Sam’s Club vs Costco on Fees, Perks and Prices
Sam’s Club vs Costco comes down to fees, cash back and where you shop. Sam’s Club is cheaper to join and was cheaper in a recent side-by-side cart test, while Costco pays more back to big spenders and sells cheaper gas.
A basic membership costs $60 at Sam’s Club and $65 at Costco. The top tiers are $120 for Sam’s Club Plus, which now includes Walmart+, and $130 for Costco Executive.
For most households, the closer club and the card in your wallet matter more than the $5 gap.
The two clubs side by side
| Sam’s Club | Costco | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic membership | $60 Club | $65 Gold Star |
| Top tier | $120 Plus | $130 Executive |
| Top-tier cash back | 2%, up to $750 a year | 2%, up to $1,250 a year |
| Bundled membership | Walmart+ with Plus | None |
| Weekday hours | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. |
| Early hours | Plus, 8 a.m. daily | Executive, 9 a.m. daily |
| Credit cards in store | All major cards | Visa only |
| U.S. locations | 601 clubs | 647 warehouses |
| Hot dog combo | $1.50, 30 oz soda | $1.50, 20 oz soda |
| Whole pizza | $8.98, 16 inches | $9.95, 18 inches |
Sam’s Club figures come from samsclub.com and Walmart’s April 2026 store count. Costco’s come from costco.com, a sample warehouse page in San Antonio, and its September 2026 count, which includes Puerto Rico. Costco’s hours vary a little by warehouse.
Membership fees
Both clubs raised fees recently. Sam’s Club moved Club from $50 to $60 and Plus from $110 to $120 on May 1, 2026, its first increase since 2022. Costco went from $60 to $65 and from $120 to $130 on September 1, 2024.
Each membership includes a second card for someone in your household, at both clubs. The Sam’s Club join page lists Instant Savings, member-only fuel prices, Scan & Go and free Curbside Pickup for both tiers, while Walmart+, 2% Sam’s Cash, free shipping and delivery over $50, early hours and the pharmacy, optical and tire savings are Plus-only.
Costco’s membership page keeps more of its perks for Executive members, including the 2% reward, early shopping hours and a $10 monthly credit on same-day delivery. A detailed breakdown of each Costco tier lives on CostcoGuides.
New-member deals differ too. Costco was offering a $40 Shop Card with a new Executive membership and $20 with Gold Star, if you sign up online with auto-renewal. Sam’s Club tends to cut the fee itself instead, through group offers and seasonal promotions.
Plus vs Executive
Both top tiers pay 2% back, but the math lands differently.
By my math, the $60 Plus upgrade pays for itself at $3,000 of qualifying spending a year, and Costco’s $65 Executive upgrade at $3,250. A household spending about $65 a week at either club clears both numbers.
The fine print is where Costco pulls ahead for heavy shoppers. Executive’s 2% counts Costco.com and Costco Travel purchases and stops at $1,250 a year. Plus earns only in clubs and through Curbside Pickup, skips fuel and milk, and stops at $750.
Plus fights back with perks Executive doesn’t have. Since October 20, 2026, it includes Walmart+, which costs $98 a year on its own, along with $0 prescriptions on 10 generics and free delivery from the club on orders over $50. The full Plus breakdown runs through who those perks pay off for.
Shopping hours
Sam’s Club keeps one schedule every day, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with Plus members shopping from 8 a.m.
Costco’s hours change by day. At the San Antonio warehouse, Gold Star members shop 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, and Executive members can come in at 9 a.m. every day.
That gives Sam’s Club the early start for everyone and the later Sunday close. Costco stays open half an hour later on weeknights.
Paying at the register
This is the difference most likely to catch a new member at checkout. Costco warehouses take Visa as their only credit card, plus debit, cash, checks, EBT and mobile wallets.
Sam’s Club accepts all major credit cards drawn on U.S. accounts, including American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Discover, in clubs and online. Its terms, updated October 20, 2026, also list Apple Pay and Google Pay for purchases in clubs.
If your best rewards card is an Amex or a Mastercard, Costco makes you switch cards or pay with debit. Sam’s Club doesn’t.
Sam’s Club also has the faster checkout. Scan & Go lets every member pay on their phone and skip the line, while Costco was still piloting a pre-scan system in select warehouses in March 2026, with no date for a wider rollout, according to SlashGear.
Gas at both clubs
Costco usually wins at the pump. CNN reported in April 2026, citing OPIS data, that Costco gas ran 34 cents a gallon below the national average against 26 cents for Sam’s Club, and Costco sells Top Tier gasoline.
Sam’s Club wins on pump hours. Its fuel centers generally run 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, while the San Antonio Costco’s gas station closes at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The store credit cards are close. The Sam’s Club Mastercard pays 5% on gas anywhere for the first $6,000 a year. Citi’s Costco Anywhere Visa pays 5% on Costco gas and 4% on other gas and EV charging, on a combined $7,000. The Sam’s Club gas guide covers the members-only rules and pump payments.
Grocery prices and delivery
Shelf prices are close enough that one item rarely decides it, but one recent test leaned Sam’s Club’s way. Tasting Table filled the same online cart at both clubs in May 2026 and found Sam’s Club cheaper by more than $30.
Tide was $24.98 at Sam’s Club against $29.99 at Costco, and Kirkland olive oil was the only store-brand item that came out cheaper at Costco, by less than 50 cents.
Delivery changes the math. Costco says its Instacart same-day prices run higher than in the warehouse to cover Instacart’s fees, with a $35 minimum. Sam’s Club delivers from the club at club prices, but Club members pay a $12 fee per order, while Plus members get free delivery over $50.
Food court and returns
The hot dog is a draw at $1.50, though Sam’s Club pours a 30 oz soda against Costco’s 20 oz. Costco’s 18-inch pizza gives more pie for $9.95, while the Sam’s Club Cafe sells a 16-inch pie for $8.98.
Returns are generous at both. Each has a broad satisfaction guarantee, each gives 90 days on electronics such as TVs and computers, and each will refund your membership fee if you’re unhappy. Sam’s Club’s return policy gives cell phones only 14 days, though.
Which club fits you
- Sam’s Club fits if you want the lower fee, pay with an Amex or Mastercard, like curbside pickup and Scan & Go, shop early in the day or already pay for Walmart+.
- Costco fits if you spend well over $3,250 a year, buy a lot of gas, book travel through the club or want the bigger cash back cap.
- Both together cost $125 a year at the basic tiers. That only makes sense if each club sells things you’d otherwise pay more for.
My pick for a typical family is the club that’s closer. A $5 fee gap disappears the first time you drive an extra 20 minutes for the other one.
The exception is a household that already pays for Walmart+, which Sam’s Club Plus now includes at no extra cost. The Sam’s Club membership cost guide walks through what each tier returns.
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.
