You Can Snag a Walmart+ Membership for 50% -- but You'll Need to Move Quickly

It used to be that retailers would specifically wait for events like Black Friday to release their biggest sales of the year. But in recent years, retailers have been moving away from that model. Instead, they've taken to releasing deals throughout the month of November.

Walmart is jumping on that bandwagon this year. In fact, beginning at 3 p.m. EST on Nov. 8, it will start releasing its holiday deals early, giving shoppers a big opportunity to spend less this holiday season and free up more money to add to their savings accounts.

If you join Walmart+, though, you'll get access to those Black Friday deals a few hours early -- starting at 12 p.m. EST on Nov. 8. And believe it or not, those three extra hours of shopping could make a huge difference, since popular deals have the potential to sell out quickly.

But does it make sense to join Walmart+? It depends on your situation.

An opportunity to save big on your Walmart+ membership

A Walmart+ membership normally costs $98 a year. But if you sign up for a membership before 3 p.m. EST on Nov. 8, you can snag an annual membership for 50% off, bringing your total cost to just $49. Not only will that give you early access to Walmart's Black Friday deals that are about to drop, but you'll also get to enjoy the different benefits that come with a Walmart+ membership.

One major perk of Walmart+ is that you'll get access to free grocery delivery with a $35 order minimum. And to be clear, you won't face costly markups on your orders -- you'll get to enjoy the same low prices you'll find in stores.

A Walmart+ membership also gives you free shipping on all Walmart.com orders without a minimum. It's similar to Amazon Prime in that regard. Plus, Walmart+ members can save $0.10 per gallon of gas at select stations nationwide.

You'll also get a free Paramount+ subscription with Walmart+, which gives you access to additional streaming content. And if you plan to do a lot of traveling in the coming year, you should know that your Walmart+ membership might reward you with 5% Walmart Cash for qualifying trips you book. Earning that on top of any rewards you might get from a travel credit card has the potential to defray the cost of your trips.

Does it pay to sign up for Walmart+ for the early Black Friday access?

If you've been waiting for a good opportunity to sign up for Walmart+ and you think you'll get use out of the benefits mentioned above, then you might as well put your membership in place when it's available for 50% off its usual price. But you may not have to commit to that $49 fee if all you're really looking for is access to early Black Friday deals.

The reason? If you're new to Walmart+, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. If you do that right away, you'll get early access to those Black Friday specials without having to rack up an extra charge. You can also take those 30 days to see if a Walmart+ membership is actually right for you.

For better or worse, retailers have effectively turned the entire month of November into one giant sales event. But if you have a long holiday list to tackle, you might as well capitalize on those early deals as they become available.