Sam's Club Mastercard

The short answer

The Sam's Club Mastercard is a rewards credit card that requires a Sam's Club membership, with different club-shopping rates for Club and Plus members. It has no separate annual fee. Eligible gas and electric-vehicle charging earn 5% on the first $6,000 combined each calendar year, and eligible dining earns 3%.

Julia separates what the card adds from the benefits a member already gets. In her example, a household that already has Plus earns $144 more than it would with a 2% card: $54 from club shopping, $72 from fuel and $18 from dining. Put the whole $19,200 budget on the Mastercard and that lead shrinks to $48.

The Studio's one-line fit is "Eligible fuel and dining for an existing member." Its Wallet Score is 55 out of 100. The card suits an existing member with fuel and dining spending. It fits less well if you are a Club member shopping mostly at the club, where its 1% trails a 2% card.

What it costs

The Mastercard has no separate annual fee but requires Sam's Club membership. Standard prices are currently $60 for Club and $120 for Plus. Julia decides the membership separately: if you would keep the same membership either way, do not charge its cost to just one card. If you joined or upgraded because of the Mastercard, include the extra expense.

The Studio's score uses the basic required Club membership, including its $60 cost, so it does not assume every family already pays for Plus. The comparison throughout is a 2% card with no annual fee.

Moving from Club to Plus costs another $60. Combined with this Mastercard, Plus could give 5% on purchases that qualify for both programs, and the extra 3 percentage points cover the $60 upgrade at $2,000 of qualifying spending. That changes both the membership and the payment card, though, so it does not show what Plus alone is worth.

What it earns

• 3% on eligible Sam's Club purchases for Plus members, 1% for Club members.
• 5% on eligible gas and electric-vehicle charging, on the first $6,000 combined each calendar year, then 1%.
• 3% on eligible dining.
• 1% on ordinary purchases.

The Plus membership also has its own 2% reward on qualifying club purchases, with its own exclusions and limit. Every purchase, online order or fuel stop does not automatically get both layers. The fuel rate does not require Plus.

The credits, used honestly

The card has no statement credits. The reward itself needs the same scrutiny.

• Sam's Cash is not an immediate discount or an automatic bank deposit. It generally arrives within 1 or 2 billing cycles.
• Eligible uses include club purchases and cash redemption through the allowed club process, and membership and account requirements still apply. The Studio's record notes that Sam's Cash does not expire while the membership is active.
• Card-earned Sam's Cash has a calendar-year maximum of $5,000, separate from the fuel-spending cap and the Plus membership reward limit.
• The membership reward and the card reward are separate. Julia keeps them apart so the same reward is not counted twice.

The catch

The fuel allowance is shared. The $6,000 covers eligible gas and charging together; it is not a separate cap for each. At $8,000 of qualifying fuel, the first $6,000 earns $300 and the last $2,000 earns $20, for $320, an effective return of 4%. Moving that last $2,000 to a 2% card earns $40 instead, improving the return without buying any extra fuel.

At the club, the card depends on your tier. The Studio's limitation line reads: "Base Club tier earns 1 percent at Sam's, unlike Plus; no separately earned membership reward credited to card." On $5,400 of club shopping, 1% earns $54 against $108 on a flat 2% card. The name on the card does not make it the right way to pay at the club.

Ordinary purchases are the other leak. At 1%, they earn half of what a flat 2% card pays. Julia would also want competitive prices and payments without interest, since a cheaper retailer, a suitable category card or borrowing costs could still change the choice.

On protection, the Studio's two checks found no payable coverage. The current full benefits guide lists no accidental purchase damage reimbursement and no covered-illness trip-cancellation reimbursement.

Who it fits

It fits a household that already keeps Plus for benefits it would use and spends on fuel and dining. Julia would use the Mastercard where it helps most, which in her example is club shopping, fuel and dining, and keep ordinary purchases on a flat card if managing both feels easy. If another payment setup would make things harder to track, she is comfortable choosing the simpler option.

It fits less well if your main interest is fuel and you have not settled on Plus: you might not need to upgrade at all, and Julia would choose the membership for benefits the family would actually use. It also fits less well for a Club member who shops mainly at the club.

The Studio's score reflects the basic Club baseline. Fuel and dining help, ordinary spending is less rewarding, and the Plus example answers a different question from the grade.

The arithmetic

Julia's household has Plus, $5,400 of qualifying club purchases, $2,400 of qualifying fuel, $1,800 of eligible dining and $9,600 of ordinary purchases, $19,200 in all.

• Club shopping: the Mastercard earns $162 at 3% and the Plus membership adds $108 at 2%, $270 in Sam's Cash together. With a 2% card, that card earns $108 and the membership the same $108, $216. Changing cards adds $54.
• Fuel: $2,400 earns $120 at 5%, against $48 on a 2% card, a gain of $72.
• Dining: $1,800 earns $54 at 3%, against $36, a gain of $18.
• Extra rewards: $54 plus $72 plus $18 is $144.
• Ordinary purchases: $9,600 at 1% earns $96, against $192 on a flat card. That gives back $96 of the advantage.
• One card for everything: $540 including the membership reward, against $492 with the 2% card, ahead by $48.
• Two cards: the Mastercard for club shopping, fuel and dining and the other card for ordinary spending earn $636 together, keeping the full $144.
• As a Club member: $5,400 at 1% earns $54 against $108. The $90 from fuel and dining recovers that shortfall and leaves $36 ahead before ordinary purchases.

Before you apply

Decide on the membership first, then the card. On Sam's Club's page, check the current Club and Plus prices, the fuel rate and the $6,000 combined allowance, the Sam's Cash timing and the $5,000 calendar-year maximum, and which purchases the Plus reward excludes. Rerun the same shopping at your own membership tier before trusting the example. The Studio checked these terms on October 6, 2026.