Sam's Club Membership Cost in 2026: Club vs Plus, and the Sam's Cash Math

Sam’s Club charges $60 a year for a Club membership and $120 for Plus, plus tax, and the $60 difference buys a 2% Sam’s Cash rebate on in-club purchases, free shipping and delivery over $50, early shopping hours and early online deals. By our arithmetic the rebate alone covers the upgrade at $3,000 of qualifying in-club spending a year, with the cap of $750 reached at $37,500, and the fine print excludes SamsClub.com orders from the 2% entirely. This guide lays out both tiers, the rebate’s rules, the renewal clock, the refund guarantee, and the differences from Costco’s $65 and $130, all from Sam’s Club’s own pages read on October 8, 2026. The Costco side of the comparison is in our Costco membership cost guide.

The quick answer

• Club: “Club membership is $60 for an annual membership and includes a number of perks,” including “Two Membership Cards” and free curbside pickup “on eligible orders over $50”
• Plus: “Plus membership is $120 for an annual membership and includes all the benefits of Club membership with tons of extra exclusive perks,” led by Sam’s Cash “up to $750 per year,” free shipping over $50 and free club delivery over $50 (“$12 fee for Club members”)
• The 2%: earned “on qualifying pre-tax purchases directly from Sam’s Club made in clubs and through Curbside Pickup,” and Plus members “do not earn 2% in Sam’s Cash from third parties nor for online purchases on SamsClub.com”
• Break-even, our calculation: $60 divided by 2% is $3,000 of in-club qualifying purchases a year; the $750 cap arrives at $37,500
• Renewal: auto-renew charges “approximately one day before the end of the Membership term”; renewing up to 60 days late keeps the old date and costs a full year
• Refund: the fee for the current year is refundable “at any time” under the satisfaction guarantee, with “one Plus Membership cancellation per household or business per year”

Key facts at a glance

	Club	Plus
Annual fee	$60 plus tax	$120 plus tax
Cards	Two (member plus one household member, 18 or older)	Two
Sam’s Cash on in-club purchases	None	2%, up to $750 per membership year
Spending to cover the upgrade (our math)	Not applicable	$3,000 a year in club or Curbside Pickup
Online orders	No 2%	No 2% either
Shipping	Standard rates	Free on eligible orders over $50
Delivery from club	$12 fee	Free on eligible orders over $50
Curbside pickup	Free over $50	Free, no minimum
Early shopping hours	No	Up to an hour early
Early online sale access	No	Up to 12 hours before all members
Add-on memberships	Up to 8, at a reduced fee	Up to 16, at a reduced fee
Refund	Current-year fee, at any time	Same; one Plus cancellation or downgrade refund per year

Fees and benefits from the join page and the benefits article; rebate, renewal and refund terms from the Terms and Conditions. All read October 8, 2026.

The two tiers

The join page shows “$120/year” for Plus and “$60/year” for Club, with a benefit grid: both tiers include Instant Savings, member-only fuel prices, the “100% Satisfaction Guarantee,” Scan & Go, “Two Membership Cards,” free curbside pickup and the Sam’s Club Mastercard. Plus alone adds “2% Sam’s Cash™ Back,” “Free Shipping on Orders Over $50,” “Free Delivery from Club on Orders Over $50,” “Early Shopping Hours,” “Pharmacy Savings,” “Optical Savings” and “Tire & Battery Center Savings.”

The benefits article puts numbers on the Plus extras. Delivery: “Plus members receive free select same-day or next-day free delivery from your local club on eligible orders over $50 ($12 fee for Club members).” Curbside: “Free for Club members on eligible orders over $50. Free for Plus members without any minimums.” Hours: “Plus members can shop up to an hour early in-club & avoid the crowds, select exclusions apply.” Sales: “Plus members get up to 12 hours early access to online savings (e.g. Doorbusters, Cyber Monday, & Black Friday) before all members.” The second card is for “you & someone in your household,” and the Terms say that complimentary cardholder must be “18 years of age or older” and live at the same address.

What the 2% actually pays, and where it stops

The benefits article summarizes the rebate as “Earn Sam’s Cash back on in-club qualifying purchases up to $750 per year.” The Terms draw the line precisely: “Sam’s Club Plus Members may earn 2% in Sam’s Cash, after discounts are applied to items purchased, on qualifying pre-tax purchases directly from Sam’s Club made in clubs and through Curbside Pickup. Sam’s Club Plus Members do not earn 2% in Sam’s Cash from third parties nor for online purchases on SamsClub.com” shipped or delivered to your home. Add-on members do not earn it either, and returns are clawed back: “When qualifying purchases are returned for a refund, the amount of Sam’s Cash earned on the original purchase will be deducted from future Sam’s Cash payouts.”

The cap: “Sam’s Club Plus Members may earn up to $750 annually in Sam’s Cash based on Sam’s Club qualifying purchases per Member’s membership year.” And it is tied to the membership year, not the calendar: “The $750 Sam’s Cash earnings cap for Plus Members does not reset until one day after a member’s membership year ends, even if that member has already renewed.”

So the arithmetic, ours and not Sam’s Club’s: at 2%, the $60 upgrade is covered by $3,000 of in-club or Curbside Pickup purchases in a membership year, $250 a month; the $750 cap corresponds to $37,500. Online orders, however large, add nothing to that count, which is the biggest single difference from Costco, whose 2% does count Costco.com.

Renewal: a day early, and the 60-day trap

Under the Terms, members enrolled in auto-renew are charged “approximately one day before the end of the Membership term,” to any card on file or payment method in the digital wallet, for the fee plus any add-on fees and taxes. Sam’s Club says it will email before charging if the fee changes.

