Wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club allow shoppers to get a discount on items by both buying in bulk and paying a membership fee.
People on the internet are, in general, pretty big fans of this business model. Social media is filled with stories of people sharing their Sam’s Club and Costco stories, from shoppers recounting positive experiences to others sharing tips on how to find the freshest items in the store.
However, not every experience shared on social media about these stores is a positive one. For example, a TikTok user says that she was charged over $100 after using her friend’s Sam’s Club card.
How did this Sam’s Club shopper end up with a $110 fee?
In a video with over 558 thousand views, TikTok user Amanda (@keepingupwithamandaj) issues a warning to all viewers with Sam’s Club accounts.
“If you did not know it, they automatically auto renew your account now,” Amanda says.
Not only that, but Amanda claims that, rather than the “Club” membership that costs $50 per year, Sam’s Club’s auto-renewal automatically subscribes shoppers to the “Plus” membership, which costs $110 annually.
After being charged a $110 renewal fee, she went to Sam’s Club to try to get the renewal refunded, as she only buys the $50 Club membership.
Upon discussing the issue with a worker, she was informed that the renewal was not actually for her account, but for a friend’s account.
Issues using a friend’s card
To summarize, Amanda had gone shopping at Sam’s Club with a friend but forgot her card. Her friend then let her use her Sam’s Club card. This saves Amanda’s card to her friend’s account, and thus, makes it the card that would charge for the auto-renewal.
In a follow-up video, Amanda clarifies that her friend can’t resolve the situation by paying her the money directly, as her friend also says she did not consent to the more expensive membership, only the $50/year “Club” membership.
“I’m so freaking pissed, and now, they cannot reimburse me until she comes up here, which is inconvenient because it’s on her account, and she has to pay for her renewal before they can refund my card, some freaking [expletive],” she concludes. “So check your damn accounts because if you didn’t know it, they are auto renewing without even asking.”
Is this common?
Amanda isn’t the only internet user to complain about Sam’s Club’s auto-renewal. On the r/SamsClub subreddit, there are numerous posts from users complaining about the company’s auto-renewal policy.
Some state that they turn off auto-renew, only to have their membership automatically renew anyway. Others claimed they removed cards from their account, then Sam’s Club still charged them.
Regarding Amanda’s specific claim that both she and her friend were bumped up to, and charged for, a Plus membership, this does not appear to be a widespread issue. We have reached out to Sam’s Club via the Walmart Media Relations contact form for additional information.
In response to this, many advised simply turning off auto-renewal. However, as Amanda learned, this is often more difficult than expected, as users have reported that they needed to either physically go into a store or call the company in order to cancel the auto-renewal.
@keepingupwithamandaj #sams #samsclub #walmart #scam #samsclubscam ♬ original sound – keeping up with Amanda J
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users recounted their own Sam’s Club stories.
“I just checked my account! They have me set for auto-renewal that I NEVER asked for,” wrote a user.
“It’s getting ridiculous! EVERYONE is scamming. Like we can afford to pay that to make a billion-dollar corp more money smh,” added another.
“My daughter got charged the $110 we had on the basic account as well,” alleged a third. “We’re going to cancel Sam’s.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Amanda via TikTok DM and comment.
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