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Is the Walmart Plus shopping membership worth it? Is it better than Amazon Prime?
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Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner, and it’ll serve up thousands of deals you won’t want to miss. There’s one catch: you have to be a Prime member. But with continually rising Prime subscription costs, it might not be cost-effective for your budget to become a member right this minute. Luckily, there’s another option you can turn to that won’t be as expensive of a prospect: Walmart+.
There are plenty of great reasons to join Walmart+, many of them revolving around some of the perks that come with the membership rather than the savings it unlocks. For instance, subscribers receive access to the Paramount+ streaming service at no extra cost and get fast, free shipping on last-minute gifts. That includes same-day delivery from your local stores so you don’t have to worry about leaving the house, but you’ll still get everything you need. There are also exclusive sales you can participate in when you’re a Walmart+ member, like its Walmart Deals event.
Note: CBS Essentials and Paramount+ are both subsidiaries of Paramount.
Not sure Walmart+ is right for you? Not to worry. We’ve broken down everything you need to know about Walmart+ and whether it will benefit you to become a member.
What is Walmart Plus?
Walmart+ is direct a competitor to Amazon Prime. It offers free two-day shipping on purchases made on Walmart.com, plus a host of other discounts on prescription drugs, gasoline and more. Walmart+ members can also get same-day delivery of purchases from their local store (where available), including groceries like milk and eggs. And, of course, Walmart+ members get early access to special sales events like Walmart’s annual Black Friday sale.
If you’re a regular Walmart shopper, Walmart+ will save you money. A Walmart+ membership normal costs $98, or $40 less than its major membership service competitor, Amazon Prime. However, you can test it out for free for 30-days right now to get free shipping and same-day delivery for all of your last-minute gifting and holiday hosting needs.
Walmart Plus is a less expensive alternative to Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime membership costs $139 per year. Monthly subscribers, meanwhile, now pay $14.99 a month. Note that a 50% off membership discount is available for those on government assistance.
If you’re looking for a money-saving alternative to Amazon Prime, Walmart+ may be right for you. The service, which also offers quick and free shipping with no minimum purchase, is normally priced at $12.95 per month or $98 per year.
Another money-saving benefit: Walmart has lower minimums for free local grocery delivery than Amazon. And because Walmart has so many more physical retail locations than Amazon Fresh, you’re more likely to be within Walmart’s same-day grocery delivery area than Amazon’s.
Walmart+ is currently offering a 30-day free trial. Note that only paid subscribers can take advantage of early-access deals, so if you want to save as much money as possible during the coming Walmart Deals sale, you’re going to need to snag a paid subscription.
Save money on gas with Walmart Plus
For some relief to your bank account, consider becoming a Walmart+ member for a discount on gas. Walmart+ members get 10 cents off of gas at more than 14,000 Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, & Murphy stations nationwide. You simply scan the QR code that appears on the Walmart gas station pump screen to get started and save cash.
Walmart+ members can also enjoy member prices at Sam’s Club fuel centers.
Get tire repair at Walmart’s Auto Care Centers
If Walmart+ members buy tires at Walmart, they can get free flat tire repair at Walmart’s Auto Care Centers and will receive a free road hazard warranty. Since Walmart tends to have tons of major tire deals throughout the year, this is a nice benefit for Walmart+ members living near a Walmart Auto Care Center (they are typically attached to Walmart stores).
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The U.S. will remove all its forces and equipment from a small base in Niger this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will leave a critical drone base in the West African country in August, ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline set in an agreement with the new ruling junta, the American commander there said Friday.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said in an interview that a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. But the bulk of the forces will go, at least initially, to Europe.
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Dyer / AP
Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for the U.S. because it is forcing troops to abandon the critical drone base that was used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel.
Ekman and other U.S. military leaders have said other West African nations want to work with the U.S. and may be open to an expanded American presence. He did not detail the locations, but other U.S. officials have pointed to the Ivory Coast and Ghana as examples.
Ekman, who serves as the director for strategy at U.S. Africa Command, is leading the U.S. military withdrawal from the small base at the airport in Niger’s capital of Niamey and from the larger counterterrorism base in the city of Agadez. He said there will be a ceremony Sunday marking the completed pullout from the airport base, then those final 100 troops and the last C-17 transport aircraft will depart.
Speaking to reporters from The Associated Press and Reuters from the U.S. embassy in Niamey, Ekman said that while portable buildings and vehicles that are no longer useful will be left behind, a lot of larger equipment will be pulled out. For example, he said 18 4,000-pound (1,800-kilograms) generators worth more than $1 million each will be taken out of Agadez.
Unlike the withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said the U.S. is not destroying equipment or facilities as it leaves.
“Our goal in the execution is, leave things in as good a state as possible,” he said. “If we went out and left it a wreck or we went out spitefully, or if we destroyed things as we went, we’d be foreclosing options” for future security relations.
AFP via Getty
Niger’s ruling junta ordered U.S. forces out of the country in the wake of last July’s ouster of the country’s democratically elected president by mutinous soldiers. French forces had also been asked to leave as the junta turned to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for security assistance.
Washington officially designated the military takeover as a coup in October, triggering U.S. laws restricting the military support and aid.
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U.S. troops leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup, officials say
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