How to Get a Free Sam's Club Membership

With almost 600 locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, chances are good that there’s a Sam’s Club in your area. You may wonder…how can I get a free Sam’s Club membership?

Sam’s Club is a great place to buy items in bulk. You’ll find baked items, dry goods, packaged snacks, rotisserie chicken, toilet paper, and more at incredible prices. But Sam’s Club can offer these low prices because you need to be a member to shop there.

A Sam’s Club membership starts at $50 per year. I know it’s a little strange to pay for the privilege of shopping, which is probably why you’re asking how to get a Sam’s Club membership for free.

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Purchase Items Without a Membership

In the interest of transparency, you can’t get a free Sam’s Club membership. And by that, you can’t just walk up to the customer service desk and demand a free membership. You won’t find a link online that gets you a free membership without paying anything out of pocket.

But there are still plenty of ways you can shop for free at Sam’s Club. Use a little creativity and ingenuity to make it happen! Some items at Sam’s Club can be purchased without a membership.

However, several categories of items are legally required to be available for non-members to purchase. Here are some ways to work around Sam’s Club membership requirements with a clear conscience.

1. Get a Free 1-Day Pass

Sam’s Club used to offer a free 1-day pass in the form of a coupon or an advertised free shopping day. This allowed guests to come in and see what Sam’s Club offers.

Now, guest memberships are no longer available at Sam’s Club…officially. However, if you go to SamsClub.com, try to purchase something online, and get to the checkout screen, you may get a nice surprise.

When you click the “Begin Checkout” button, click “Create a guest account” on the next screen. Enter your email address, mailing address, and phone number, and create a password.

After I did this, Sam’s Club emailed me a 24-hour guest membership! This included a temporary membership number to use both in-store and online.

A guest membership doesn’t allow you to get the Sam’s Club Instant Savings offers or other benefits, and you will have to pay a non-member surcharge at checkout. Still, it is a way to get in the door for free.

2. Shop with a Sam’s Club Member

If you have a friend, family member, or neighbor who’s a Sam’s Club member, see if they will let you tag along with them as they shop.

This is a perfectly valid option for someone wanting to check out Sam’s Club or make occasional purchases. Sam’s Club even encourages it! The website states that members are welcome to bring up to two guests per visit inside.

Your friend will still need to swipe their membership card to receive the members-only prices, but you can always have your items rung up separately.

3. Place an Instacart Order

Another way to shop at Sam’s Club without a membership is to use Instacart. These items will be priced higher than you’ll see in the store, but that’s the case with just about any order from Instacart.

You can enter your Sam’s Club membership card number on Instacart to save more and earn rewards, but you don’t have to do that to place an order. You’ll also have to factor in the cost of service, delivery fees, and a tip. Instacart has a $35 order minimum, and new customers get their first delivery free.

4. Shop Online at SamsClub.com

Many items that can be found in-store at Sam’s Club can also be purchased online at SamsClub.com and shipped to your home. While nothing is marked as “members only,” you won’t get access to any Instant Savings deals, and you’ll have to pay for shipping.

However, the biggest drawback to buying from Sam’s Club online without a membership is the non-member surcharge. I tried it on non-food items and found anywhere from a 10% to 40% non-member surcharge!

All that to say, you may still find a good deal on bigger-ticket items, even with the surcharge, but don’t assume that Sam’s Club will automatically have a low price for you if you’re not a member.

5. Buy Alcohol

The Sam’s Club website states that liquor purchases do not require an active membership. This complies with alcohol regulations in most states, which require equal access and pricing.

The liquor section at Sam’s Club has a separate entrance, so you won’t need to flash a membership card to enter. Note that not all Sam’s Club locations have a liquor store. Their Member’s Mark brand has produced liquor since 2010, including gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey.

Of course, the liquor store also offers beer, hard seltzer, wine, and cocktail mixers from other brands. You can even have their wines shipped to your home in select states!

