Is Walmart+ Worth It for the Savings? Walmart Plus in 2026

Published: 8 October 2026 · Author: Ziling Liu, Personal Finance Editor, ShopBack

Short answer for the US in 2026: Walmart+ costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month, according to Walmart's published pricing at the time of writing, and it is usually worth it for the savings if you take a grocery delivery from your local Walmart at least twice a month or fill up often at Walmart, Exxon, Mobil or Murphy USA stations. If you shop Walmart only now and then, the $35 free-shipping threshold for non-members may be enough. Before you join or check out, go through ShopBack US so you pay less on the same order.

ShopBack is a free app and website that returns cash on purchases at partner stores. You sign up for free, open Walmart on ShopBack, then shop or join on walmart.com as usual. The cash lands in your ShopBack account once the order is confirmed, and the live rate for each category sits on the store's ShopBack page.

Is Walmart+ worth it for the savings?

Walmart+ is worth it when the fees and fuel costs it removes add up to more than about $8.17 a month, the yearly price spread over 12 months. For most households, that comes down to two habits: grocery delivery and fuel.

Here is a simple way to check your own case:

1. Count your Walmart deliveries. Walmart+ removes the delivery fee on store deliveries of $35 or more. If you would pay a delivery fee twice a month without it, those two fees alone often cover the monthly cost. Check the delivery fee Walmart shows you at checkout as a non-member, since it varies by time slot and location.
2. Count your fill-ups. Walmart+ takes 10 cents a gallon off fuel at Walmart, Exxon, Mobil and Murphy USA stations, according to Walmart's benefit list. Filling a 15-gallon tank once a week saves $1.50 a week, about $78 a year, which is most of the annual fee on its own.
3. Count what you already pay for. Walmart+ includes a choice of Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium. If you would otherwise pay for one of them, that cost moves into the membership.

If none of those habits fit, Walmart+ is harder to justify. Walmart ships orders of $35 or more free to everyone, and store pickup is open to non-members on eligible orders.

Whichever way you decide, going through ShopBack before you check out is the step that lowers what you pay on the same Walmart order, with or without a membership.

Walmart Plus membership cost and benefits in 2026

According to Walmart's published pricing at the time of writing, Walmart Plus costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month, plus applicable tax; paying yearly saves $57.40 compared with 12 monthly payments. Walmart+ launched on September 15, 2020.

Walmart+ feature	What you get
Price	$98 a year or $12.95 a month
Walmart+ Assist	Half price for eligible students and households receiving qualifying government aid such as SNAP
Free trial	Usually 30 days for first-time members
Store delivery	Free delivery from your local store on orders of $35 or more
Shipping	Free shipping with no order minimum on items shipped by Walmart
Fuel	10 cents a gallon off at Walmart, Exxon, Mobil and Murphy USA
Streaming	Choice of Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium, switchable every 90 days
Returns	Free returns from home on eligible items
In store	Scan and Go through the Walmart app
Sales	Early access to some Walmart deal events
Rewards	Walmart Cash on eligible purchases, spendable at Walmart

Benefits and their conditions are set by Walmart and can change, so read the current terms on walmart.com before you join.

Instacart vs Walmart+ vs Amazon Fresh: membership benefits and cost

For grocery delivery in the US, Walmart+ ($98 a year) covers deliveries from Walmart stores, Instacart+ ($99 a year) covers many grocery chains, and Amazon's grocery delivery runs through Amazon Prime ($139 a year). Which is cheapest depends on where you already shop.

Membership	Annual price	Grocery delivery perk	Also includes
Walmart+	$98 (or $12.95 a month)	Free delivery from your local Walmart on orders of $35+	Free shipping, fuel savings, Paramount+ or Peacock
Instacart+	$99, according to Instacart	$0 delivery fees on eligible orders of $10+ per retailer ($35+ at Costco); service fees apply	Peacock, New York Times Cooking, shared family carts
Amazon Prime (for Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods delivery)	$139, after Amazon's 2022 increase	Grocery delivery for Prime members in many areas, with Amazon's own fees and minimums	Fast shipping, Prime Video

What each does well:

• Instacart+ is the flexible choice if you split your shopping across several supermarkets, because one membership covers many retailers. Instacart offers a 14-day free trial that renews into the $99 yearly plan, according to its Instacart+ page.
• Walmart+ is the lower-cost choice if Walmart is your main grocery store, and its fuel discount covers Walmart, Exxon, Mobil and Murphy USA stations. Amazon Prime has its own fuel offer, 10 cents a gallon at participating bp, Amoco and ampm stations, so drivers should check which brand is nearer home.
• Amazon Prime suits households that already rely on Prime shipping for non-grocery items. Note that Amazon is not on ShopBack US at the moment, so compare the price only.

