3 Little-Known Perks of a Sam's Club Plus Membership

Sam's Club Plus is the warehouse retailer's top-tier membership. For an extra $60 annually ($110 versus $50 on a standard membership), the Sam's Club Plus will earn you 2% cash back on Sam's Club purchases (up to $500 in Sam's Cash per 12-month period), give you free shipping and free curbside pickup, and grant you access up to two hours before the warehouse officially opens on weekdays and one hour before it opens on Saturdays.  

But if you've been considering a Sam's Club Plus membership for some time -- or you already are one -- these perks are no surprise. They're the headliners, and often they take up the most advertising space. But what else does a Plus membership have, you might wonder, are there other perks that could help your personal finances? Let's look at three little-known perks that deserve some spotlight. 

1. Get 8% off pet medications 

You might know that Plus members get amazing benefits on prescriptions, including being able to get a 30-day supply of over 600 medications for $10 or less. But what you might not know is that you can get a discount on pet medications. 

With a Sam's Club Plus membership, you can get 8% off pet medications. Not only that, but the warehouse retailer frequently offers additional discounts on popular prescription drugs, like Heartgard Plus and TruProfen. If you don't have pet insurance, this could be a way to save on your pets' drugs. 

2. Earn 5% back with the Sam's Club credit card 

You might know you get 2% back in Sam's Club cash as a Plus member. But what you may not realize is how much you can earn when you combine your Plus membership with a Sam's Club credit card. 

The card itself earns 3% back on Sam's Club purchases, but with a Plus membership you'll get a whopping 5%. That's about the highest rate you'd find on today's best credit cards. 

3. Enjoy $40 off tire installation 

Sam's Club frequently runs promotions on tires to help you save between $100 and $150 on a set of four tires. This is true for standard and Plus members. But while standard Sam's Club members have to pay full price to have the tires installed ($80), Plus members get an additional $40 off. If you combine this with a promotion, you could very well get the lowest price for a set of new tires -- yes, perhaps even lower than Costco Tires. 

New members get $40 off their first year of Plus 

Finally, one last perk of a Sam's Club Plus membership is that you can get one for only $70, or $20 more than its standard membership. From now until Jan. 31, 2024, new Plus members get $40 off in instant savings. If you're already a Sam's Club member, that means you would only need to spend $1,000 to earn the difference between the memberships ($20) in cash back. 

To wrap it up, if you shop frequently at Sam's Club, this membership could easily give you more savings than the membership dues. Even though the total cash back savings is half of what a Costco Executive membership could earn you ($500 versus $1,000), you would still need to spend $25,000 at Sam's club per 12-month period to get the full $500. Take a look at your Sam's Club shopping habits, but if you're spending at least $1,000 this year, the Plus membership might be worth the upgrade.