Heads Up, Sam’s Club Perks Changing For Plus Members!

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Have you heard about the Sam’s Club Perks changes for Plus members? Here’s what you need to know!

Sam's Club Perks Shown on phone

Sam’s Club Perks are getting a makeover and Plus members may not be too happy about the changes. 😬 We’re curious to hear what you think!

Starting August 19th, 2024, only Plus members who spend a minimum of $50 can receive FREE Same-Day Delivery or FREE shipping. A standard $8 fee applies to any orders under $50. Fortunately, Curbside pickup will remain FREE for Plus members, and no minimum is required.

Sam’s Club members who are not Plus members may also now do curbside pickup for FREE with a minimum $50 order. A standard $4 flat fee applies to orders under the $50 minimum.

Though the perks have been updated, the cost of a Plus membership, which is $110 per year, has not changed. Even with the changes, the membership can still pay for itself if you purchase a $50+ delivery at least 13 times per year.

These Sam’s Club Plus perks will stay the same in 2024.

Plus members can continue to enjoy these existing perks:

  • Free Curbside Pickup on eligible orders
  • 2% Sam’s Cash on eligible in-club and curbside orders up to $500 annually
  • Early shopping at select locations starting at 8 am on Monday – Friday
  • Shop 2 hours early on big events thanks to Plus Early Access
  • Rx savings on 10 free generic medications + 600 generic prescriptions for $10 or less
  • Savings on Optical

Want to upgrade your membership to Plus? Apply here!


How do you feel about the changes to the Sam’s Club Perks program? Let us know!


See what the Hip Community is buying at Sam’s Club!


About the writer:

Kara is a writer and photographer from the Midwest. Her creative work has appeared in various publications over the past decade. With a background in finance, she loves to be money-savvy.


Join The Discussion

Comments 78

  1. katie

    I have plus now but really enjoyed the free shipping no matter the amount I spent I’m disappointed that you have to spend 50.00 now

  2. kellyfornia

    This morning when I read “we are evolving our perks and updating our terms and conditions to add more value to your membership” I was highly disappointed to see the change was now I had to make a minimum purchase to receive free shipping. That absolutely does NOT add more value to my membership. It actually makes my membership less valuable. I did voice this to customer service and they replied that they’ve received a lot of feedback on this already.

    • MomofangelsIllinois

      Exactly where is the value? Most Sam’s clubs around us is at least an hour and a half away. Maybe it’s time to downgrade membership or cancel all together.

  3. Jennifer

    There’s really no added benefit for Plus members. The “free” same day delivery “perk” for over $50 orders only applies if you are within a 15 mile radius of the store and requires tipping so it just passes more costs on to the consumer. Many of the items that I had delivered with my Plus membership just simply weren’t available in store. Who wants to be required to spend $50 to get something delivered because it isn’t carried in the store? I use curbside a lot and usually spend over $50 so the regular membership at a lower price looks like a better deal. Very unhappy with the changes to the Plus membership! I think all of those cheap Groupon offers are partly responsible for Sam’s making these horrible decisions.

    • Brenda

      It doesnt require tipping. You can add a tip but it os not required.

      • Jennifer

        I wouldn’t trust my delivery especially of fresh or frozen foods to be properly handled if I did not tip. Besides I think currently at least that delivery is done through Instacart and those drivers rely on tips as their main form of income. If Sam’s specifically said not to tip and their delivery employees were getting compensated fairly, then I would consider the “free” delivery from the store a good feature. Otherwise it is not.

      • aceegee

        in our smaller city, if you’re known to not tip then when your name/address pops up for a delivery offer, you get by-passed until one of the scrubs pick you up….not all the contractors shop and/or deliver the same. I must point out this is my experience with Walmart…our nearest Sam’s is 90 miles away.

    • ihearthip

      I ordered delivery once. A man showed up unloading my items from his trunk, along with other orders, and everything smelled like cigarettes. I got a full refund. No more.

    • Stan

      I totally agree with you!! I often order items that go on sale. Who wants to pay $8 to have a pair of $10 shorts shipped. It seems like all these companies and credit cards are diluted the perks that feel valuable.

  4. Klp

    I was also disappointed to see the change on shipping requirements

  5. Judy

    Very disappointed!! Ben a plus member for several years. One reason was for the free shipping. May be reconsidering, this is not a better deal, but a ripoff.

