Mar 16, 2026
There's a good chance you're paying for more than you realize and not collecting it.
Millions of Americans shell out anywhere from about $50 to $140 a year, or more, for memberships with Amazon Prime, Costco, Sam's Club and other warehouse clubs.
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Most people sign up for the obvious perks: fast shipping, bulk pricing, streaming access. But consumer experts say a surprising range of high-value benefits goes almost entirely unused simply because members don't know they exist. They can be anything from prescription discounts, tech support and travel insurance as well as extended warranties, free e-books and identity protection tools.
That's a costly blind spot. According to CNET's 2025 subscription survey among more than 2,400 U.S. adults, Americans waste an average of nearly $200 a year on unused subscriptions (1). And that's before accounting for the paid but ignored perks buried inside memberships they're already keeping.
Before you cancel anything to trim your budget, spend 10 minutes reading the fine print. Here's what you might be missing.
Amazon Prime: It's not just shipping
At $139 per year, Prime is one of the most widely held memberships in the country and one of the most underutilized.
Beyond free, fast delivery and Prime Video, the membership includes a rotating library of free e-books, magazines and comics through Prime Reading, plus a free monthly Twitch channel subscription through Prime Gaming, according to Amazon's official benefits page (2).
Families who fill prescriptions regularly may be especially underusing their membership as well. Prime includes prescription savings at more than 60,000 participating pharmacies nationwide, including Amazon Pharmacy.
There's also a free Grubhub+ membership, valued at $120 per year, that offers $0 delivery fees on eligible orders. The catch: the benefit isn't applied automatically. Members have to find and activate it themselves, according to CNBC, which means many never do (3).
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Costco: The tech support you're not calling
Costco's $65 membership comes with a lesser-known benefit that can be worth far more than the fee itself for anyone buying electronics or appliances.
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The warehouse automatically extends the manufacturer's warranty on televisions, computers and major appliances to two years from the date of purchase through its Technical & Warranty Services program. Free tech support and setup assistance are included as well (4).
For context, a standalone third-party extended warranty on a major appliance typically runs anywhere from about $120 to $500 or more, a cost Costco members effectively avoid.
Sam's Club Plus: Free prescriptions most members overlook
Sam's Club's Plus membership, which runs $110 per year, carries a pharmacy benefit that could offset the entire cost of membership for households managing ongoing prescriptions.
Plus members can receive a 30-day supply of more than 600 generic medications for $10 or less and 10 specific generic prescriptions at no charge. The benefit also extends to pet medications and immunizations (5).
That's a meaningful number for families paying out of pocket or managing high deductibles, and it requires nothing more than showing a valid Plus membership card at the pharmacy counter.
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Your credit card: The benefits booklet nobody reads
Warehouse clubs aren't the only memberships hiding value. The benefits guide that arrives with your credit card, which many people toss without reading, may include a long list of protections you're effectively paying for through your annual fee.
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Many rewards credit cards include extended warranties on eligible purchases, price protection, rental car coverage, trip cancellation insurance and cell phone protection (6).
Cell phone protection alone, available on many cards at no extra cost, can reimburse up to about $600 or more per claim for theft or damage, sometimes beating paid carrier insurance plans in both cost and coverage. The catch: you usually have to pay your monthly phone bill with the eligible card to qualify (6).
If you no longer have your card's benefit guide, a quick call to the number on the back of your card can get you a copy.
The 10-minute audit that could pay off
With household budgets still stretched after years of above-average inflation, the instinct to cancel memberships is understandable. CNET's survey found that 61% of subscribers are reconsidering their paid memberships because of economic pressures, and more than one in four have already canceled at least one service (1).
But canceling a membership that helps cover prescriptions, protect electronics or provide free food delivery could cost more than keeping it.
The smarter move: log in to each membership portal, call your credit card issuer and spend a few minutes comparing what you're paying for with what you're actually using. The perks are already there. You just have to claim them.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Yahoo Finance (1); Amazon (2); CNBC (3); Costco (4); Sam's Club (5); Experian (6); CNBC Select (7).
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With a writing and editing career spanning over 13 years, Emma creates and refines content across a broad spectrum of industries, including personal finance, lifestyle, travel, health & wellness, real estate, beauty & fitness and B2B/SaaS/tech. Her versatility comes through contributions to high-profile clients like Moneywise, Healthline, Narcity and Bob Vila, producing content that informs and engages, along with helping book authors tell their stories.
