Shoppers planning to hit Walmart Deals next week can cut a Walmart Plus membership to $49 right now, half the normal annual price and a direct $49 saving before the sale begins.
The promotion applies to the annual Walmart Plus plan, not the monthly plan, and is available at least through the start of Walmart Deals on June 22, according to ZDNet. Walmart’s timing is blunt: lock in shoppers before a crowded sale week, then reduce friction when they start checking out.
Walmart Plus annual membership drops to $49 before Walmart Deals opens
Walmart is discounting its annual Walmart Plus membership by 50%, cutting the price from $98/year to $49/year. ZDNet rated the offer 5/5 under its editor’s deal system and said the last time it saw this offer was ahead of Black Friday.
That matters because Walmart Deals runs from Monday, June 22, at 12 a.m. ET through Sunday, June 28, per ZDNet. The offer gives shoppers a chance to buy into the membership before the sale window opens.
Here’s the price math:
| Walmart Plus option | Price listed in source | What changes in this deal |
|---|---|---|
| Annual plan, standard | $98/year plus applicable taxes | Cut by $49 |
| Annual plan, promo | $49/year plus applicable taxes | 50% off |
| Monthly plan | $12.95/month plus applicable taxes | Promo is for annual membership |
XOOMAR analysis: the annual promo price is lower than four months of the standard monthly plan before taxes. That makes the deal more compelling for shoppers who already know they’ll use Walmart several times over the year, not just during one sale week.
The primary catch is commitment. A shopper paying $49 now is buying a year of benefits, while Walmart gets a longer customer relationship before the sale rush.
Delivery, shipping and fuel perks decide whether the $49 price works
The headline price is clean, but the real value depends on how often a household uses the benefits. Walmart Plus includes free delivery from your store, free shipping with no order minimum, fuel savings, video streaming with Paramount+, auto care services, returns from home, early access to exclusive savings, mobile scan and go, and more, according to ZDNet.
Fuel is one of the more concrete perks. ZDNet says members can save 10 cents per gallon at 13,000+ fuel locations nationwide, including Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, and Murphy stations.
For frequent Walmart shoppers, that stacks with delivery and shipping. For occasional shoppers, it may not.
Where the $49 deal can make sense:
- Delivery: Households that regularly order groceries or store items may benefit from free delivery from store.
- Shipping: Shoppers placing smaller online orders avoid minimum-order friction where eligible.
- Fuel: Drivers near participating stations can capture the 10-cent-per-gallon discount.
- Sale access: Members get early access to exclusive savings as part of the benefit set.
- Returns: Returns from home can save time if eligible items don’t work out.
XOOMAR analysis: the deal is strongest for shoppers who already buy groceries, household goods, tech accessories, or back-to-school items through Walmart. If the membership changes behavior rather than reducing costs on purchases you’d make anyway, the savings can evaporate.
This is the same discipline buyers should apply to any paid platform. The sticker discount is only part of the decision. The usage pattern does the real math, a theme XOOMAR has covered in retail tech through Retail Data War Pits Amazon Against Walmart for Ad Cash and in software buying through Feast vs Tecton vs Hopsworks Forces an ML Trade-Off.
Walmart Deals timing turns the subscription into a checkout-speed play
The membership discount lands just before Walmart Deals, and that timing is the point. ZDNet frames the offer as a way to access Walmart’s upcoming Deals event while adding year-round perks such as shipping, delivery, fuel savings, and streaming.
The sale context is not happening in a vacuum. ZDNet notes that Prime Day kicks off next week and that other major retailers are offering competing deals and membership opportunities around the same period.
Walmart Plus is not required to shop Walmart Deals, according to ZDNet. That distinction matters. The membership is not a gate to the entire event, but it may still help shoppers who want member perks while buying during the sale.
XOOMAR analysis: for deal hunters, the practical advantage is speed and reduced checkout resistance. Free shipping with no order minimum can make smaller purchases easier to justify. Store delivery can shift the decision from “Do I need to go out?” to “Can I get it sent?”
That can matter during a short sale window, especially when shoppers are comparing carts across retailers. But the deal should not be treated as automatic savings. If a buyer only wants one discounted item during Walmart Deals, the membership fee still needs to be justified by the rest of the year.
Eligibility and renewal terms are the fine print shoppers can’t skip
Walmart’s promo is not open to everyone. ZDNet included Walmart’s disclaimer, which lays out who qualifies and what happens after the discounted year.
"This offer is available only to new, expired, monthly & current Walmart+ trial members. Members through Walmart+ Assist, or with InHome or Paramount+ with SHOWTIME are not eligible. After your promotional term, your plan will auto-renew for $98/year plus any applicable taxes. If you are a trial member, your promotional term will start immediately & the remainder of your free trial will be forfeited."
That auto-renewal line is the one to circle. The $49 price covers the promotional term. After that, the plan renews at $98/year plus applicable taxes unless the customer cancels or changes settings.
Before signing up, shoppers should check four things:
- Eligibility: Confirm whether your account qualifies under Walmart’s promo terms.
- Trial status: Trial members may lose the rest of the free trial if they take the promo.
- Local coverage: Delivery benefits depend on store availability in your area.
- Renewal settings: Set a reminder before the discounted year ends if you don’t want the standard annual renewal.
The watch item now is simple: if you already planned to shop Walmart Deals starting June 22, this is the decision window for the annual plan. If the benefits match your buying habits beyond that week, $49 is a meaningful cut. If they don’t, the discount is just a cheaper way to buy a subscription you may not use.
Key Takeaways
- The $49 promo cuts the annual Walmart Plus price in half before Walmart Deals starts on June 22.
- The offer only applies to the annual plan, so shoppers must commit to a full year upfront.
- The discounted annual price is lower than four months of the standard monthly plan before taxes.
Originally published on XOOMAR. For more news and analysis, visit XOOMAR.
