Walmart Plus
Based on the Walmart Plus fees, how much could members potentially save? Here are some examples:
With unlimited free delivery, you could save ~$50 on shipping 5 orders. More orders = more savings.
Filling up 12 tanks of gas monthly could save you ~$60/year (at 5¢ off per gallon)
Using Scan & Go could save you hours of time per year not waiting in line.
Rx discounts for 12 monthly prescription refills could save $60 or more.
Adding up the possible shipping, gas, prescription, and time savings, Walmart Plus can easily pay for itself if you fully utilize the benefits as a regular Walmart shopper.
Next, let‘s compare Walmart Plus to Amazon Prime overall.
How Walmart Plus Compares to Amazon Prime
Walmart designed Walmart Plus to compete with Amazon Prime. Here is how the major benefits stack up:
| Walmart Plus | Amazon Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Shipping | Next-day on $35+ orders | 1-day on 10+ million items |
| Other Delivery | Same-day in some areas | Prime Now for faster delivery |
| Fuel Discounts | 5¢ off per gallon | None |
| Grocery Pickup and Delivery | Yes | Yes, from Whole Foods |
| Mobile Checkout | Scan & Go | Dash Cart scan as you shop |
| Media Perks | None | Prime Video, Music, etc |
| Membership Cost | $98 per year | $119 per year |
In my view as an ecommerce expert, Walmart Plus appears to come out ahead for the average Walmart shopper. The unlimited free next-day shipping on orders over $35 is more accessible than Amazon‘s 1-day minimums. Plus Walmart has the gas discount perk.
However, Amazon Prime clearly wins when it comes to entertainment perks and overall product selection. Prime Video, Music, and more are big value adds for members.
So if you specifically want access to Amazon‘s media libraries and wider product range, Prime is likely the better program for you. But frequent Walmart grocery and online shoppers can benefit more from Walmart Plus.
Next let‘s walk through how and where to sign up.
How to Sign Up for a Walmart Plus Membership
If you want to give Walmart Plus a try, it‘s easy to get started:
Visit the Walmart Plus website and click "Start free 15-day trial"
If you‘re not already a Walmart.com member, create an account
Enter your credit/debit card information
Confirm your billing details
Start enjoying unlimited free delivery and other great benefits!
The site will walk you through everything. You can even use an existing Walmart account.
One tip is to sign up with an annual plan to lock in savings for the year. Since Walmart Plus only has annual memberships (no monthly option), this prevents you from forgetting to cancel a recurring monthly bill.
Now let‘s go over some important membership details.
Walmart Plus Membership Details
Here are some key facts about managing your Walmart Plus membership:
You can only pay for Walmart Plus with a credit or debit card – no PayPal or gift cards allowed.
Memberships auto-renew each month or year depending on your plan.
You can cancel anytime online, but there are no refunds on paid membership fees.
After cancellation, you still have access until the renewal date. Then your benefits discontinue.
You‘re allowed to change plans (monthly to annually, or vice versa) at any time.
Up to 4 other household members can be added to share your membership.
Be sure to add a reminder for yourself to cancel before renewal if you are testing out the free trial but don‘t plan to continue the membership.
Using Walmart Plus Effectively
As an ecommerce expert, I recommend using these tips to maximize your Walmart Plus membership:
Get groceries delivered regularly to save time and money. No fees or minimum orders makes this very convenient.
Fill up at Walmart gas stations when the price is low to double up your savings from the fuel discount.
Use curbside pickup for online non-grocery orders to bypass shipping times.
Stack savings by combining Walmart Plus benefits with in-store and online promos.
Share your membership with family to split the cost and allow others to use your benefits.
Manage notifications to receive alerts about new member perks, coupons, and other ways to maximize the value.
Carefully evaluate if the membership makes sense for your shopping habits before signing up. Occasional shoppers may not find the $98 annual fee worthwhile.
Shopping on Walmart Plus vs Walmart.com
Walmart Plus unlocks free shipping and other benefits when shopping on Walmart.com. What do non-members get?
On Walmart.com, non-Walmart Plus members can:
Get free standard shipping on orders $35+ in 5-7 business days
Pay $7.95 or more for express shipping
Qualify for free curbside pickup at stores
Access regular prices and promotions open to all
So non-members can shop online and get free standard shipping, but they miss out on fast 1-2 day shipping. Plus Walmart Plus members get extra perks like fuel discounts, Scan & Go, and special member pricing.
If you frequently shop online at Walmart, the $98 yearly fee for Walmart Plus can easily pay for itself in shipping savings and convenience. But more occasional shoppers may find paying for 1-2 day shipping as needed is more cost effective.
Should You Sign Up for Walmart Plus?
Based on this overview, here are some final recommendations on who should consider joining Walmart Plus:
✅ Good for you if:
- You grocery shop at Walmart weekly or more
- You regularly shop online at Walmart
- You drive a car and fill up gas weekly
- You want contact-free checkout like Scan & Go
⏺ May not be worth it if:
- You rarely shop at Walmart
- You don‘t have a car or drive much
- You prefer curbside pickup to delivery
- You don‘t care about expedited shipping
Try out the 15-day free trial to experience the benefits before deciding. But frequent Walmart shoppers who use delivery, grocery pickup, and gas stations can gain the most value from the membership.
The Bottom Line on Walmart Plus
The bottom line is Walmart Plus gives members free next-day delivery from Walmart.com with no order minimum, plus fuel discounts for $98/year.
This can provide great convenience and savings for regular Walmart customers. Occasional shoppers may not use it enough to justify the annual fee.
In my view as an ecommerce expert, Walmart Plus offers compelling benefits compared to Amazon Prime for the average Walmart devotee, especially grocery shoppers.
Try out the Walmart Plus free trial to determine if the membership fits your shopping and driving needs before committing. Take advantage of my tips to maximize the value if you decide the benefits are worthwhile.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to provide insider ecommerce advice.
