This Special Offer Makes Joining Sam’s Club Even More Affordable

It was a few months ago that my wife and I decided at long last to become Sam’s Club members. That milestone was mostly made possible thanks to an Amex Offer that saw me earning a $25 statement credit, bringing the effective rate of my first year of membership to just $20. Well, this week, Sam’s Club themselves announced an even better deal — one that essentially makes your inaugural year free.

Right now, SamsClub.com is offering a sign-up special where new members can earn a $45 credit that they can apply to their first purchase. What makes this particularly awesome is that a standard year of Sam’s Club membership retails for just $45 (although the Sam’s Plus level is $100 a year). Looking at the fine print, it seems this deal is currently set to run through June 21st, 2020, giving you enough time to make your move.

According to the Sam’s Club “special offer” site, new members will see their $45 credit loaded to their account with 72 hours of joining. Then, they’ll have 60 days to utilize that credit. Also, the entire $45 will need to be used in one single transaction. Otherwise, you’ll presumably forfeit the rest.

One minor nitpick I have with this deal is that it notes that your credit must be redeemed by visiting an actual register at a club location. That’s unfortunate because I’ve become a huge fan of Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go feature that allows you to ring up items as you shop and then complete your transactions on your phone — meaning that you only need to briefly interact with the associate on the way out and that’s it. Also, adding insult to injury, the website hosting this special offer features not one but two ads for Scan & Go on it, so why boast about something you can’t even utilize on your first visit? As Stephanie Tanner would say, “how rude!” FYI, this restriction also means that online and Club Pickup orders will not be eligible.

By the way, I actually just wrote about some of the pros and cons of warehouse clubs — specifically for couples that might not immediately see as many benefits to bulk buying as a larger family would. Spoiler alert: based on my recent visits to Sam’s Club, I think it’s definitely worth at least exploring membership and seeing what potential advantages they could offer to your grocery budget. Now, with this $45 credit offer, the barrier to entry is all but non-existent… unless of course you don’t have a Sam’s in your area. So, if you’ve ever considered becoming a Sam’s Club member before, your time may have just arrived.

Also published on Medium.