Joining a membership club can have its ups and downs, but taking advantage of the best membership deals is one way to make the decision a little easier. When there are so many to choose from — for places like Costco, Walmart, and Sam’s Club — it comes down to picking the one your family is going to use the most.
And of course, if you’re going to sign up anyway, let’s find a deal to save you money.
My best advice is to sign up for whichever one has the best membership deal happening at the time — and to use store promotions to make the deal even sweeter. And never, ever pay full price for a membership. There will always be at least one membership that has a deal going on.
We researched all the top memberships to find their current deals. With this guide, you can make the best decision for you, your family, and your wallet. And if you’re just looking to join one with the best rotisserie chicken, we have the scoop on that, too.
Text DEALS to 57299 to stay up to date on the latest sales and discounts.
Current Sam’s Club Membership Deals
Sam’s Club is one store where you’ll always find some sort of membership deal happening throughout the year. Almost monthly, there are Sam’s membership deals — like the only one happening now where new members can join for as low as $20 (regularly $60).
Sam’s Club will offer membership deals on both their Basic Membership and their Plus Membership from time to time. A Plus membership gets you everything that comes with Basic, but you get a few extra perks like free shipping, cash rewards, and Sam’s Club early hours that let you do your shopping before everyone else.
You can find out all the details in our Sam’s Club membership guide. Once you become a member, you gotta know all about the Sam’s Club products and prices so you don’t overspend. While you can’t use coupons at Sam’s, look for Instant Savings that come out once a month. And you can always get cash back when you redeem Ibotta offers using your Sam’s receipt.
Plus, being a member gives you access to Sam’s Club online shopping perks, and some awesome warehouse club gas savings.
Club Membership: $20 (reg. $50)
Here’s how to get this deal:
- Click this link to activate the 60% off promotion.
- Create an online account by providing your name, email address, password, and mailing address.
- Continue to the billing information section to complete your order.
- You can start shopping right away with your digital membership card in the Sam’s Club app. All you have to do is log in.
Plus Membership: $60 (reg. $110)
Related: We did the digging to find out who wins in the battle of the Sam’s Club Food Court vs. Costco Food Court.
Costco Membership Deals Happening Now
If you’ve ever asked yourself, is a Costco Membership worth it? — the answer is always yes. Especially when you can find a Costco membership deal, like the Groupon deal we recently saw where you could join for essentially 75% off.
And signing up for a Costco membership gives you more than just access to their $1.50 hot dogs. Being a member gives you access to the Costco Coupon Book every month. And no — you don’t have to clip the coupons to use them. The Costco coupons are automatically applied when you check out. Plus, there are many sales that happen at Costco, too.
Costco offers two membership levels: Gold Star and Executive. (Well, technically they have three levels if you count the Business membership.)
Only choose the Executive Membership if you spend more than $500 a month at Costco. That way, your annual reward voucher will pay for your membership. You get 2% back in rewards on purchases at the Executive level.
$30 Free Shop Card with a Promo Code:
Executive Membership (no current deal):
TIP: If you sign up for a Costco Executive membership between Nov. 2 – Dec. 15, 2023, submit your receipt on the Fetch rewards app to claim 20,000 Fetch rewards points.
If there’s not an active Costco membership deal happening when you’re ready to join, there’s always the Costco military discount and Costco teacher discounts. We’ve even gotten postcards in the mail offering a free $30 Costco Shop Card when you join as a new member and enroll in Auto-Renew. (We recently saw this offer in July, but you can ask around in your neighborhood’s Facebook groups to see if anyone has a postcard to share.)
TIP: Did you know you can return your Costco membership if you’re not happy with it, thanks to the Costco Return Policy? When we upgraded to the Executive Membership level, my location even promised that if we didn’t get at least $60 back in our annual reward voucher, we could downgrade to Gold Star and get a refund back for the difference between the two memberships.
BJ’s Membership Deals
BJ’s is another one like Sam’s where there’s always a deal if you know where to look. If you’re lucky, you might even find a BJ’s membership deal that makes it 100% free.
In early 2023, we found a deal where you could get a BJ’s membership for 100% off! You just had to pay $30 for the membership, and a $30 award got added to the primary membership account 24 hours after enrollment to be used by 30 days from the date of enrollment.
Teachers and service members can get a BJ’s membership deal year-round. The deals on a regular BJ’s membership are sometimes better than the offer for service members, though, so you’ll want to check that. And if you’re on the fence about joining … try out BJ’s with a free One-Day Pass.
Shopping at BJ’s will save you more than the other big-box stores because BJ’s accepts manufacturer coupons. Yup, you read that right. You can also save through BJ’s Tires and BJ’s Travel services.
Prime Membership Deals
It feels like just about everyone has an Amazon Prime membership these days. If you’ve never had a Prime membership before, you should know there are a few Amazon Prime discounts up for grabs.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a jaw-dropping deal for Amazon Prime like the other memberships mentioned above. And just about every year, Amazon membership prices increase — like they’re expected to do again sometime in 2023. Currently, Amazon Prime is $139 for the year or $14.99 per month — unless you’re eligible for a discounted membership. You can always try it out for 30 days for free.
Since Amazon Prime membership deals are like a unicorn, check to see if you qualify for a lower-cost Prime membership like the Amazon Prime Student discount or Amazon Access memberships.
Even with a discounted Amazon Prime membership, you’ll still get access to all of the best Amazon Prime member benefits. And Amazon is always loaded with stuff under $5 that ships for free!
Walmart Plus Membership Deals
Walmart Plus is the newest of all these membership programs. You’ll normally pay $98 for a year of Walmart Plus, or $12.95 per month, but you can try it out for free for 30 days.
Walmart Plus lets you plan a Walmart shopping spree without leaving your house or paying a shipping fee. If you make a weekly order through Walmart Plus, you’ll save hundreds of dollars. My favorite part of being a Walmart Plus member is getting returns picked up from my home with the Walmart return policy. And did I mention you get 24-hour early access to the Walmart+ Week sale (aka Walmart Black Friday in July)?
Walmart Plus members are also eligible to earn Walmart Rewards. So not only are you getting orders shipped to your house for free, but you’re also earning money on your orders. If you want to save even more, we can teach you how to coupon at Walmart.
Gym Membership Deals
When we hear about current gym membership deals, we’ll post them right here. Right now, you can try your first 1-hour class free at Orangetheory Fitness when you visit their website and locate the “free class” button. You’ll be asked for your credit card information, but you will not be charged unless you opt-in for a membership.
How do I get the deal?
- Head to the website and select “running for men” or “running for women.”
- Fill out the profile questions.
- Select your plan duration.
- Complete your order.
- From there, you’ll need to download the app and track your miles there to be eligible for the refund.
Audible Membership Deals
Head to Amazon for an offer of a free 30-day trial of Audible Premium Plus. With this trial, you’ll receive one credit per month to buy any premium selection title. If you keep this offer after 30 days, it’ll automatically renew at $14.95 per month. However, you can cancel penalty-free at any time.
Even more membership deals and free trial offers:
Consider us experts at finding the freebies and deals you need to know about. Here’s what we’ve found lately.
Tell us what you think