  6. Kathryn

    I can’t agree with the line “..more value to your membership…”!

    Disappointing to say the least.

  7. Jessica

    Back to the regular membership!

  8. krnreed

    Thinking of changing to Costco. Not worth the $110 membership

  9. Kris

    Thanks for posting this. I never got a Sam’s Club membership because I can get free curbside pick up at Walmart – so I never saw the value. Now I think I will purchase the low end membership closer to the end of the sale (July 31) to be just in time for this change in policy.

    • Jessica (Hip Sidekick)

      You’re welcome, Kris. Glad this post was informative and helpful for deciding on your next membership option. ❤️

  10. Susan tate

    Not a happy plus member. I order online especially for things not I’m store only online. They raised the fees and I kept paying. Sorry Sam’s but its not worth it anymore. I hope you at hip2save have their ear. We plus members are leaving. Why pay the extra?. Just go back to regular. Also when you order some items like spices, they make you order 2 or more. Not different the same. Like basil for instance, I don’t need 2 huge bottles of basil. I have emailed them but no answer. They don’t respond to emails. Not happy Sam’s.

  11. Mrsyancy

    Not happy about this at all. What’s the point in being a plus member now?

  12. Mrsyancy

    What is the best way to voice our displeasure?

    • Jessica (Hip Sidekick)

      Hey there! You might reach out to Sam’s Club Customer Service at (888) 746-7726 to chat more about the membership perk changes. 💕

    • RoxyHenderson

      Devastated!! I have been a member of Sam’s for many years, as well as several years as a plus member. I have now reached the point that I can no longer get to Sam’s except every three months. I have been ordering my prescriptions through you, as well as many other things over-the-counter. I cannot receive a renewal of a prescription until I have less than two weeks supply left before ordering. Is it time for me to change pharmacies? I have no transportation and live 35 miles away, except once every three months. Is it time for me to consider dropping my membership? Totally as well as gifts of membership for my children?

  13. Suz Q

    The free shipping is the only reason I belong to Sam’s at all. I have loved it, but I do not love having a $50 minimum. I almost never go into any of the Sam’s stores, because they’re not convenient to my home. I also have a Costco membership, so I’ll probably drop my Sam’s one and just get stuff at Costco or Target instead

  14. MSmith

    VERY VERY Disappointed! I have been a plus member for years. I just called the corporate number to complain 1 (888) 746-7726. I did feel very sorry for the girl who answered because she said they were just made aware of these changes today also. She said the calls had been overwhelming! I am not one to usually call and complain but this change makes my membership worthless to me.

  15. ihearthip

    Sam’s Club has been my “right hand man” ever since the pandemic, and I have kept my Plus Mmebership, but lately I have been getting peeved with them anyway. There are far too many “In-Store Only” products that I cannot buy through Curbside and I have been noticing more and more that items online sell out immediately as they release (hello, Women’s Clothing dept). What is going on? I will keep it for now but am wondering do I want to pay so much extra in a fee just to shop somewhere?

  16. liza483

    Not happy with the changes, free shipping is the only reason I had the prime membership, my closest club is an hour away so free shipping was a big plus for me, will not be renewing because of this change in policy.

  17. Melanie

    Today my daughter-in-law was told that by the end of the summer she had to have her own card with her name on it, she could no longer use her husbands. She was told everyone will have to have a card with their name on it and show ID to prove identity.

    • momofthreenboys

      That seems reasonable, thought that’s how it always was at Sam’s and Costco. I believe you get 2 cards with each membership (I know I do with a basic one at Costco and used to at Sam’s), so she should be able to get one easily.

  18. Pam

    Wow!!!! I agree with all the comments here. I only have the plus membership because of free shipping with no minimum. Also I love to go at 8:00 in the morning. But not worth the extra to pay for plus membership. I too will be changing my membership to the basic membership.

  19. curtmaxx

    Ordered my first delivery yesterday for a single expensive item. Paid $8 for delivery, $5 for a tip, and selected a window where I was home the whole time. They never came but did mark the item “delivered”. Fun fact, Sams won’t speak to me about it until 3 full business days after my “suggested” delivery time. I’ll never use delivery again.

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      Oh no! SO sorry to hear that you never received your order! Hoping this is resolved for you soon!

  20. Hipgrandma

    Agree with all the comments here. Just told my husband we need to go back to regular membership.

