5 Ways You're Leaving Money on the Table at Sam's Club

It's fairly easy to make your budget happy simply by shopping at Sam's Club. The warehouse club has very competitive prices on a lot of everyday goods. Indeed, you could make a membership worthwhile by spending on gift cards alone if you wanted.

That being said, I think there are a lot of folks who aren't taking full advantage of all the ways they could save at Sam's Club. Here are just a few ways you could be missing out on more money.

1. Not upgrading to a Plus membership

One of the benefits that separates the basic Club membership from a Plus membership is the 2% back in Sam's Cash you earn when you shop in-club. For folks who spend a lot on their Sam's Club trips, this could be worth hundreds each year.

Here's what 2% back looks like in real numbers:

A Plus membership costs $60 a year more than a regular Club membership ($110 vs. $50), so you break even on the upgrade cost by spending an average of $250 a month. And if you spend more than $250 a month, you come out ahead.

Keep in mind you only earn the 2% back when you shop in the store (Scan & Go still counts). Online purchases won't earn the bonus Sam's Cash.

2. Avoiding Member's Mark products

Sure, you can get a lot of name brands at good prices at Sam's Club. But the biggest savings for everyday necessities will be found on Member's Mark products. This is Sam's Club's house brand.

If you've been burned by generics before, you may be avoiding Member's Mark out of fear of poor quality. But, for the most part, you'd be wrong. Sure, a few items are misses, but the majority of the Member's Mark items I've tried have been excellent.

And most shoppers seem to agree. Member's Mark products typically have high ratings from reviewers, with tons of folks raving about quality.

3. Skipping Scan & Go savings

Scan & Go is a feature of the Sam's Club mobile app that lets you scan items as you shop. Then, you can check out in the mobile app and completely skip the checkout line altogether. It can save you a ton of time on busy days when the lines are long.

Well, now, it can save you a not-quite-a-ton-but-still-a-lot of money, too. Scan & Go Offers are deals on specific items that you can unlock by using Scan & Go in-club. Discounts vary by item, but I calculated an average savings of 17% from the current offers.

4. Using the wrong credit card

It can be tricky to determine which rewards credit card is the best for Sam's Club, since warehouse clubs like Sam's Club and Costco aren't a common bonus category. But it's worth making the effort, especially if you spend a lot of money on essentials every month.

If you can't find a card with bonus rewards at warehouse stores (it's rare, though it occasionally pops up on cards with rotating categories), then a flat-rate card is a good choice. You can find cash back rewards cards with 2% back. Or get a good 2X points or travel rewards card.

5. Tossing unread sales ads

I know it's tempting to toss those sales flyers into the trash with the rest of the junk mail, but you should probably at least page through it before you toss it. The sales in the pages can be huge, and you may notice a good chance to stock up on something you may overlook while in the many, many (many) aisles in the store.

If you don't want to take time out of your day to browse, put the ads somewhere you spend a bit of leisure time and/or have time to kill. This could be next to the sofa, in your bag to read on the bus, next to the toilet (no judgment) -- whatever works.

Lots of ways to save

You can mix and match -- and stack -- any and all of these various savings strategies, so adopt the methods that work best for you. It doesn't take a ton of extra work to really make the most of your Sam's Club savings.