Walmart Packs Two Memberships Into One
Walmart has launched a joint membership that combines Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus for $120 a year. CBS News reported the debut on October 20, 2026, and Walmart says shoppers who buy the two memberships separately would pay about $100 more annually. The price lands in the middle of Costco's own ladder: it is $10 less than Costco's $130 Executive tier and $55 more than the $65 Gold Star membership, according to several outlets' comparisons.
What the Bundle Includes
The package has five main perks: members-only discounted prices at Sam's Club, free delivery on goods from both Walmart and Sam's Club, a Peacock or Paramount+ subscription plan, 10 cents off per gallon of gas at about 17,000 U.S. stations, and rewards on eligible purchases.
Upgrade Paths
Existing Walmart+ members can switch to the joint membership for $22 more per year. Sam's Club members can upgrade to Sam's Club Plus, which includes Walmart+, for $60 more per year. CBS did not specify eligibility rules for brand-new members.
What Walmart Is Saying
CEO John Furner said in a statement: "For $120 a year, we're raising expectations for what a membership can deliver." The launch follows price cuts announced in August by CFO John Rainey, who said then: "We're investing heavily in price because customers need us to." Consumer prices rose 3.7% annually in September, which is the backdrop for a retailer courting cash-strapped shoppers.
How the Memberships Stack Up
Membership programs have become the center of warehouse-club competition. Costco's Executive membership costs $130 and returns a percentage of purchases in annual rewards, while the Gold Star level at $65 gives access to the warehouses without the rewards. Costco reported 84.1 million paid members, including 42.3 million paid Executive members, and renewal rates of 92.3% in the U.S. and Canada, figures that show how sticky the model is.
Walmart is betting that a different mix of benefits can pull some of that loyalty. Instead of a rewards check at year-end, the bundle leans on delivery, streaming and gas savings, and it ties together two store networks. At $120 it also undercuts Amazon Prime's $139 annual price by $19, so it takes aim at three competitors at once.
Who Benefits
The deal makes most sense for households that already shop at both Walmart and Sam's Club and use delivery often. Coverage notes that the bundle is aimed at people who regularly shop at both retailers. For others, the savings depend on whether the streaming plan and gas discount match how they spend. A family that fills up at a participating station every week and streams Peacock may come out ahead quickly. A single shopper who only visits one store once a month probably will not.
A Quick Way to Test the Math
Run through five questions before joining. How many deliveries do you order a month, and what would you otherwise pay? Do you already pay for Peacock or Paramount+? How many gallons of gas do you buy at the eligible stations? Do you have both a Walmart and a Sam's Club within reach? And what would you spend at Sam's Club that you cannot get cheaper elsewhere? If most of the answers are small, the $120 is hard to recoup.
Why It Matters Beyond the Price
Retailers use memberships to lock in shoppers, and a bundle makes leaving more costly. For Walmart, the fee itself is less important than the extra visits and the data that come with it. For consumers, the bundle is a reminder that big-box memberships are now competing on bundled perks as much as on price.
Since the offer launched only weeks ago, details may change, so confirm the terms at checkout. Households whose main stop is Costco have little reason to switch based on the bundle alone, but the competition may still lead to better offers on every side.
