You Can Join Sam's Club for Just $10 a Year -- if You Act Quickly

What happened

Sam's Club is offering new customers a chance to score a $10 annual membership as part of its 40th birthday celebration. Between now and April 19, new members can take $40 off of the cost of an annual membership, knocking the original $50 price point down to $10.

So what

A standard Sam's Club membership costs $50 a year and includes benefits like access to cost-effective bulk grocery items and household essentials, plus free shipping on online purchases. But right now, you can snag a $40 discount on a yearly Sam's Club membership, which brings the cost of a standard one down to $40 a year and the cost of a Plus membership down to $70. Plus memberships include added perks like free curbside pickup and pharmacy and optical savings.

"From the day we opened our doors, we've worked hard to build relationships and create experiences that earn our members' loyalty," said Clara Anfield, Sam's Club's Chief Member and Marketing Officer. "That passion is reinforced today through a member-obsessed culture focused on delivering value through price, quality, convenience and assortment."

Now what

Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, operates almost 600 warehouse club stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In addition to discounted memberships through April 19, Sam's Club is offering more than $100 in offers for members through May 1 that could allow for even extra savings.

If you've been thinking about signing up for Sam's Club, now's probably a good time to do it. Shopping there frequently could result in a much lower credit card tab in the course of feeding your family and maintaining your household.

That said, before you rush to sign up for Sam's Club, you may want to think about whether you'll actually use your membership. If you don't have a warehouse club store located nearby, then it could pay to skip the membership, or otherwise consider joining Costco if that chain has a location that's more conveniently located. 

Similarly, if you don't have a larger family to feed, or if you don't have a lot of room in your home for storage, then you may find that a Sam's Club membership isn't worth the cost. And if you're not careful and go overboard on bulk buying, you may find that shopping at Sam's Club causes you to lose money rather than save it.

Of course, you may not know whether you'll get good use out of a Sam's Club membership until you actually join and start visiting the store. So in that regard, it could pay to sign up at the $10 price point and simply see what happens. In a worst-case scenario, you're out a relatively small amount of money, and you'll know for the future that perhaps a warehouse club membership isn't a good use of your financial resources.