6. Eat at the Café

Sam’s Club website also states that Café purchases do not require an active membership. You won’t have to pay a non-member surcharge, either.

So go right ahead if you want to indulge in hot bites, cold drinks, and sweet treats at your local Sam’s Club! A hot dog and fountain drink combo is just $1.50.

The Café at Sam’s Club also offers pizza, pretzels, yogurt cups, sundaes, salads, fruit, and yogurt parfaits, and ICEEs.

7. Use the Pharmacy

You do not have to be a Sam’s Club member to buy prescription medications at the Sam’s Club Pharmacy. Most pharmacies also offer non-members free or discounted flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines.

You should be able just to walk in, or schedule an appointment in advance to cut down on wait times. Non-members can also get health screenings for blood glucose and cholesterol at the pharmacy inside Sam’s Club.

However, members can access the RxSavings network, which offers generic medications for as low as $4. Members get even more benefits, including ten select prescriptions for as little as $0.

Find a Sam’s Club Membership Discount

So you’ve tried the free ways to shop at Sam’s Club without a membership. Now you’ve realized that you want a membership for yourself.

Before you head inside and get started with your membership, hold on! There are a few ways to get a Sam’s Club membership discount so you don’t have to pay full price.

8. Check SamsClub.com

Sam’s Club often offers a membership discount on SamsClub.com—you just need to know where to find it!

Right now, you can sign up here and get 50% off your Club membership for just $25. Please note that this is for the Club membership only (normally $50/year). A Plus membership is $110/year.

9. Check Online Deal Websites

Periodically throughout the year, Groupon offers a Sam’s Club membership deal that offers a discount off the full price and/or a gift card or free items with your membership purchase.

Of course, this isn’t a free Sam’s Club membership, but the gift card and free items typically offset most – if not all – of the cost.

For example, a deal was available in which you could get a Sam’s Club membership for just $20 and $25 off your first purchase of $25 or more.

You can keep checking Groupon to see if a similar offer pops back up or monitor sites like Slickdeals to find the best online deals on a Sam’s Club membership.

10. Get a Military Discount

Sam’s Club offers a Military Membership to qualified military personnel. Join or renew your membership to receive $10 off your first purchase of $10 or more within the first 60 days.

The Sam’s Club military discount covers:

Active military personnel
Retired military personnel and veterans
Civilian military employees
Military spouses

Finding a discount on a membership renewal is rare, so take advantage of this if you qualify!

11. Find a Friend for a $20 Gift Card

Chances are good you already know someone with a Sam’s Club membership…but did you know they can get you a gift card when you sign up?

Current Sam’s Club members have a personal referral link in their online account. When you sign up through someone’s Sam’s Club referral link, you’ll get a $20 e-gift card to use at Sam’s Club!

There’s a bonus for the member sharing, too – they’ll get a $10 e-gift card for every friend who joins through their link.

12. Give Yourself a Free Trial

While you can’t just walk into Sam’s Club and start shopping for free, there is kind of a way to give yourself a free trial.

Sam’s Club offers a 100% membership satisfaction guarantee. If you’re unsatisfied with your membership, contact customer service.

They will cancel your membership and refund the amount paid for your current year’s membership. This is a full refund—it’s not prorated according to the length of time you’ve had your membership.

Please be honest when trying to get a membership refund. It isn’t nice to use a membership all year and get a refund on the last day. However, if you’re uncertain whether the Sam’s Club membership price is worth it, know that you can get your money back if you want to.

13. Become a Sam’s Club Add-On Member

This isn’t a huge discount, but it is a discount: you can get a Sam’s Club Add-on Membership to save $5. To become an add-on member (hence the name), you’ll need to be added to a current member’s plan.

You’ll have a separate membership that includes an individual card. Add-ons are always a Club membership, not a Plus membership. Your membership period will coincide with the Primary Member’s membership period.

