You can shop without joining: Sam's Club lets non-members shop online (with a ~10% fee) or use a gift card in-store — worth it on high-priced or bulk items.
Some services are open to everyone: You can use the pharmacy, get eye exams, and walk the store — all without a membership.
Test before you commit: Walk the store, compare prices, or do a trial run with a gift card to see if a membership actually saves you money.
Are you on the fence about getting a Sam’s Club membership? Perhaps you only occasionally need to buy in bulk. Or maybe you’re not providing for a large household.
It turns out that there are many things you can do at Sam’s without a membership, including getting in and buying anything you want, gas included.
This could be "news you can use" if you’ve been curious about the potential savings and products Sam’s sells. Let’s break it all down.
You can shop online without a membership
Yes, non-members can shop on the Sam’s Club website.
However, you’ll get hit with a 10% non-member surcharge, and that can change the math significantly.
What most people miss is that 10% fee doesn’t automatically kill the deal.
Example:
- Bulk protein powder: $40 at Sam’s
- Same item: $55 elsewhere
Even with the 10% fee ($44 total), you still come out ahead. Make sure you do the math first before you click the purchase button.
Where this tend to works best:
- High-margin items (electronics, appliances, furniture)
- Bulk pantry staples with big price gaps
- Name-brand items with inflated retail pricing elsewhere
Where it doesn’t:
- Cheap items (you’ll feel the 10% more)
- Anything with thin margins (snacks, basic groceries)
Pro tip: Try reversing the decision. Instead of asking “Can I shop here without a membership?” ask: “Does this item beat competitors by more than 10%?” If yes, buy it anyway. If not, walk away.
You can use the pharmacy (this is a quiet money saver)
You do not need a membership to buy prescription medications at the Sam’s Club pharmacy. As long as you have a prescription, you can walk in and get it filled.
This is one of the most underused savings angles. Just tell the employee at the door that you’re there to use the pharmacy, and they’ll waive you through.
Why it matters:
Sam’s Club often prices their generic drugs aggressively to compete with big chains.
Without a membership, you can:
- Fill prescriptions
- Ask for pricing upfront
- Transfer prescriptions easily
What savvy shoppers do:
They treat pharmacies like gas stations and they shop around for the best price.
Pro tip: Run a three-way price comparison every time. Before filling a prescription, check these:
- Sam’s Club
- GoodRx app
- Your current pharmacy
You’ll be surprised how often the “cash price” beats insurance, especially when you can use a GoodRX coupon.
You can get eye exams (but split the purchase)
The optometrist inside Sam’s Club locations are Independent Doctors of Optometry, which means anyone is allowed to walk in and pay for an eye exam.
However, if you want to actually purchase any glasses or contacts, you’ll need to be a Sam’s member.
Why this actually matters for your wallet:
Eye exams with Sam’s are often priced very competitively compared to private offices.
So, the smart move is to separate your exam from your purchase:
- Get your eye exam at Sam’s.
- Then take your prescription online and save.
Check out sites like Zenni or Warby Parker, as you can often cut your cost in half (or more).
Just make sure you walk out with a copy of your actual prescription so you can use it to buy glasses or contacts elsewhere.
You can shop with a gift card (closest thing to a loophole)
This is the workaround most people don’t know about, but it’s the closest thing to an actual Sam’s membership.
Similar to Costco, if you have a Sam’s Club gift card, you can shop in-store without a membership. You can also shop online and not be hit by the 10% guest fee.
How people actually use this:
- Have a member (friend or family member) buy you a gift card, then pay them back.
- You can have them load $10–$500 on the card.
- Then use the card to do a full test shopping trip.
Just flash the gift card at the entrance, then tell the cashier as well when checking out.
They also sell a “Fuel up!” gift card that can be used at Sam’s Club gas stations as well as in the warehouse, no membership required.
Pro tip: Use this as a “trial run” so you don’t have to guess if a Sam’s membership is worth it. This allows you to do one real shopping trip and then compare your receipt to your usual store.
You can walk the store (and you should)
If you just want to get into Sam’s Club so you can walk around and check out the potential savings, just tell them at the entrance.
I mean, sure, you could say “I’m going to the pharmacy,” but there is no need to. Just be honest, and they’ll let you in to take a look around.
Once you make it in, be sure to walk the aisles and check:
- Meat prices
- Household staples
- Snacks
- Cleaning supplies
Pro tip: It’s smart to take pictures of prices of the things you buy regularly (especially the unit price), then compare later at Walmart, Target, and Costco. This is really the only way to decide if buying bulk saves you money.
Want an actual membership? Don’t pay full price for it
Sam’s Club is constantly running discounts on their annual membership; you just have to know where to look.
Where deals consistently show up:
- Groupon – They’re offering $15 for a one-year Club membership, $50 for the Plus membership (auto-renew must be turned on).
- Stack Social – They’re currently offering the same deal as Groupon.
Both of these require you to be a new Sam’s member, or have an inactive membership for at least six months.
Groupon and Stack Social both run consistent deals on new Sam’s Club memberships. So, once the ones above expire, it’s just a matter of days before they offer a new deal.