Dumped Amazon Prime for Walmart+? 8 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Membership - PCMag

Amazon Prime offers two-day delivery, a video-streaming service, photo storage, PC games, and more, all for $119 per year or $12.99 per month. But it got some competition in late 2020 with the launch of Walmart+, which offers similar perks for $98 per year or $12.95 per month.

With a Walmart+ subscription, you get free local delivery and shipping, early access to exclusive deals and releases, discounted prescriptions, cheaper gas, and contact-free checkout. If you've signed up or are considering a switch from Prime, here's what you need to know about Walmart's subscription service.

1. Save Yourself a Few Bucks

Like many subscription services before it, Walmart+ offers monthly and yearly plans. Go month to month for $12.95 or pay for a full year in advance at $98. Which one is best depends on your shopping habits. If you're a regular at Walmart, and know you'll be going back over the next 12 months, the yearly subscription saves you $57. Just looking for some shipping and shopping perks over the holidays? Monthly may be the way to go. (For comparison, a yearly Amazon Prime subscription saves you $36 over a month-to-month plan.)

ps5 listing on walmart with a notice that says walmart+ members get first dibs

One Walmart+ perk is early access to special promotions and events, from Black Friday deals to game console restocks. Walmart+ members who sign on at the appointed time can potentially snag a discounted must-have item or gadgets that have been in short supply, like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Keep tabs on what's coming up via the Early Access storefront.

3. Beware the Free Trial

There's a catch with early access perks: They're not available to Walmart+ members taking advantage of the service's 15-day free trial. There is a workaround, though: Sign up and start paying right away, bypassing the 15-day free trial.

On the sign-up page, scroll down to Early Access and click the Start Paid Membership button. You’ll be taken to a checkout page, where you can begin paying for a Walmart+ membership immediately. (The fine print on that page should say "By signing up, you agree that we will charge the fee above to your selected payment card" versus "By signing up, you agree that after the 15-day trial we will charge the fee above to your selected payment card." The latter will appear if you click the 15-day free trial button.)

4. Set a Home Store

Walmart customers in the retailer's delivery zone (sorry, NYC) can get groceries and other items delivered right to their door. Non-Walmart+ members pay a delivery fee between $8 and $10. With Walmart+, there's no delivery fee for orders over $35 ($6 fee for those under $35).

Items are selected from nearby Walmart stores. Set up your home store under Account > Update store under Your selected Walmart store. Add your ZIP code and choose the closest store from the list. Then, when you want to choose items for local delivery, open the Pickup & shipping filter and click Delivery from the menu. Add items to your cart, then choose Reserve a time to set up a delivery time.

5. Filter for Free Shipping

Walmart offers free, two-day shipping on orders of $35 or more for all customers. With Walmart+, there's no $35 minimum. The catch: This does not cover third-party sellers (or oversized items and freight orders). To determine which items are eligible, look for the Sold and shipped by Walmart.com label on product pages. To filter your searches to only eligible items, click All Filters > Retailer on a results page and check the box next to Walmart.

6. Find Your Medications

If you're spending a fortune on medications, Walmart+ may be able to save you some money. Certain prescriptions are free to members, with up to 85% in savings on other medications purchased through Walmart Pharmacies. You will be issued a digital savings card accessible from the Walmart mobile app, which can be used to fill prescriptions.

This is not a replacement for insurance and may not be accepted in combination with any other coverage. According to the website's fine print, discounts are not available in Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont, and Puerto Rico. California doesn't allow for $0 medication but does offer some for as low as $2.

To check it out, open the Walmart+ RX website, search for your medications, and enter your city or ZIP code to find Walmart Pharmacy locations in your area. You will also see the price of the medication at each store. You can further refine a search by switching between generic and brand name, pill form, dosage, and tablet count. In the screenshot above, for example, the generic version of cholesterol drug Lipitor is available for $15. Crestor comes in at $9.

Intrigued by Amazon's Just Walk Out tech? Walmart+ offers its own version of that with scan & go. Connect a card to Walmart Pay in the store's mobile app. Then, when you're in a store, tap Services > Scan & go to begin scanning items. As you shop, the app will display a running total. Head to a self-checkout register to weigh any items sold by the pound, and scan a QR code to finalize payment. You'll receive an electronic receipt, which a Walmart employee can check for any age-restricted items, like alcohol.

8. Find Better Gas Prices

Another perk that comes with Walmart+ is a discount on gas at Walmart, Murphy, and Sam's Club stations, where you can save $0.05 per gallon. Find a participating location on Walmart's interactive map. How you get the gas discount depends on which retailer you're at; Walmart's fuel website has step-by-step instructions for each one, but for Walmart and Sam's Club locations, you scan a QR code at the pump; Murphy stations require you to enter a code.

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