If you let it lapse and come back within two months, you do not get a new anniversary: “If a Member renews during the sixty (60) days following their annual renewal date, the Annual Membership date remains the same and the Member will be charged for a full year membership.” In other words, the gap is paid for. And shopping on an expired card has a price: “a non-member surcharge fee equal to 10% of the total purchase may apply, at Sam’s Club sole discretion, to all post-expiration purchases.”

The renewal article lists the ways to pay the $60 or $120 by hand: online with cards on file or “with accrued Sam’s Cash,” at the membership desk or register, by phone at 888-746-7726, or by chat.

Cancelling and the guarantee

The cancellation article gives three routes: “For immediate cancellation, please visit the Membership Desk at any club,” chat, or “You can also call 888-746-7726.” Cancelling the membership and cancelling auto-renew are separate acts; the Terms say auto-renew authorizations “REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL THE AUTOMATIC RENEWAL OPTION OR MEMBERSHIP IS CANCELLED.”

The money comes back under the 100% Membership Satisfaction Guarantee: “If at any time you’re unsatisfied with your Membership, let us know and we will cancel your membership and provide a refund of the amount paid for your current year Membership fee.” Two limits: the guarantee “excludes memberships bought through the Sponsored Membership Program or third parties,” and “there’s a limit of one Plus Membership cancellation per household or business per year.” Downgrading from Plus to Club is refundable too, “We will reimburse the amount you paid for your Plus upgrade to the account that was charged at the time of purchase,” once a year, and “A member must not be in expired, deleted or revoked status to receive a downgrade refund.” If you joined on a trial, the Terms warn that “If you do not cancel your Trial before the end of the Trial Period, you will automatically become a Sam’s Club Member and will be charged an Annual Membership Fee plus any applicable taxes, and add-ons.”

Sam’s Club versus Costco, on the published terms

• Base fee: Sam’s Club $60, Costco $65
• Upgrade: Sam’s Club Plus adds $60 for 2% on in-club purchases capped at $750; Costco Executive adds $65 for 2% on warehouse, Costco.com and Costco Travel purchases capped at $1,250
• Break-even, our math: $3,000 at Sam’s Club, $3,250 at Costco
• Online orders: count at Costco, do not count at Sam’s Club
• Renewal charge: about a day before the term ends at Sam’s Club; the first day of the renewal month at Costco
• Refund: both refund the current year’s fee at any time; Sam’s Club limits Plus cancellations and downgrade refunds to one a year, Costco subtracts any 2% Reward from an Executive refund

Where the documents disagree or leave gaps

Two cards, but who. The join page says “Two Membership Cards”; the Terms limit the second to a household member 18 or older at the same address.

Add-on fees are not published. The Terms say add-ons cost “an additional reduced fee” and point you to a club or the phone line; no dollar figure appears on these pages.

Trial terms exist, but the offer page does not show one. The Terms carry a full trial section; the join page read October 8 listed no trial.

The surcharge is discretionary. The 10% non-member fee “may apply, at Sam’s Club sole discretion.”

Tax is on top. The Terms add “any applicable taxes” to every fee; $60 and $120 are pre-tax.

Before you choose or renew

This is a sequence of checks, not a recommendation:

1. Add up a year of in-club and Curbside Pickup spending only. Online orders earn nothing; below about $3,000 the Plus upgrade returns less than it costs by our math
2. Price the delivery fee. At $12 per club delivery, five deliveries a year is $60, the whole upgrade
3. Note the renewal charge lands a day before the term ends. Cancel auto-renew before that, in a club, by chat or by phone
4. Do not let it lapse by a few weeks. A renewal within 60 days keeps the old date and charges a full year
5. If downgrading from Plus, remember the once-a-year limit. Both the cancellation refund and the downgrade refund are capped at one per household per year
6. Check whether the $750 cap resets. It resets a day after the membership year ends, even if you renewed early

Quick answers to what people search

How much is a Sam’s Club membership in 2026? “$60/year” for Club and “$120/year” for Plus, plus applicable taxes, per the join page read October 8, 2026.

Is Sam’s Club Plus worth it? By our calculation the 2% Sam’s Cash covers the $60 upgrade at $3,000 a year of in-club or curbside purchases. Online orders do not count, and the cap is $750.

Does Sam’s Cash apply to online orders? No for the Plus 2%. The Terms say Plus members “do not earn 2% in Sam’s Cash from third parties nor for online purchases on SamsClub.com.”

When does Sam’s Club charge the renewal? “approximately one day before the end of the Membership term” if you are enrolled in auto-renew.

Can I get a refund on a Sam’s Club membership? Yes, the current year’s fee, “at any time,” under the 100% Membership Satisfaction Guarantee, limited to one Plus cancellation per household per year.

What happens if my Sam’s Club membership expires? You cannot shop until you renew, a 10% non-member surcharge “may apply,” and a renewal within 60 days keeps the old anniversary date and charges a full year.

Sam’s Club or Costco membership? $60 versus $65 for the base tier, $120 versus $130 for the rebate tier. Sam’s Club’s 2% excludes online orders and caps at $750; Costco’s counts Costco.com and caps at $1,250.

Bottom line

As of October 8, 2026, Sam’s Club costs $60 or $120 a year before tax. The extra $60 buys a 2% rebate that, by our math, breaks even at $3,000 of in-club spending and never counts SamsClub.com orders, plus free shipping and delivery over $50 and early hours. The fee renews a day before the term ends, a late renewal within 60 days still costs a full year, and the current year’s fee is refundable at any time, once a year for Plus.

Fees, benefits, rebate rules, renewal terms and guarantee wording quoted from Sam’s Club’s join page, help articles and Terms and Conditions, US versions, read on October 8, 2026. The break-even figures are our own calculation from the published 2% rate and $60 upgrade. Sam’s Club’s pages are the authority and may change. This is general information, not financial advice.