Gift Cards at Sam's Club: The Complete List of Brands, Fees & Where to Buy (2026)

You're standing in the gift card aisle at Sam's Club, or you've got the online gift card page open in another tab, and you want to know one thing: is this actually a good place to buy the card you need? The short answer is yes, and often a cheaper one than you'd expect. Sam's Club sells its own store cards plus a rotating marketplace of third-party brands, many of them discounted below face value. Here's what we've pieced together so you can walk in or log on knowing exactly what to expect.

The Gift Card Brands You'll Find at Sam's Club

There are two very different things sitting on those racks, and it helps to separate them in your head before you shop.

Sam's Club's Own Gift Cards

These are the house cards, and they come in a bunch of designs: Diamond, Everyday Icons, Thank You, Congratulations, Happy Birthday, Fuel Up, and the plain Blue Logo among others. The important detail here is that Sam's Club cards and Walmart cards are interchangeable when they carry a PIN. A Sam's Club card with a PIN works at Sam's Club locations, Sam's Club Fuel Centers, Walmart stores, SamsClub.com, and Walmart.com. Cards without a PIN are limited to in-club and Walmart store use. They activate at purchase, they don't expire, and some descriptions note they're reloadable.

Sam's Club also sells dedicated Gift of Membership cards: a Gift of Club Membership card (around $50 or $60 face value for standard membership) and a Gift of Plus Membership card (around $110). These are restricted in a way the regular cards aren't. They can only be redeemed toward membership fees at a physical club, not online or by phone, they carry no expiration, and they aren't refundable for cash except where state law requires it. If you're buying one of these, make sure the recipient knows they need to walk into a club to use it. If you'd rather sidestep the warehouse entirely and compare against another retailer's program, our Walmart gift card guide covers the sibling store's lineup in detail.

Third-Party and Other-Brand Gift Cards

This is where the selection gets wide. Third-party trackers have logged somewhere around 117 to 120 brands that Sam's Club has sold over time, and while the live inventory at any given moment is a smaller rotating subset, the categories stay fairly consistent. Here's how they break down.

Dining and fast casual: Starbucks (often in multi-packs), Taco Bell, Chipotle, Domino's, Outback Steakhouse and its Bloomin' Brands siblings (Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's), Darden restaurants (Olive Garden, LongHorn and more), Texas Roadhouse, Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera, Panda Express, Wendy's, Burger King, McDonald's, Arby's, Dairy Queen, Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone Creamery, Cinnabon, Jersey Mike's, Whataburger, White Castle, Zaxby's, Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, BJ's Restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang's, Pei Wei, Shake Shack, Sonic, Steak 'n Shake, Waffle House, and plenty more beyond that (Auntie Anne's, Blaze Pizza, Bob Evans, Hard Rock Cafe, Landry's, Fogo de Chão, Texas de Brazil). Multi-packs are common here, like 3x$10, 3x$25, or 4x$25. If you grab a Cracker Barrel card for someone, it's worth knowing how to check a Cracker Barrel gift card balance before they head to the register.

Retail and shopping: Disney (multiple amounts and multi-packs, both physical and email), Ulta, Sephora, PetSmart, Gap and related banners, Bath & Body Works, Carter's, Wayfair, DSW, Foot Locker, Fanatics, Bass Pro Shops, Michaels, thredUP, Hanna Andersson, plus multi-brand cards under the "Zillions of Gifts" style format.

Entertainment and activities: AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Alamo Drafthouse, Topgolf, Bowlero, Main Event, Go Play Golf. Movie cards are a natural pair with a night out, and if you're bundling one as a gift, our roundup of best gifts under $30 has a few ideas that pair well with a theater card.

Travel: Southwest Airlines, with a $500 email-delivery card that's frequently discounted.

Gaming, streaming, and digital: Roblox, Fortnite, Nintendo, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, and similar. If you're buying Roblox for a kid, it helps to know how to check a Roblox gift card balance in advance, since those balances get spent fast.

Prepaid and open-loop: Vanilla Visa gift cards in fixed denominations ($50 for about $53.88, $100 for about $105.38, $200 for about $206.48, with multi-packs and email options available), and American Express gift cards referenced in trackers. If you ever need to confirm funds on one of those, our guide to checking an American Express gift card balance walks through it.

Other: Car washes like Crew and Quick Quack, plus select spa or specialty cards.

One brand you will not find here: Amazon gift cards. That's been consistently reported across consumer sources, and it tracks with how Walmart and Sam's Club position themselves against Amazon. Inventory rotates constantly, so treat any list you see (this one included) as a snapshot, not a guarantee.

Denominations, Fees, and Purchase Limits

Sam's Club's own gift cards come in various whole-dollar denominations, generally from $10 up to $500. Some sources and bulk or resale channels note amounts as low as $5. There are no activation fees on the store cards, no dormancy or inactivity fees, and no expiration. Your funds sit there until you use them.

