For years, Walmart largely sold its Walmart+ membership as a convenience subscription. It's provided subscribers with cheap, easy ways to shop its stores and website from the comfort of their own couches.
But as the retailer looks to attract more subscribers to the program, it's also expanding the types of benefits available to members. In its most recent updates, which were announced in August 2026, a few in-store perks were added that have nothing to do with placing an online order or making a return from home.
These new benefits don't automatically make the membership more worth it. But for select shoppers who frequent the retailer for very specific reasons, they could make it easier to justify the annual cost—and change the math on whether Walmart+ pays off.
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Walmart+ members get new benefits
Two store-based benefits were recently added to Walmart+ subscriptions: a monthly allotment of free photo prints with an annual cap, and quarterly fee-free money-services transactions at in-store Money Centers.
Following August's updates, active and trial Walmart+ members now receive 25 free 4x6 photo prints each calendar month (for a total of 300 per year).
They also get one customer fee-free money services transaction per calendar quarter at Walmart's Money Services or Customer Service Desk. Eligible services include check cashing, money transfers, bill payments, money orders & loading cash to a digital bank account via barcode.
Walmart wants Walmart+ to work harder in stores
The changes are a part of a larger push to make the paid program pay off inside stores rather than just online.
"Our stores, and the services they offer, allow us to serve Walmart+ members through a truly omnichannel experience, with greater flexibility and choice in how they shop with us," Walmart Senior Vice President and General Manager of Walmart+ Membership Deepak Maini said in a LinkedIn post following the announcement.
"It's a simple idea: bring the convenience of Walmart+ to more of what members can access when they shop in our stores, and give members a little more value in their everyday lives," he continued.
Walmart+ existing benefits
The summer's new perks join a host of existing Walmart+ benefits, including: free store delivery, free pharmacy delivery, at-home returns, fuel savings, oil change savings, access to free online veterinary care, travel rewards, fast food restaurant discounts, access to ad-supported streaming services, and many others.
These existing benefits have a wide appeal, providing value to shoppers who frequently order via Walmart's website or through the app, or who already spend money on any of the other covered services and subscriptions.
How to decide if a Walmart+ membership is worth it
However, deciding whether the new perks are worth it isn't super straightforward.
If you have already determined that the existing Walmart+ benefits make a membership worth the cost, then these added perks are just icing on the cake.
But if you've been on the fence, a quick assessment of cost vs. savings can help you make a final decision.
Do the new benefits offset the cost?
Subscribers have two ways to pay for their Walmart+ memberships: monthly at $12.95 plus tax or annually at $98 plus tax (providing 37% in savings).
Individual 4x6 photo prints at Walmart start at $0.18, meaning you'd have to print 545 pictures each year to break even on the cost of a yearly membership. However, with free prints capped at 300 per year, the benefit maxes out at $54 in annual savings — leaving members to make up the remaining $44 through other Walmart+ perks.
Similarly, customer fees for money services range between $1 and $8. With only one transaction fee covered per quarter with the subscription, this benefit alone will also never fully offset the $98 cost of an annual Walmart+ subscription.
In-store perks aren't the only consideration
The math isn't everything, though.
A Walmart+ membership can be worthwhile even if you don't fully recoup the $98 solely through these two in-store benefits.
How much value you get from a subscription will ultimately depend on how you shop. If you already use Walmart+ for free delivery, shipping, or other benefits, the new in-store perks are simply adding to the value you're already getting.
Bottom line
At the end of the day, these new benefits are most valuable to Walmart+ members who already use the retailer for photo printing or money services.
For everyone else, they're unlikely to be a deciding factor, but they do give Walmart+ members more ways to get value from their annual fee, whether they're shopping online or walking into a store.
If you're already a frequent Walmart shopper and make regular use of these services, the additions could certainly help push a borderline membership into "worth it" territory. But if you rarely shop in stores or use Walmart's Money Centers or photo services, these perks alone probably shouldn't change your calculation.
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