Chewy Cuts Chewy+ Fee, Refocuses Rewards on Pet Essentials

The pet retailer is lowering its annual membership fee to $59 while changing rewards and putting more emphasis on pet-health benefits.

Chewy is making its paid membership cheaper, but some customers could end up receiving less value from the new offer. The online pet retailer has cut the annual Chewy+ fee from $79 to $59 while reducing rewards on certain purchases and lowering the maximum rewards members can earn each year.

The redesign follows more than a year of studying how customers use the program and what it costs Chewy to provide the benefits. Management says it wants to attract more members, encourage them to shop more often and connect them with the company's growing pet-health services.

Lower Membership Fee, Lower Rewards for Some Customers

Chewy+ now costs $59 annually after a 30-day free trial, a 25% reduction from its previous $79 price. Members continue to receive free shipping on eligible orders without a minimum purchase, shopping rewards and exclusive promotions.

The rewards changes are where the new offer gets more interesting.

Previously, Chewy+ members could earn up to $150 annually at the standard 5% rewards rate. For example, a member spending $3,000 on eligible products would earn $150 in rewards.

Under the new terms, Chewy has lowered the annual rewards maximum to $100. Members continue to earn 5% on eligible dog and cat food and health and pharmacy products, while veterinary diets and other eligible merchandise now earn 2%.

The lower cap also affects customers whose purchases still qualify for the full 5%. Someone spending $3,000 annually on eligible pet food would have earned $150 under the previous program. That same spending now earns a maximum of $100. Even after accounting for the $20 reduction in the membership fee, that customer would receive $30 less in net fee-and-rewards value, assuming all rewards are redeemed.

For other customers, the reduction from 5% to 2% on certain merchandise could have an even greater effect. The value of the new membership depends on what people buy and which benefits they use.

Chewy's revised terms, dated October 5, apply to memberships started after October 5 and renewals after November 4. The company has not publicly explained how promotional or grandfathered membership prices will be handled.

Why Chewy Is Changing the Program

Chewy has been working toward this redesign for some time. During its September 9 earnings call, CEO Sumit Singh said the company had spent approximately five quarters studying how customers use the membership, how their purchasing behavior changes and what the program costs the business.

Customers appreciated the shopping rewards, Singh said, but wanted Chewy+ to connect more closely with the company's other services, particularly pet health. Chewy saw an opportunity to make the membership more useful while encouraging customers to purchase more across its business.

The revised offer puts greater emphasis on those services. Chewy+ now prominently features one free virtual veterinary visit per year, a 10% discount on subsequent visits, free access to the 24/7 Pet Poison Helpline and product samples. Chewy advertises more than $250 in potential annual member value, although the amount customers actually receive depends on which benefits they use.

Some of those services may have been available under the previous membership. What's clear is that Chewy is making them a more visible part of the offer, giving customers reasons to maintain their membership beyond shopping discounts.

Singh said Chewy wanted the redesigned program to offer a lower price and better value while keeping it financially sustainable. The company is looking for more members and more purchasing activity without materially reducing the program's profitability.

Building on Chewy's Recurring Customer Relationships

Chewy already has a large base of customers who purchase regularly through Autoship, its automatic-ordering program.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, customers associated with Autoship generated $2.82 billion in sales, representing 84.6% of Chewy's total net sales of $3.33 billion. Those figures include scheduled deliveries and other purchases made by customers who use Autoship.

Chewy+ adds a separate paid membership to that existing relationship. Customers can receive Chewy+ rewards and free shipping on top of eligible Autoship discounts, giving them additional benefits when they purchase products they already need regularly.

Chewy's redesigned membership also encourages customers to use its pet-health services, extending the relationship beyond routine purchases.

There are limits to what we know about the program's performance. Chewy does not separately report Chewy+ membership counts, renewal rates or profitability in its latest quarterly filing. It includes loyalty memberships alongside other pet-related services and says revenue from those services collectively is not a significant portion of total sales.

That makes it difficult to assess whether the revised offer will attract enough additional members and purchasing activity to offset the lower annual fee and the cost of providing the benefits.

Insider Take

Chewy is making a deliberate choice about where to give members the most value. The lower fee makes membership easier to join, while the strongest shopping rewards remain tied to food and health products that customers are likely to buy repeatedly. The company is also giving greater attention to services that may make the membership more useful throughout the year.

The trade-offs will look different for different customers. Someone purchasing pet food and medications regularly may appreciate the lower fee and health benefits. A customer who spends heavily on other merchandise could earn fewer rewards, while even frequent food buyers may reach the new annual cap.

For subscription operators, Chewy offers an example of how pricing and benefits can be adjusted based on what customers value and what a business can afford to provide. The challenge is that an offer that looks better to one customer may be less attractive to another.

Chewy will need members to find enough value in the revised benefits to keep paying when renewal comes around. Whether the changes produce stronger membership growth and profitable customer relationships remains to be seen.

Sources

• Chewy. Chewy+ Terms and Conditions. Updated October 5, 2026. Includes previous and revised program terms.

• Chewy. Chewy+ Membership Offer. Accessed October 9, 2026.

• Chewy. Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Earnings Call Transcript. September 9, 2026, via The Motley Fool.

• Chewy. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Filed September 9, 2026.

• Subscription Insider. Chewy Autoship Customers Drive 84.6% of Net Sales. September 10, 2026.