Sam's Club Raises Annual Membership Fees 20% Starting May 2026

Starting May 1, associates at all 600 Sam's Club locations will field the same question at every membership desk and checkout lane: why did my fee just go up $10?

The answer begins with a direct explanation Sam's Club sent existing members by email on March 31: "Effective May 1, 2026, membership prices will change from $50/year to $60/year for Club members, and from $110/year to $120/year for Plus members." The $10 increase on both tiers represents a 20% jump for Club-level members and the company's second fee adjustment in four years. The last came on October 17, 2022, when then-President and CEO Kath McLay raised Club fees from $45 to $50 and Plus fees from $100 to $110. Before that hike, Club fees had not changed in nine years, and the Plus tier had been locked at the same price since 1999.

The practical counter to "what do I get for the extra $10" is sharpest for Plus members. Sam's Club raised the Sam's Cash rewards ceiling for that tier from $500 to $750 annually, a $250 increase in potential cash back that dwarfs the price bump. A Plus member who regularly approaches the old $500 cap can recover the $10 increase through incrementally higher rewards alone. Add savings at the pump and Scan & Go mobile checkout, which lets members pay on their phones without standing in line, and the company's framing holds: it has "adjusted our membership pricing to support the things our members love."

Not every member will face the higher charge on May 1. Current members renew at the new rate during their next individual billing cycle, so the impact is staggered by account. Associates handling cancellation requests should be clear: the billing date is determined by each member's renewal schedule, not by the May 1 effective date.

For members who have not yet signed up, associates can point to discounted rates still available. New Club memberships are priced at $30 through April 23, and new Plus memberships at $60 through April 30. After those windows close, new members pay the full $60 and $120.

Members asking how Sam's Club compares on price have a direct answer: at $60 and $120, Sam's Club now exactly matches BJ's Wholesale Club on both tiers. Costco remains higher, at $65 for basic and $130 for Executive. Associates fielding Costco comparisons can note that the price gap still favors Sam's Club by $5 at the base level and that Scan & Go has no equivalent at Costco, a feature that drew significant attention when the fee announcement circulated on TikTok.

The broader context behind the increase is one associates may hear members invoke. The OECD calculates that overall U.S. prices are nearly 36% above pre-COVID levels, even as year-over-year inflation cooled to 3.3% in January 2026. Sam's Club's own financials run in the opposite direction: membership income grew 12.5% in Q4 FY2025, the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, with e-commerce up 23% in the same period. CEO Chris Nicholas has outlined a plan to double membership and more than double sales and profit over the next 8 to 10 years, opening roughly 15 new clubs annually. The fee increase, in that framing, funds the expansion. Whether members accept that argument or not, 600 locations will be answering for it live starting May 1.