Here's How to Get a Free Month of Walmart+

It's a good way to see if a membership is right for you.

These days, a lot of people are looking for ways to save money on essentials given the way living costs are soaring due to inflation. As such, consumers commonly turn to retailers like Walmart for their low price points.

But what if you don't have a Walmart nearby? Even though the big-box chain has locations all over the country, it may be that your closest Walmart is a good 20-mile drive from your house. And given how much gas prices are up, driving there every few days, or even once a week, could get expensive.

That's why it could pay to look into a Walmart+ membership. With Walmart+, you get free shipping on orders without having to meet a minimum. You can also get free grocery delivery with a $35 order minimum.

Of course, Walmart+ isn't free. You'll pay $12.95 a month to get access to its many perks (though if you sign up for a year at a time, your cost comes to $98 for the year). But you may not want to shell out $12.95 a month if you're not sure how much use you'll get out of the service.

The good news, though, is that you don't have to. Walmart+ will let you sign up for a free one-month trial if you've never subscribed to the service before. And that's a good way to figure out if it's worth paying for.

Try before you buy

You might think you'll get a lot of use out of Walmart+ only to barely put in orders. Or, you might think you'll hardly use Walmart+, and then place several orders a week once you don't have to worry about meeting free shipping minimums.

Either way, it pays to sign up for a one-month trial to see if you like the service and get a sense of how much money it actually saves you. You may find that you're able to save more than the $12.95 a month Walmart+ costs by virtue of having items delivered to your door so you don't have to drive as much.

Signing up for Walmart+ could also be a huge time-saver for you. If you work full-time or have a busy schedule, you may not have many hours to allocate to in-person shopping -- even if your nearest Walmart is only a few miles away. And if the cost of Walmart+ fits into your budget, it may be worth it for the convenience factor alone.

Manage your free trial carefully

If you've been on the fence about joining Walmart+, it pays to try it out for 30 days at no cost. But pay attention to when your free trial ends so your credit card doesn't get charged automatically if you decide you no longer want to subscribe.

Keep in mind that Walmart+ allows you to cancel at any time -- you don't have to commit to a contract or anything like that. So if you're not sure what to do at the end of your free trial, you can keep the service on a month-to-month basis and see what it does for you.