10 Things Everyone Needs to Know About Sam's Club ‘Scan & Go’ Feature

The convenience of the Sam’s Club “Scan & Go” feature is unbeatable. You grab your items, scan them, and then you're on your way.

It’s a process that has caught on with Sam’s Club buyers, who feel like it’s one of the best Sam’s Club hacks. Customers are in and out quickly, regardless of how busy the store is. The retailer says 30% of Sam’s Club members use Scan & Go regularly — a 50% increase over the past three years.

Want to try out this feature for yourself? Here are 10 things you need to know.

Scan & Go is your ticket to skip the checkout line. You scan items as you shop around the store, then pay in the Scan & Go app and leave the store.

Scan & Go has extra features to enhance your shopping experience, including a running total as you shop. That means you won’t have to face the sudden surprise of a $150 receipt popping up.

Being able to track your expenses in real-time might even help you save money on groceries. The technology also provides reminders for items you may have forgotten based on previous purchases.

Scan & Go is designed to be simple and easy to use. After downloading the app, you can scan an item’s barcode or use the “Find an Item” feature.

The item is then added to your checkout cart. Once you have finished shopping, you pay in the app. On the way out of Sam’s Club, you show your digital receipt to a store employee.

When you see a green rectangle appear over the item’s barcode, you know that it’s been added to your cart.

This is what makes Scan & Go so convenient: Once you pay in the app, you can walk out of the store. There is no need to stand in the checkout line.

However, you will need to show your receipt to a Sam’s Club employee before you leave the store. This is a way for Sam’s Club to make sure you have actually paid for the items in your cart.

You can use Sam’s Cash as one of your methods of payment in the app. You can do the same with gift cards, which you can easily add to your payment methods.

You can only buy up to $1,000 of items daily using Scan & Go as your payment method. That likely means you can use the feature for the vast majority of shopping trips.

You return items purchased with Scan & Go the same way you would return anything purchased via the checkout line.

Open up the app, then go to “Account” and “Purchase History.” This is where you’ll find your Scan & Go receipts, and you can return items to the Member Services desk at Sam’s Club using these digital receipts.

If you want to use Scan & Go, you will have to bring your phone: Scan & Go is not available on tablets or any screens larger than 600 dpi.

In some states, you can purchase alcohol by bringing your cart and the app to a store employee to confirm your birth date.

If this is allowed, you will click “Pay” as soon as the employee confirms your age within the app.

Scan & Go has been around since 2016. The technology really began to shine as a contactless way of shopping in 2020.

Now, Scan & Go is the most convenient way to shop at Sam’s Club. There’s no need to wait in line. You also no longer have to wonder how much the items in your cart are going to add up to when you make it to the register.

When you shop at a big-box store, it can be easy to lose track of how much you are spending. Impulse purchases add up quickly, and before you know it, your cart is filled with items you didn’t exactly need.

Scan & Go is a smart way to save money by keeping a running tally of how much you are spending as your cart fills up. You see the impact of each item on your bottom line, and you know whether you are starting to break the bank.

This app keeps you accountable for every penny you spend — and that’s a great way to spend less.