4 Signs You’re Throwing Money Away on Walmart+

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Is a Walmart+ membership really worth it for you? Read on to find out. 

Given that living costs have gotten more expensive recently, many consumers are quite invested in doing what they can to save money. And it’s reasonable to think that doing more of your shopping at Walmart could allow for a decent amount of savings, given the store’s reputation for competitive prices.

In fact, you may be taking that concept one step further by paying for a Walmart+ membership. At an annual cost of $98 (or a monthly cost of $12.95), it’s a reasonable sum of money for the various perks you get, like free shipping on online orders of any size and no-cost grocery delivery. But if these signs apply to you, it means a Walmart+ membership may be nothing more than a waste of your money and a drain on your personal finances.

1. You don’t like to order groceries online

One major perk of a Walmart+ membership is getting fresh groceries delivered to your door at no cost. All you have to do is meet an order minimum of $35.

But some people don’t like the idea of somebody else hand-picking their groceries. An in-store shopper may not pay as close of attention to expiration dates as you would, and they may not select the freshest produce. As such, you might prefer to head over to Walmart and do your shopping in person. But in that case, you’re forgoing a big benefit of Walmart+.

2. You don’t have a car

Walmart+ members can save $0.10 per gallon of gas at more than 14,000 stations nationwide. But if you don’t have a car, that’s a perk you clearly won’t get to take advantage of.

That said, it may be that because you don’t own a car, you tend to take advantage of free grocery delivery with your Walmart+ membership. And that alone could justify keeping that membership active. But if you’re not getting cheaper gas or free grocery delivery, then you may be spending your money needlessly.

3. You don’t access your free streaming content

Another perk of a Walmart+ membership is a free Paramount+ subscription. But if there are other streaming services you tend to favor, and you’re also not placing many grocery delivery orders or taking advantage of discounted gas, then that should prompt you to reconsider paying for a membership.

4. You do most of your online shopping on Amazon

Your Walmart+ membership gives you access to free shipping on Walmart purchases made online with no order minimum, similar to how Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping on orders of any size. But if you already have a Prime membership and use it a lot, then your need to place orders on Walmart may be minimal. So if you find that you’re rarely putting in those orders, then it may be time to cancel your membership.

A Walmart+ membership could be a good thing to have. But if these signs apply to you, it means that by keeping yours, you may be wasting money rather than saving any. And that’s clearly not what you want.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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