We've been waiting with bated breath for news about the Walmart Plus launch date, and now our wishes have been granted – the retailer has confirmed when its Amazon Prime rivalling subscription service is launching.
As reported by The New York Times, Walmart Plus is now confirmed to be launching on September 15, 2020. The service, which is the retailer's attempt to compete with Amazon Prime, delivers free shipping on thousands of products and groceries.
The Walmart Plus price has also been confirmed at $98 per year. This is cheaper than the charge for Amazon Prime, which costs $119, but does not come with any sort of entertainment product like Prime Video.
In addition, Walmart Plus will also differ from Amazon Prime as it will require shoppers to spend at lest $35 to qualify for free shipping. In contrast, Amazon Prime has no minimum spend, if a product is Prime eligible then shipping is free no matter what its cost is.
Speaking on Walmart Plus's launch, Janey Whiteside, Walmart's chief customer officer said:
"We are launching it to meet the needs of our customers and it really was designed to make their busy lives easier. We think that it offers a comprehensive suite of in-store and online benefits that help people save time and money across a variety of areas."
In addition to the $98 per year subscription option, it has also been confirmed that Walmart Plus can be picked up for $12.95 per month, with a subscriber paying monthly instead of yearly.
Here at T3 we're glad to finally get some clarity on Walmart Plus, although we think it could be a hard sell for many without more information about additional membership perks and benefits being made available.
There has been rumours, for example, that Walmart Plus is going to eventually include things like discounts at Walmart-brand fuel stations, and here at T3 we think it is that sort of benefit that will drive sign-ups, not just discounts on in-store products.
Hopefully we will hear more about the benefits of a Walmart Plus subscription soon.
