Sam’s Club Plus Hours for Early Shopping
Sam’s Club Plus hours run from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. every day, the hour before Club members are let in. At most clubs, Plus members get that hour to themselves seven days a week, including Sundays.
The same 8 a.m. start applies on holidays when clubs are open. The early hour is one of the perks in the $120 Plus membership.
Plus hours by department
| What’s open | Plus members | Club members |
|---|---|---|
| In-club shopping | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Curbside Pickup | 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Tire & Battery Center | From 8 a.m., Mon to Sat | Usually from 10 a.m. |
| Cafe | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Fuel | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
These are the standard times from Sam’s Club’s hours, pickup and tire center pages, and each club’s own page has the final word. The San Antonio club on SW Military Drive, for example, lists its Plus hour as 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Sunday.
Not every department opens with the doors. The Cafe starts at 10 a.m. for everyone, and pharmacies keep their own schedules, often opening at 9. The club’s full hours show which counters run on separate clocks.
Seven hours a week, down from eleven
The Plus hour got shorter on weekdays and longer on weekends in October 2025. Sam’s Club moved most clubs to one daily schedule on October 12, 2025, with Plus shopping from 8 to 9 a.m. every day.
Before that, Tasting Table reported in September 2025 that Plus members could shop from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 to 9 a.m. on Saturday, with no early hour on Sunday.
By my math, that’s 11 Plus-only hours a week before the change and 7 after. Plus members gained a Sunday hour and lost the second weekday hour, while Club members got an earlier start every weekday.
Costco’s version is now slightly smaller. At the San Antonio Costco, Executive members can shop from 9 a.m. every day, an hour ahead of Gold Star members on weekdays and Sundays and 30 minutes ahead on Saturday, or 6.5 hours a week.
The bigger head start is outside the club
For pickup and delivery, Plus members start two hours earlier, not one. Curbside Pickup and delivery windows open at 7 a.m. for Plus members and at 9 a.m. for Club members, according to Sam’s Club’s hours page.
That makes a 7 a.m. pickup the quietest way to use the perk. Curbside Pickup is free for every member with no minimum, so the early slot costs nothing extra, and Plus delivery is free on eligible orders of $50 or more.
The Tire & Battery Center has its own early window. Sam’s Club’s tire services page says Plus members can be served from 8 a.m. on weekdays and Saturday, even when the center opens to everyone at 10 a.m., which can mean new tires installed before the doors open.
Who gets in early
The early hour belongs to the two cards on a Plus membership, the primary member and the free household card. Sam’s Club’s terms say only primary and complimentary cardholders are eligible for Plus benefits.
Add-on members are the catch. Even on a Plus account, add-ons are issued Club-level cards, so they wait until 9 a.m. with every Club member.
Sam’s Club also hedges the perk itself. Its benefits page says Plus members can shop up to an hour early, with select exclusions, but it doesn’t say which clubs or days those are.
Holidays and sale days
On holidays when clubs open, the Plus hour still starts at 8 a.m. Sam’s Club’s hours page lists Christmas Eve as 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Plus and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Club members, and New Year’s Eve, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day as full days.
Clubs close on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, so there’s no Plus hour on those days. The holiday hours calendar lists every date.
The bigger holiday perk is online. Plus Early Access gives Plus members up to 12 hours of early access to online events such as Doorbusters, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In 2025, Plus members could shop the Doorbusters online from 9 p.m. Eastern the night before everyone else.
Worth paying for
I’d treat the early hour as a bonus, not a reason to upgrade. Seven quiet hours a week help if you shop at 8 a.m. anyway, but they don’t save money the way the 2% Sam’s Cash and free delivery do.
Where the hour matters most is Saturday morning and the busy weeks before holidays, when an hour without the crowd is worth something. The Plus membership breakdown runs the numbers on the perks that pay.
Prices, fees and policies were checked when this guide was last updated and can change without notice. Sam’s Club Tips is an independent site and is not affiliated with Sam’s Club or Walmart Inc.