  21. Bob B

    After the 19th of August the Plus Membership becomes WORTHLESS to me, I won’t be renewing my Plus Membership. May I cancel my Plus Membership Now and get a refund?

    • ihearthip

      I cancelled my Auto Renew on Plus Membership today. So I will still have the Plus until my yr runs out (in Aug) and then I can choose to renew. I will just get the regular membership then.

  22. V Turner

    August 19th, I will cancel my plus. Simple as that.
    They are building a BJs between me and Sam’s….think it might be time to try a different company.
    Walmart has gone downhill…..now Sam’s is on the same decline.

  23. pmorgan

    This is very disappointing!!! I live an hour away from Sam’s! So having free shipping was a plus to why I have a plus membership. May as well now go with the regular membership! Not worth $110 any longer! Thanks for the heads up!

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      You’re most welcome. Thanks for the feedback on how you feel about these changes!

  24. Susan

    Ugh! I am disappointed. I will cancel our membership instead of renew it this year.

  25. Marcy Price

    Will not be renewing the Plus membership. No perks to it for me.

  26. Nikki

    Extremely disappointed…. We live an hour away and I only have the plus membership because of the free shipping with no minimum. I just renewed a few weeks ago. If I had known, I would have saved the difference and just got a regular membership.

    • bigpig

      I think Sam’s a guarantee on their membership, so you probably can cancel or downgrade if you call them.

  27. Annie

    Not happy at all. I didn’t know about this until now. Thanks Hip2Save!! I’m disabled

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      So sorry, Annie. You’re very welcome! 🤗 We’ll keep watch for any additional changes and of course all of the HOT deals that pop up!

  28. NM

    A lot of things I order are not available in my local store; hence, I order online. I would have considered a $25 minimum charge reasonable…

  29. Kimberly M

    I will be cancelling my plus membership too. I particularly liked the free shipping. Many of the things that I purchase are no more expensive at Walmart. Since walmart is closer, I can just do curbside at walmart.

  30. Carla Harris

    All the comments are about free shipping. I was curious about the other plus membership “benefits”.
    Are the discounts on travel (hotel, car rental, airfare etc…) worth the cost of a plus membership or is there a better way to find travel deals?

    • bigpig

      No, those discounts don’t save any money. There are other travel sites out there that have much better deals.

  31. bigpig

    Now I will probably be cancelling my Plus membership. No value to me anymore.

  32. Sharon

    Thanks for the heads up! My plus membership runs out in less than a month and I will be downgrading my membership back to the regular one.

    • Trish (Hip Sidekick)

      You’re very welcome, Sharon! 😊

  33. JD827

    A Star Hip2Saver is a recognized member of our Hip2Save community hand selected by our team for demonstrating a long history of engagement with helpful & friendly comments across Hip2Save.com and our social channels. Our Star Hip2Saver badge acts as a verification for readers who know the ins and outs of all Hip2Save sets out to accomplish — assisting our community to live extraordinary lives on ordinary budgets. Readers cannot pay or provide any sort of exchange in order to earn this badge. Rather, they are invited to participate by a member of the Hip2Save team and opt to have the Star Hip2Saver badge added to their profile & comments.

    Remember when Walgreens had the bright idea to get rid of their Rewards program? It was years ago but I think Sam’s must have hired the genius from Walgreen’s that had that idea. Walgreen’s saw the light after a few years. I predict as folks drop the + membership Sam’s will see the light as well.

  34. Donnette May

    I am very disappointed about the free shipping change on my plus membership card. This really sucks! If Sam’s was going to increase the dollar amount of your purchase to get free shipping, they could have at least made it $35.00 instead of $50.00 like Amazon and Walmart.

  35. Desiree

    I’ll surely be downgrading my membership. It’s not worth the extra cost now. I used it for the free shipping because our Sam’s Club is a ways from me but I’ll just shop in the store once or twice a month now.

  36. Maggie

    If y’all paid for a year of plus under certain terms, and they’re removing the benefit of those terms mid-year and not letting you get a refund on your unused months of membership…contact your state attorney general’s consumer affairs office. And if you know a class action lawyer, you might as well call them too — there is going to be a class action over this, and probably more than one, in various states. You should get the benefits you paid for, or your money back. Or they should start the new terms when your membership renews.

