Walmart is adding CITGO gas stations to its Walmart+ membership savings program at 17,000 locations nationwide, and the company says the $98 annual fee is not going up.
The retail giant announced Monday that Walmart+ members can now save up to 10 cents per gallon at participating CITGO stations, expanding a fuel discount benefit that already covers Exxon, Mobil, Murphy, and Sam's Club locations. For families watching every dollar at the pump, the move widens the map of places where the membership actually pays for itself.
Walmart framed the expansion around a simple pitch: gas is expensive, and the savings add up fast. The company cited U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that average American households spent more than $2,600 on fuel in 2024. Walmart says members who used the gas savings benefit at least once a week saved more than $100 on gas on average last year, enough, by the company's math, to cover the full cost of the $98 annual membership from a single benefit.
Deepak Maini, Walmart's Senior Vice President, put it bluntly in a statement accompanying the announcement.
"A membership has to earn its place in a household budget. That's why we're focused on delivering real value members can use again and again. Expanding our Gas Savings benefit by adding CITGO stations gives members even more places to save, with convenient locations that fit into their rhythm of daily life."
That language, "earn its place", is worth noting. Walmart is not taking for granted that consumers will keep paying $98 a year for a membership card. In a period when household budgets are tight and inflation has squeezed discretionary spending, the company is making a case that the subscription pencils out at the pump alone.
The retailer has been on a steady push to expand its services ecosystem well beyond basic grocery delivery. Adding 17,000 CITGO locations to the gas network is part of that broader pattern, giving members more reasons to stay enrolled and more touchpoints where the savings show up in daily life.
Chris Kiesling, CITGO's Assistant Vice President of Light Oil Operations and Marketing, highlighted a feature that could sweeten the deal further. Walmart+ members who also sign up for CITGO's own Club CITGO loyalty program can layer additional savings on top of the 10-cents-per-gallon Walmart+ discount at participating stations.
Kiesling said in a statement:
"The Club CITGO network provides great choice and convenience when Walmart+ members are on the road. At participating CITGO locations, Walmart+ members can redeem their Walmart Gas Savings benefit and stack additional savings when they join the Club CITGO loyalty program."
Neither Walmart nor CITGO specified exactly how much additional per-gallon savings the Club CITGO program provides on top of the Walmart+ discount. But the ability to combine two loyalty programs at the same pump is a concrete perk that competitors will have to answer.
Walmart has been sharpening its competitive edge against Amazon on multiple fronts in recent years, from timed sales events designed to overlap with Prime Day to rapid delivery expansion. The gas savings benefit is one area where Walmart holds a structural advantage: Amazon Prime does not offer a comparable fuel discount.
One detail Walmart made a point to address is the membership fee itself. The annual Walmart+ price stays at $98. In a retail environment where subscription services routinely raise rates with little warning, Walmart is holding the line while adding a new benefit.
The company's own data underscores why that matters. If the average weekly user really does save more than $100 a year on gas, the membership more than pays for itself before a single grocery delivery or in-store perk enters the equation. That is a straightforward value proposition, and one that resonates with the working families and rural households that make up a large share of Walmart's customer base.
Walmart has also been rolling out new checkout technology nationwide, signaling that the company is investing across the board to modernize the shopping experience while keeping costs visible and predictable for consumers.
Walmart did not specify which states or regions the 17,000 participating CITGO stations cover, or whether all locations are standalone CITGO gas stations, co-located with Walmart stores, or some mix. For members in areas without a nearby Exxon, Mobil, or Murphy station, the CITGO addition could fill a real gap. For others, it may be redundant.
The company also did not clarify whether the 10-cents-per-gallon cap at CITGO is identical to the discount at its other partner stations. Those details will matter to members trying to figure out where to fill up, and whether the new option actually changes their routine.
Meanwhile, Walmart continues to push into areas far beyond the gas pump and the checkout lane. The company recently began deploying pharmacist "health ambassadors" in rural locations, a move that reflects its ambition to become a daily-life platform rather than just a store.
When gas costs families $2,600 a year and every dime at the pump matters, a company that holds its membership price steady and adds more places to save is doing something Washington rarely manages, delivering a benefit ordinary people can actually measure.