I Just Saved $40 on My Sam's Club Plus Membership. Here's How

If you like to buy staples in bulk and enjoy a good store brand, then getting a Sam's Club membership could definitely be a solid financial move. At $50 a year, the basic Club membership pays for itself if you can save just $3.33 a month through your Sam's Club purchases. (Or you can find one great deal that will pay for it in one go, like we saw this past Black Friday.)

When it comes to upgrading to a Plus membership, you need to find a lot of extra value. That upgrade will cost you an additional $60 a year, or $110 total.

There are a few ways to make a Sam's Club membership upgrade worth it. But what really sealed the deal for me was the sweet promo I found on my Citi Strata Premier℠ Card in the Citi Merchant Offers portal.

The deal: $40 back when you spend $109.99 or more

This offer is good for $40 back in statement credit when you spend $109.99 or more on a new Sam's Club membership. (Given the price point, only a Plus membership will qualify. This basically makes a Plus upgrade a net $20 cost.)

Now, there is some fine print. First, like I mentioned above, it needs to be a new membership, not a renewal. (Our previous membership, which we let lapse, was through my partner. This time I signed up.)

You can't just sign up on the regular Sam's Club website, however. To activate the deal, you need to enroll your card, then use the link in the offer details. The last part is important: If you don't use the right link, you won't get the deal.

Once you enroll, click the link, and pay for your new Plus membership with your enrolled Citi card, you'll earn the $40 statement credit. (I will note that Citi takes a very, very long time to post credits. Longer, in my experience, than other issuers. So be patient. So far, every credit has -- eventually -- shown up for me.)

Using Citi Merchant Offers

This Sam's Club offer is just one of many deals you can find from your credit cards. Most major credit card issuers have some kind of deals portal where you can find offers from retailers. American Express cardholders have Amex Offers. Chase cardholders can find Chase Offers.

For Citi cardholders, they're called Merchant Offers. You can find them in the Citi app by clicking the "Explore Products & Offers" button at the bottom of your dashboard. From there, click the "Merchant Offers" tab.

The offers you can add will vary based on the card. (I saw the Sam's Club offer on both my Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and my Citi Custom Cash® Card.) Some offers can only be added to one card, so be sure to consider the best card before you add an offer. For example, if a deal is for a restaurant, add it to the card with the best dining rewards.

To use an offer, you click on it, then choose to Enroll in Offer. Often, that's all you need to do; once you enroll, make your purchase with your eligible card, then wait. In some cases, like the Sam's Club offer, you'll need to also use a specific link to make your purchase. Read all of the details on the offer to be sure you can meet the conditions.

A quick search can save big bucks

Over the years, I've saved hundreds of dollars through these sorts of offers. Checking my various banking apps for partner deals is a regular part of my personal finance routine. It only takes a few minutes, and it can be well worth it. I've even gotten things for free!

One word of caution: Deals are only deals if you're buying the stuff anyway. Even free things aren't valuable if you aren't going to actually use them. A sale item that isn't useful isn't a deal -- it's a waste of money.