Sam's Club members can earn Sam's Cash which is a rewards currency that can be redeemed for purchases with Sam's Club or be cashed out in-store. It can be earned spending on the Sam’s Club Mastercard® or when spending on in-club purchases as a Sam's Club Plus member.
What is Sam's Cash?
Sam's Cash is a rewards currency that you can earn in the Sam's Club Rewards program by making purchases in-store as a Sam's Club Plus member or making purchases with the Sam's Club Mastercard wherever Mastercard is accepted.
Rewards can then be redeemed for purchases spent with Sam's Club in-club or online, to pay your Sam's Club membership fees, or for cash back in-club.
Earning Sam's Cash with Plus Membership
There's two type of Sam's Club memberships: Sam's Club Membership and Sam's Club Plus Membership.
Sam's Club membership is the basic membership that allows you to make purchases inside of Sam's Club locations. You will not earn Sam's Cash on your Sam's Club purchases with this membership
Sam's Club Plus Membership is a higher-costing membership which allows you to earn Sam's Cash on qualifying Sam's Club purchases. It offers the following additional benefits over standard membership:
- 2% Sam's Cash on qualifying Sam's Club purchases
- Increased earnings with the Sam's Club Mastercard
- Free shipping with no minimum shopping online at samsclub.com
- Early shopping hours before the store is opened to the public (select stores)
- Free select prescriptions at the pharmacy
- 20% discount on eyeglasses and free shipping on contact lenses
Sam's Club Plus membership costs $100 per year whereas the basic Sam's Club membership will cost you $45. This is a net difference of $55, so you'll want to make sure you're getting enough value out of Plus membership to make the extra cost worth it.
As a Sam's Club Plus member, you'll earn 2% back in Sam's Cash on qualifying pre-tax purchases minus any redeemed savings or discounts during a membership year with a maximum reward of $500 per membership per 12-month period. This means you can earn on up to $25,000 in spend per membership year.
Only the primary member or complimentary household cardholder (usually a spouse, roommate, etc.) can earn Sam's Cash on purchases. Add-On members will not earn Sam's Cash for the primary member nor will they earn rewards for themselves.
Is Sam's Club Plus Membership Worth It?
The Sam's Club Plus Membership is worth it if:
- You spend more than $2,750 per year or $229 per month in-club or online with Sam's Club
- You value the benefits that come with Plus membership to be more than $55 in value (such as free shipping and other discounts)
- You have the Sam's Club Mastercard
Spend
Sam's Club Plus members earn 2% back in Sam's Cash when shopping at Sam's Club. Since the difference between basic membership and Plus membership is $55, you'll need to spend $2,750 per year or $229 per month at Sam's Club to make up for that difference.
If you spend more than that, the Sam's Club Plus membership will be worth it.
Benefits
Sam's Club Plus membership offers several perks that can easily be worth more than $55 if you use them. This includes the free shipping benefit offered shopping online, the 20% discounts on eyeglasses, and free/discounted pharmacy prescriptions.
Credit Card
Sam's Club Plus members who have the Sam’s Club® Mastercard® will be able to earn 5% back in Sam's Cash spending at Sam's Club. You'll earn 2% back in Sam's Cash as a Plus member along with 3% back in Sam's Cash with the Sam's Club Mastercard on Sam's Club purchases.
Non-Plus members will only earn 1% back in Sam's Cash with the Mastercard. If you use this card even a little bit at Sam's Club, you'll want to be a Plus member otherwise you're cheating yourself out of large amounts of Sam's Cash.
Earning Sam's Cash with the Sam's Club Mastercard
The Sam's Club Mastercard allows you to earn Sam's Cash anywhere Mastercard is accepted. It's a great card to have if you're looking to build up your rewards and the best card you can have for Sam's Club purchases if you're a Plus member as you'll be able to earn up to a total of 5% back in Sam's Cash.
Basic Sam's Club members will only earn 1% back in Sam's Cash which is a pretty low return. If you don't have Plus membership or don't plan on getting it, I'd recommend using a better rewards card for Sam's Club purchases such as a 2% cash back rewards card like the Citi Double Cash Card or Wells Fargo Active Cash Card.
In addition to earning up to 5% back in Sam's Cash at Sam's Club, the Sam's Club Mastercard also earns:
- 5% back in Sam's Cash at Gas Stations (includes Sam's Club and Walmart gas stations, but not competitor gas stations like Costco and BJs)
- 3% back in Sam's Cash on dining (includes fast food, bars, fine dining, and caterers)
- 1% back in Sam's Cash everywhere else Mastercard is accepted
You can use our Sam's Club Mastercard - Sam's Cash calculator to find out how much Sam's Cash you can earn based on the spend amounts you enter.
How much Sam's Cash can you earn?
Use the Sam's Cash Calculator to find out how much Sam's Cash you can earn spending in-club and online with Sam's Club. This will give you an idea of whether or not Plus membership is worth it.
Remember that Plus members only earn Sam's Cash on purchases in-club and the Sam's Club Mastercard earns Sam's Club cash anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
| Method | Sam's Cash Earned |
|---|---|
| Basic member Nothing. Nada. Zip. |
$0 |
| Basic member using the Sam's Club Mastercard 1% in-store; 1% online |
$- |
| Sam's Club Plus member 2% in-store |
$- |
| Sam's Club Plus member using the Sam's Club Mastercard 5% in-store; 3% online |
$- |
Redeeming Sam's Cash Rewards
Sam's Cash earned with the Sam's Club Plus Membership and with the Sam's Club Mastercard is combined and kept track of in one place. Rewards can be redeemed towards purchases made in-club and online, to pay your membership fees, and for physical cash back in-hand in club.
Since Sam's Cash is worth face value, all of these redemptions will yield the same value.
FAQs
What is Sam's Cash?
Sam's Cash is a rewards currency that you can earn spending with Sam's Club as a Plus member or earn spending with the Sam's Club Mastercard. It can then be redeemed towards Sam's Club purchases or turned into cash.
How do you redeem Sam's Cash?
Sam's Cash can be redeemed in-store at any register, towards membership fees, as a statement credit, and for cash back at a staffed register.
How much is a Sam's Club Plus membership?
A Sam's Club Plus membership will cost you $100 per year which is $55 more than the standard Club membership.
Is Sam's Club Plus membership worth it?
The membership is worth it if you spend more than $229 per month, in-club, at Sam's Club. It's also worth it if you own the Sam's Club Mastercard which earns additional Sam's Cash as a Plus member.
How many cards can you get with a Sam's Club membership?
Sam's Club members can have up to 8 add-ons and Sam's Club Plus members can have up to 16 add-ons.
How much does it cost to add someone to Sam's Club membership?
Sam's Club members and Sam's Club Plus members can obtain add-ons for an additional fee of $40 per add-on. All add-ons are for basic Club membership regardless of the membership of the primary member.