I think it makes more sense to get your own membership with a discount, but I wanted to mention this as an option anyway.

Maximize Your Membership Cost

There’s no such thing as a free Sam’s Club membership. But there are lots of ways to save at Sam’s Club to help you offset the cost of your membership and get the most bang for your buck.

A Club Membership is $50 a year, and a Plus Membership is $110 a year. Here are some Sam’s Club shopping tips to help you recoup that cost.

14. Buy Gasoline

I get the most savings at Sam’s Club by buying gas! Yes, there’s almost always a line, and you can only drive up to the pumps one way. But it’s worth the wait to save big on gas.

Let’s do the math: my Sam’s Club currently has gas priced at 32¢ per gallon, cheaper than the next lowest price. If I fill up my SUV with 20 gallons of gas each time, that’s a savings of $6.40 each time I fill up.

I drive a lot to bring my kids to school and other activities, so I fill up about once a week. If I choose Sam’s Club to fill up each time, I’ll save $332.80 per year, just on gas! Even if I filled up at Sam’s Club just eight times over the year, I’d pay for my membership.

RELATED: 9 Ways to Get Free Gas

15. Buy Discounted Gift Cards and Movie Tickets

Sam’s Club has discounted gift cards available both online and in-store. Use these to save extra at other retailers, or take them out of the package and give them as gifts.

I found savings of up to 25% when buying gift cards online, and I know there are lots of local gift card deals available in-store.

For example, I can get $50 worth of Krispy Kreme gift cards for just $37.50, and $30 worth of Cold Stone Creamery gift cards for $20.79. If I purchase both of those deals, I’d save $21.71!

Before you head to the movie theater, check Sam’s Club for discounted movie tickets, too. I saw 2 Regal or AMC Yellow tickets for $18.98 online. Not bad!

16. Earn Sam’s Cash

If you sign up for the higher-priced membership at Sam’s Club (Plus), you’ll get extra perks that you won’t get with a standard Club membership. One of those perks is Sam’s Cash. Plus, members earn 2% of Sam’s Cash on in-club purchases.

So if you spend $5,500 at Sam’s Club in a year (a little over $450/month), your Sam’s Cash will cover the cost of your Plus membership. (That’s a lot to spend in one place, I know.)

If you have a Sam’s Club Mastercard, you’ll earn 5% back in Sam’s Cash on gas (first $6,000/year), 3% at Sam’s Club, and 1-3% on dining and other purchases outside of Sam’s Club.

17. Buy Tires

Sam’s Club is on our list of places to get the best deals on tires. Right now, you can get up to $120 off a tire set at Sam’s Club!

While you hopefully won’t need to get tires for your vehicle every year, you can easily cover the cost of a Sam’s Club membership with the savings you’ll get on tires.

Their all-in tire installation ($20/tire) includes 24-hour roadside assistance, road hazard protection, lifetime tire balance, rotation, flat repair, and waste tire disposal.

18. Use Coupon Apps

While you can’t use coupons at Sam’s Club, you can put some money back into your pocket when purchasing certain items there.

Some of the most popular coupon apps offer cashback when you scan your receipt or link your Sam’s Club membership card to the app.

Here are some coupon apps that you can use at Sam’s Club:

Ibotta – add offers for select products and shop, then submit your receipt to get cash back
Coupons.com – activate offers, submit your receipt, and get some money back
Fetch Rewards – earn points for scanning any eligible receipt, including Sam’s Club receipts

If you keep up with scanning your receipts in these coupon apps and others, you’ll see that just a few minutes of effort can add up over time. You’re getting paid to shop for what you’re already buying!

Summary

Yes, it’s a bummer that you can’t get a free Sam’s Club membership. But that doesn’t mean you must write off Sam’s Club altogether. If you only need to buy certain things, you may be able to purchase items without a membership.

It’s pretty easy to find a Sam’s Club membership discount if you need a membership. Of course, using your membership wisely is a great way to maximize your savings.

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