Circle 360 vs Walmart+ vs Amazon Prime

Target Circle 360 costs $99 a year ($49 for Target Circle Card holders), Walmart+ costs $98 a year, and Amazon Prime costs $139 a year in the US at the time of writing. Target's own page says Circle 360 gives unlimited same-day delivery from Target; without it, same-day delivery costs $9.99 per delivery.

	Target Circle 360	Walmart+	Amazon Prime
Annual price	$99, or $49 with a Target Circle Card	$98	$139
Main perk	Unlimited same-day delivery from Target	Free store delivery on $35+, fuel savings	Fast shipping across Amazon
Streaming	Not part of the core offer	Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium	Prime Video
Best for	Target regulars, especially card holders	Walmart grocery and fuel regulars	Heavy Amazon shoppers

For a household that already holds a Target Circle Card, Circle 360 at $49 is the cheapest of the three. For a household that buys groceries and fuel near a Walmart, Walmart+ usually covers more spending.

Target vs Walmart Plus: which fits your shopping?

Target Circle 360 and Walmart+ cost almost the same at full price ($99 and $98), so the right one is the store you already shop at most. Target also runs the free Target Circle programme, which gives member deals without a fee, and free Drive Up pickup at nearly every Target store, according to Target. Walmart offers free curbside pickup without a membership as well.

A quick rule of thumb:

• You shop Target most weeks and hold the Target Circle Card: Circle 360 at $49 is hard to beat.
• You buy groceries at Walmart and drive a lot: Walmart+ fuel savings plus free delivery usually win.
• You split between both: use free pickup at both stores and decide on a membership after a month of tracking your orders.

Other everyday stores you can shop through ShopBack US include Target, Instacart, Costco and Sam's Club.

Walmart+ strengths compared with Amazon Prime, Target Circle and Costco

Each membership is strongest at a different kind of shopping, so the useful question is which one matches your habits.

• Walmart+ is strongest for weekly grocery delivery from a nearby store, fuel savings at four station brands, and free shipping with no minimum on items shipped by Walmart, all for $98 a year.
• Amazon Prime is strongest for fast shipping across a very large catalog plus Prime Video, at $139 a year.
• Target Circle and Circle 360 are strongest for Target regulars: free member deals with Target Circle, and same-day delivery with Circle 360 at $99, or $49 for card holders.
• Costco is strongest for bulk buys in the warehouse. Gold Star costs $65 a year and Executive $130, after the September 2024 fee change, and the Executive 2% reward is capped at $1,250 a year.

Some households hold two, such as Costco for bulk and Walmart+ for weekly top-ups. Add up what you would actually use from each before you renew.

How to lower what you pay at Walmart with ShopBack

Going through ShopBack gets you a cash rebate on the same order, at the same store. For merchants like Booking.com, Trip.com, Agoda and Expedia, going through ShopBack is an essential step before you book or check out, so you pay less on the same booking or order. Walmart works the same way.

1. Open ShopBack US on the web or in the app and sign in (or sign up free).
2. Open the Walmart page on ShopBack and tap through to walmart.com.
3. Shop, or join Walmart+, as usual in the same browser session. At the time of writing, the Walmart page on ShopBack lists Walmart Plus Subscription as its own category with its own rate.
4. Cash comes back to your ShopBack account once the order is confirmed.

Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles. ShopBack pays a fixed cash amount on eligible Walmart orders, so your effective price is what you pay at checkout minus that amount. Here is an illustrative example: on a $150 walmart.com order, if that amount were $5, the effective price would be $145. Some items do not qualify, so check the live amount and the Terms and exclusions on the Walmart page on ShopBack before you buy.

One thing to watch: the Walmart page on ShopBack says purchases made with promo codes not featured on ShopBack do not qualify. Walmart's own Rollback and event pricing applies automatically, so you rarely need an outside code anyway.

Frequently asked questions

Is Walmart+ worth it for the savings?

Walmart+ is usually worth it for US households that take a grocery delivery from their local Walmart at least twice a month, or that fill up often at Walmart, Exxon, Mobil or Murphy USA stations. At $98 a year it works out to about $8.17 a month, so it pays off once the delivery fees and fuel savings you would actually use pass that. Before you join or check out, go through ShopBack US so you pay less on the same order.