Most closed-loop third-party merchant cards work the same way on fees. Sam's Club doesn't tack on anything beyond the purchase price, and that price is often already discounted. Discounts commonly run from 2% to 25% depending on the brand and whatever promotion is running, and there's a dedicated "Up to 25% Savings Gift Cards" section on the site. Individual issuer terms still apply to each brand, so read the fine print on the card itself. For comparison shopping, our Target gift card guide breaks down how another major retailer handles similar third-party inventory.

Prepaid open-loop cards are the exception on fees. Vanilla Visa cards carry a one-time purchase/activation fee built into the price you pay (roughly $3.88 to $6.48 depending on denomination, which is why a $50 card costs about $53.88). After purchase there are explicitly no fees, no dormancy or service charges, and funds don't expire even if the plastic has a date printed on it. Federal CARD Act protections apply as a baseline: no early expiration, limited inactivity fees.

Purchase limits vary by SKU. Online you'll often see "Max 2 per order" or "Max 2 per membership" noted on specific Visa and Sam's Club card product pages. Higher or bulk quantities are sometimes possible in-club or for businesses, but they're subject to availability and anti-fraud limits. Quantity limits apply online.

In-Store vs. Online: Where to Buy

Both work, and they serve different purposes.

In-club gets you physical cards immediately, with a selection of own cards and third-party cards on the racks or at registers. Non-members can often buy in-club, which is a real advantage if you don't want to commit to a membership just to buy a gift.

Online at SamsClub.com opens up a full browseable gift card marketplace with filters and categories, broader and often more discounted inventory than the racks, and both physical shipping and email-delivery eGift options. Physical orders typically arrive in 4 to 10 business days, often with free shipping. Email eGifts are instant or near-instant. Membership is typically required or preferred for online purchases and for the best pricing, and prices often display as members-only. Non-members can frequently buy in-club instead.

One restriction worth flagging: you cannot purchase gift cards online using Sam's Club or Walmart gift cards. There's also a help-site FAQ covering eGift specifics if you go that route.

How Gift Cards Interact With Sam's Cash

Sam's Cash is the club's unified loyalty rewards currency, and it's worth understanding before you buy, because the rules here are strict.

Plus members earn 2% Sam's Cash on eligible pre-tax in-club purchases, including Scan & Go and Curbside, capped (historically around $750 per year). The Sam's Club Mastercard earns Sam's Cash at tiered rates: 5% on gas for the first $6,000, 3% on dining, 1% to 3% at Sam's depending on whether you're Plus or Club, and 1% on everything else, with annual caps applying.

Here's the catch: gift card purchases are explicitly excluded from earning Sam's Cash under both the Plus membership terms and the Mastercard terms. That includes own cards, third-party cards, reloads, and prepaid cards. Sam's Cash generally cannot be used to purchase gift cards either. Other earning exclusions include alcohol, tobacco, fuel, certain dairy items, and prescriptions. Sam's Cash doesn't expire while your membership is active.

So if you're buying a gift card at Sam's Club, do it for the discount on the card itself, not for rewards. The savings are real, but they're baked into the price, not the points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy a Sam's Club gift card without a membership?

Often yes, in-club. Membership is typically required or preferred for online purchases and for the best pricing, but non-members can frequently buy physical gift cards at a club location. If you're trying to buy online, expect to need a membership sign-in.

Do Sam's Club gift cards expire or charge fees?

No. Sam's Club's own gift cards have no activation fees, no dormancy or inactivity fees, and no expiration date. Funds remain until they're used. Most closed-loop third-party cards sold by Sam's Club work the same way on fees, though individual issuer terms still apply to the brand.

Can I use a Sam's Club gift card to pay my membership fee?

No, not with a regular gift card. The only exception is the dedicated Gift of Membership cards, which are restricted and redeemable only toward membership fees at a physical club, not online or by phone. Those don't expire but aren't refundable for cash except where state law requires it.

Why doesn't Sam's Club sell Amazon gift cards?

It's a competitive decision. Walmart and Sam's Club don't carry Amazon gift cards, and neither do Costco or Target for similar reasons. If you specifically need an Amazon card, you'll need to buy it somewhere else.

Can I return a gift card to Sam's Club?

No. Gift cards, including physical cards, eGifts, and prepaid cards, are non-returnable and non-refundable for cash except where state law requires it, such as small-balance cash-out rules in certain states. Sam's Club also won't replace lost or stolen gift cards. If you buy merchandise with a gift card and return it, the credit goes back to the gift card or a new one.

Do I earn Sam's Cash when I buy gift cards?

No. Gift card purchases are explicitly excluded from earning Sam's Cash under both the Plus membership terms and the Sam's Club Mastercard terms. That covers own cards, third-party cards, reloads, and prepaid cards. Sam's Cash also generally can't be used to buy gift cards.