NEW YORK (AP) – Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, has cut the price of its online subscription service in half for those subsidized by the government, a move that should help restore membership.
The Bentonville, Arkansas retailer said the Walmart+ service will cost $49 a year, or $6.47 a month for those on Medicaid, Social Security, the Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as food stamps) or other programs. Its standard membership costs $98 per year.
Walmart+ membership perks include free grocery delivery, free shipping on online orders, gas discounts and access to Paramount+ distribution services.
More than 41 million people in the US receive SNAP benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Advancement.
Walmart launched its subscription service in 2020, and has added several features as a way to compete with Amazon Prime, which was unveiled in 2005. Amazon’s annual membership now costs $139 a year, and it has added benefits. The online retailer began offering discounts to those receiving government assistance in 2017.
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Walmart also said it is the first retailer to accept SNAP offers online and in its stores in all 50 locations with the most recent addition in Alaska. Big box stores were accepting SNAP benefits but not in all states.
Walmart’s move comes as low-income shoppers feel the pinch financially after a pandemic-era increase in SNAP benefits expired this year. Adding to this pressure is the sharp increase in the prices of food and other necessities.
During the pandemic, all SNAP recipients had their benefits increased though the Emergency Relief program. The duration of those increased payments was originally linked directly to the public health emergency, but that was changed in December 2022 and the last SNAP payments increased by the pandemic came out in late February.
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