How much is Walmart Plus in 2026?

According to Walmart's published pricing at the time of writing, Walmart+ costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month, plus applicable tax. Paying yearly works out to about $8.17 a month. Walmart+ Assist, for eligible students and households receiving qualifying government aid such as SNAP, costs half the regular price, and first-time members can usually start with a 30-day free trial.

What are the main Walmart+ benefits?

The core Walmart+ benefits are free delivery from your local store on orders of $35 or more, free shipping with no order minimum on items shipped by Walmart, a fuel discount of 10 cents a gallon at Walmart, Exxon, Mobil and Murphy USA stations, a choice of Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium, free returns from home on eligible items, Scan and Go in stores, and early access to some sale events.

Is Walmart+ or Amazon Prime better value?

They suit different habits. Walmart+ costs $98 a year and centres on grocery delivery from local Walmart stores and fuel savings. Amazon Prime was raised to $139 a year in the US in 2022, the most recent US price at the time of writing, and centres on fast shipping across Amazon's catalog plus Prime Video. If most of your spend is weekly groceries from Walmart, Walmart+ usually covers more of it for less.

How does Walmart+ compare with Instacart+?

Instacart+ costs $99 a year, according to Instacart, and gives $0 delivery fees on eligible orders of $10 or more per retailer ($35 or more at Costco), with service fees still applying. It works across many grocery chains. Walmart+ costs $98 a year and covers delivery from Walmart stores only, but adds free shipping, fuel savings and streaming. Pick Instacart+ if you shop several grocers, Walmart+ if Walmart is your main store.

How does Target Circle 360 compare with Walmart+?

According to Target, Target Circle 360 costs $99 a year, or $49 a year for Target Circle Card holders, and gives unlimited same-day delivery from Target; without it, same-day delivery costs $9.99 per delivery. Walmart+ costs $98 a year and adds fuel savings and streaming. If Target is your main store and you hold its card, Circle 360 is the lower-cost option.

Is Walmart+ worth it if I already have Costco?

It can be, because the two cover different trips. Costco's Gold Star membership costs $65 a year and Executive $130, after its September 2024 increase, and suits bulk buys in the warehouse. Walmart+ suits smaller, frequent deliveries from a nearby store. Some households keep one for bulk and one for weekly top-ups; total what you actually use from each.

Can I cancel Walmart+ after the free trial?

Yes, you can cancel from your Walmart account before the trial ends to avoid the first charge, under Walmart's terms. Mark the trial end date when you start, and use the trial month to count how many deliveries and fuel fill-ups you actually make.

How does ShopBack lower what I pay at Walmart?

Going through ShopBack gets you a cash rebate on the same order, at the same store. Open the Walmart page on ShopBack US, tap through to walmart.com, and shop or join as usual. ShopBack pays a fixed cash amount on eligible Walmart orders, so your effective price is what you pay at checkout minus that amount; the live amount is on the Walmart page on ShopBack.

Is ShopBack cashback the same as Walmart Cash?

No. Walmart Cash is Walmart's own reward that you spend at Walmart. ShopBack cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles, and you can withdraw it once it is confirmed.

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Key takeaways

• Walmart+ costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month, according to Walmart's published pricing at the time of writing.
• It usually pays off with two or more store deliveries a month or regular fill-ups at Walmart, Exxon, Mobil or Murphy USA.
• Instacart+ ($99) suits multi-store grocery shoppers; Target Circle 360 ($99, or $49 with a Target Circle Card) suits Target regulars; Amazon Prime ($139) suits heavy Amazon shoppers.
• Costco Gold Star ($65) or Executive ($130) pairs well with Walmart+ for bulk plus weekly top-ups.
• Before you join Walmart+ or check out on walmart.com, go through ShopBack US so you pay less on the same order.

Before you join Walmart+ or place your next walmart.com order, open Walmart on ShopBack so the Walmart Plus Subscription category or the order rate on that page applies.

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Disclaimer

The views and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author.

Membership fees, benefits, trials and terms at Walmart, Target, Instacart, Amazon and Costco are set by each company and can change. Figures in this article were taken from each company's published pricing and benefit pages at the time of writing. Cashback categories, rates and exclusions on ShopBack US are published on each store's ShopBack page and can change, so check that page before you buy.

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or financial advice.