BJ’s Wholesale Club used to offer an online-only membership option for which they charged $10 per year. That was a nice cost-effective option for people who wanted to take advantage of the gift card deals they sometimes run but who didn’t live near a physical store to warrant getting a regular membership.
At some point a few months ago they removed this $10 membership option. I’d meant to post about that here when I found out, but forgot until reader Nirav emailed about it.
It’s disappointing to no longer have the online-only membership as an option, but there are a few alternative membership options that don’t have to break the bank. If there’s a solitary deal you’re interested in, you can get a free one day pass (our affiliate link). You can get a business membership for $25 (this provides both in-store and online access), while Groupon runs deals on BJ’s memberships fairly frequently, although there doesn’t seem to be one right at this moment.
What I’m not sure about is if people with an existing $10 membership will be grandfathered in. We have that kind of account for my wife, but it’s not up for renewal for another six months and so I don’t know yet if that option will continue at renewal or if they’d insist on us paying for a full membership. If you’ve had an online-only BJ’s membership renew in the last month or two, please let us know in the comments below.
Is the free one day pass good online and in store and how long does it take to activate? Thank you.
I think it can only be used online. I’m assuming it’s activated straight away, but I’ve never gotten one myself and so can’t guarantee that.
That’s great to hear – thanks for confirming that.
Stephen, to follow up on escot’s report. I was just auto-renewed for the $10 online-only membership. I probably only use it once a year so debated whether I should cancel it or not. When I called, I was told that the old $10 online-only memberships are still grandfathered in for the time being. The rep did not know how long that will last. I hope this helps.
Stephen – Did your wife’s membership renew at $10
I think I must’ve turned off auto-renew because her membership ended up lapsing.