Dive Brief:
- Walmart is offering Walmart+ members travel bookings through WalmartPlusTravel.com and Walmart Cash incentives on their travel purchases, the retailer announced on Wednesday.
- Walmart+ members will receive Walmart Cash rewards on hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals, flights and vacation packages. The retail giant is using Expedia Group’s white-label template tech to connect its subscribers with Expedia’s properties, airlines, car rental companies, activities and customer service infrastructure.
- Walmart+ members can redeem their Walmart Cash to receive discounts on their purchases online and in-store, according to the retailer’s website. In its announcement, the company said it will expand some of the Walmart Cash benefits to all of its customers, but Walmart+ Travel will remain exclusive to members.
Dive Insight:
Adding travel to Walmart+ is part of Walmart’s efforts to enhance its membership program and offer it to a broader range of shoppers. After launching the program in 2020 priced at $98 annually, this month the retailer cut the price to $49 a year for shoppers who receive government assistance through programs like Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and SNAP.
Last year, the retailer added more perks to its service. In March 2022, the retailer announced its partnership with Spotify to offer subscribers six months of Spotify Premium access. At that time, the retailer also said it would provide membership into an employee benefit to its 1.6 million part-time and full-time employees.
In August 2022, the retailer announced that it would make the Paramount+ Essential plan available to Walmart+ subscribers at no extra cost. That month, The New York Times reported that the retailer had met with other possible content partners, including Disney and Comcast.
Walmart+ members can redeem their Walmart Cash earned from their travel purchases 30 days after their travel is completed. According to the retailer’s website, shoppers can only redeem up to $100 worth of Walmart Cash per day.
“We're bringing together the ultimate savings membership and vacation booking site to deliver a first-ever travel-focused benefit for Walmart+ members,” Venessa Yates, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart+, said in a statement. “Combined with our other benefits — including free delivery, streaming and savings on fuel — we’re creating a membership that saves customers time and money, whether they’re at home or having fun at their favorite vacation destination.”
But as Walmart enters the travel booking business, one other major retailer also offers a membership program with travel incentives: Costco. Similar to Walmart, Costco members can access travel packages, hotels, cruises and rental cars through its Costco Travel program.