  37. Russ

    Not nice. Was the main reason we are plus members, didn’t use the car wash, or the 2 percent my back. Didn’t use the curb side pick up or early shopping. Like I said no reason to keep the plus. Thanks but no thanks

  38. Denny Mercurio

    Are you kidding me. This is a dumb idea. This reminds me of the Bud Light advertising take down.
    Who is your most valued customer base? (The plus members) Rethink your decision.

  39. Charlie

    Am I seeing correct?

    Why do plus members pay $8 vs $4 for regular members when the $50 shipping minimum is not met?

    It’s almost like they want you to drop the plus membership.

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      You are seeing that correctly. I did double check their details on the shipping. ❤️

  40. Kathy Underwood

    Guess I won’t be ordering much anymore. Will miss many good deals $50.00 order sucks

  41. Stacie

    I’ll downgrade to a regular membership since I only used it for free shipping and I rarely order over $50

  42. Martha

    What is the point in paying the extra for Plus, especially when I am not in the delivery area? May just cancel my whole membership because I also enjoyed the convenience of ordering what I need, when I need it. The closest Sam’s to me is 40 minutes with good traffic and the other is an hour and 20 minutes. Maybe it’s not worth it anymore.

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      Sorry to hear this, Martha. It sure is a significant change. Here are some perks that may still be helpful to have with the Plus membership.

      “Earn 2% Sam’s Cash™ on qualifying in-club purchases, up to $500 a year.
      10 free select generic prescriptions and 600+ generics priced at $10 or less.
      Early shopping at select locations. Get in before the crowds, starting at 8am, Monday–Saturday”

  43. Yolanda

    I am very disappointed with this New Perks deal. I loved my plus membership because it was easy to rely on especially helped with my heavy items. But to have to spend $50 everytime I need something shipped is ridiculous. Makes me second guess the plus membership all together. I had Sams ranked above all other stores for shipping. Now I have to pay $8 if I don’t need $50 worth of items. This is a game changer Sams. Plus membership is LOSING it’s value.

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      Thanks for letting us know what you think of this new update, Yolanda. So sorry that this will not be as convenient.

  44. Donna

    I’m going to cancel my plus membership, maybe my membership all together, I have to drive an hour and a half to get to the closest Sam’s Club, I have the plus membership for convenience, now you want to charge me $8 for a delivery if my purchase is less than $50. I have been on the phone waiting to talk to an agent now for over half an hour, it keeps tell me I am next in line but my wait time keeps getting longer.
    This is not customer service and frankly the prices aren’t that great anymore.

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      Bummer! Thanks a bunch for sharing your thoughts on this change. Hoping you were able to finally get in touch with customer service. ❤️

  45. Nancy

    I completely agree. I’ll be downgrading to a regular membership. There is no added benefit for me anymore. I can see having a $50 minimum for a regular member, but not for a plus member. I also called their Customer Service line and registered my complaint about the change.

  46. Kim

    They call this “adding more value to my membership”. Surely they jest. And surely they just insulted my intelligence. My husband & I are furious. If we even keep our membership it will just be a regular one. Out of all the “perks” they listed, the ONLY one we’re interested in is the shipping, because we are having to order the items they DO NOT stock in the store. I’m way past disappointed in Sam’s. Wish we had Costco. As my grandma would have said, “they’ve just gotten too big for their britches!” Funny….not funny. P.S. Mr. Walton would be turning in his grave if he knew what they’ve done to Walmart & now Sam’s. Sad.

  47. ZJDiy

    Do members have to spend $50 per order to get free shipping with Plus or is it $50 of any spending up to the point of ordering? If it’s $50 per order then it sounds like they removed the main reason to have the Plus membership. Although, I don’t order too much from them that has to be shipped. I wish they would do “ship to store” for items they do not have in stock at specific stores that I order online sometimes.
    Will they still charge shipping on heavy or large items if they cost over $50?

    • Amber (Hip Sidekick)

      Hey there! Plus members who spend a minimum of $50 can receive FREE Same-Day Delivery or FREE shipping. A standard $8 fee applies to any orders under $50. Hope that helps!

  48. Bob

    Samsclub made 84 billion dollars last year, enough said

  49. Barbara Cacciola

    I will not be renewing my plus membership at this change.

  50. Kelly

    I did a chat with a representative explaining that as a Plus member, the free shipping WAS the perk. We live rurally with our nearest Sams an hour away. I asked for a refund on my membership and stated I was disappointed we were no longer valued by the company.

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