These 6 Sam's Club Perks Could Save You Thousands

You probably think of Sam's Club as a place to buy groceries in bulk. But you can score a lot of surprising savings on everything from vacations and Broadway tickets to prescriptions and home improvement.

A basic Sam's Club membership costs $50 a year, while a Plus membership will set you back $110. If you're on the fence about whether joining Sam's Club is worth it, consider these perks that could save you thousands.

1. Travel deals

If you're planning a vacation, checking out the Sam's Club Travel & Entertainment deals is a must. You'll find discounts on hotels, rental cars, theme parks, and other attractions, like museums and zoos.

Sam's Club has some especially sweet deals on vacation packages. For example, as of this writing, you could score a 30% discount on a five-day, five-night hotel and theme park package at Universal Orlando for a family of four.

2. Cheap movie tickets

Sam's Club offers discounts of up to 40% for tickets to major movie theater chains, including AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Showcase Cinemas, and Cinemark Theatres. You can even buy vouchers for discounted movie theater popcorn and beverages with your Sam's Club membership.

3. Savings on Broadway tickets and shows

If you love live theater, be sure to check out the discounts of up to 50% available to Sam's Club members for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. As of September 2023, members could score discounted tickets for hits like "Hamilton," "Wicked," and "The Book of Mormon.”

4. Home improvement savings

Home improvement projects can take a big bite out of your budget, but Sam's Club members have several options for savings. You can find discounts on home warranty plans, pest control, home security services, and more.

5. Affordable prescriptions and medical care

Your Sam's Club membership can even help you stay healthy. If you're a regular member, you can get prescriptions filled for as little as $4, while Plus members get 10 select generic medications for free. Members also have access to free hearing tests, low-cost prescription eyeglasses, and members-only pricing on 24/7 telehealth services.

Note that you don't need to be a Sam's Club member to use the pharmacy. As long as you have a prescription, you can get it filled at Sam's Club pharmacies.

6. Discounted dental care

Members have access to a Humana Dental Savings Plan that can save you 20% to 40% nationwide. It isn't dental insurance, but rather, a plan that offers discounted dental care. Annual costs start at $49.92 for a single membership or $69.96 for a family membership.

You'll pay out of pocket for care, but you'll receive a reduced rate at the 105,000 dentists in the HumanaDental preferred provider organization (PPO) network nationwide. There's no limit on the amount of dental services you can receive in a year. If you need extensive dental work that exceeds the limits of your dental insurance, purchasing a discounted dental plan can be a good option.

Is a Sam's Club membership worth it?

A Sam's Club membership can be worth the cost even if you don't buy groceries in bulk, because of these lesser-known discounts and more. That said, joining multiple warehouse clubs probably isn't worthwhile, as many offer similar perks, like vacation packages and discounted prescription medications. So if you're weighing the choice between Costco vs. Sam's Club, you'll probably want to choose whichever one is more convenient for you -- but not both.

If you want to maximize your Sam's Club perks, consider applying for a Sam's Club credit card. There are two options: the Sam's Club Credit Card, a store credit card that you can only use at Sam's Club and Walmart, or the Sam's Club Mastercard, which you can use anywhere that accepts Mastercard.

Before you sign up for Sam's Club or any other warehouse club, also think about whether you're prone to overspending. If you're likely to buy gobs of things you don't need and run up a big credit card tab, you're better off skipping warehouse club memberships altogether.