I have been a loyal Costco member for many years now! Even back when I was more or less broke while raising 4 growing kids, I still made room in our budget for a Costco membership. The money I saved from buying food in bulk at low prices always exceeded the cost of the membership by a large margin, so it was well worth that upfront cost.
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While I’m definitely not buying as much food as I did back in those days, I still get a lot out of my Costco membership. In fact, after all I’ve learned about the services that Costco offers, I think I probably use my membership now more than ever! Which brings us around to today’s post, because today I’m sharing 11 lesser-known benefits of having a Costco membership!
Also, I wanted to quickly mention that this post is NOT sponsored by Costco. I’m not associated with Costco in any way, other than the fact that I like shopping there! :-) I’ve used many of the services listed below, and I just wanted to make sure you weren’t missing out on any of these convenient and money-saving benefits! So let’s get to it!
11 Hidden Benefits Of Your Costco Membership
1. Travel Deals
Costco partners with hotel chains, car rental companies, and cruise lines to offer great deals on travel. They find great group discounts and bulk savings, and pass those deals onto their members. Costco even has travel experts that will work with you to plan your perfect trip! And when you’re quoted a price for a travel deal, they include taxes and fees, so there are no surprises when it comes time to pay.
I had a great experience renting cars through Costco last September. We were planning a family vacation to Hawaii and wanted to rent a couple of cars while we were there. I had gotten a price quote from one of the major rental car companies, but then a friend recommended I look into renting cars through Costco. And to my delight, Costco’s price ended up being less than half of the original quote!
2. Prescription Drugs
Costco members can take advantage of the Member Prescription Program to get discounts on prescription medications. This is a great option for people who are uninsured or don’t receive prescription benefits through their health insurance. For more information about the Member Prescription Program, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.
3. Hearing & Vision Exams
You can get an eye exam for a competitive price through Costco Optical. (The actual price varies by location, so call your local Costco Optical department for current pricing information.) And every Costco Hearing Aid Center offers hearing tests, follow-up appointments, and check-ups for free!
4. Discounted Gift Cards
Buying gift cards at Costco can save you quite a bit of money! It’s not unusual to see deals like two $50 gift cards for $79.99, or four $15 gift cards for $44.99. These deals make it really affordable to stock up on gift cards for Christmas or birthdays! Look for gift cards for movie theaters, theme parks, performances, activities, and more.
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5. Insurance
Costco has partnered with Ameriprise Insurance to offer discounted rates on home, auto, renters, and specialty insurance. These policies often offer special Executive Member benefits too, like roadside assistance, lockout assistance, and more. Get a free quote for Ameriprise Insurance policies through Costco at this link.
6. Gas & Tires
Many Costco locations have a Fuel Center where members can fill up their cars for a lower price than most gas stations. The fuel is rated as Top Tier, meaning it meets a high quality standard and contains detergents that help keep your engine clean.
Costco members can also take advantage of the Tire Center. They frequently offer discounts and rebates on sets of four new tires. So if you ever need a new set of tires, make sure to check out what Costco has to offer! It’s hard to beat their five-year Road Hazard Warranty, which they offer on all tires they sell.
7. Tech Support
Costco Concierge Services offer free technical support on any kind of gadget that you bought at Costco. This includes laptops, printers, monitors, home theater systems, tablets, TVs, and even major appliances. For more information on Costco’s tech support services, click here.
8. Quality Meat & Seafood
If I ever need to buy an expensive cut of meat, I head to Costco to get it. (For instance, I always get my Christmastime prime rib from Costco!) I always know I’m going to get the best quality for my money from their Meat & Seafood departments. The butchers are also very helpful and have always been willing to answer my questions or help me with any special requests.
And if you aren’t already aware, Costco’s rotisserie chickens are consistently one of the best deals available in the entire store. You can get a delicious roasted chicken for just $5.99!
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9. Book Signings
Not only is Costco a great place to score a great price on a new book, it’s also a great place to meet the author of that book! Check out the Author Signings page on Costco.com to check out upcoming book signings at your local store.
10. Floral Delivery
You may have already bought flowers at Costco, but did you know you can get them delivered as well? Prices start at just $39.99 (including delivery fees!) Check out Costco’s floral offerings here.
11. Ink Cartridge Refills
Ink cartridges can be crazy expensive, even when you buy them through Costco! But many Costco locations also offer another option—ink cartridge refills. You’ll pay a fraction of the cost to refill your cartridge rather than buy a new one (and it’s less wasteful!) To find out if your local Costco can refill your particular ink cartridges, click here.
Do you have a personal favorite Costco service or product?
My boyfriend gets gas, hearing aids,over counter meds, meats, veg and fruits. Many years now. The best.
I would like to thank you for the info and add something that I didn’t know was a for sure. Your Costco membership is good world wide so take it with you when you travel if you want to stock up on some food while you are away. As for the car rental my Husband tried it for Hawaii ( I laughed when I saw that comment) we are going and he found it way cheaper through the rental agency on his own. It just took some time and he watched the prices a lot and even got a discount… Read more »
Never again will I use Costco for prescriptions unless there is no other option. I tried twice to fill my Rx and both times it was wrong and I had to make a return trip. My Dr recommended checking goodrx dot com, I was pleased to find a local grocery store pharmacy had the same Rx for just $1 more than Costco. And it’s a full service pharmacy with online refill orders, notifications, better hours, better parking, better staff, everything. Moved my Rx there and haven’t looked back.
Don’t forget also the benefit of having a Citibank Costco Visa Card. You save even more when you book rental cars and travel using the card to get cash back as well as other things. The cash back you receive every year pays for your membership dues and more!
Just got my annual “reward” — $186 ! That’s $126 profit on things that I would buy anyway. Costco Anywhere Visa® gave me cash back on gas at most stations (some restrictions – read the fine print!), Costco purchases, travel, and other purchases. (I use a different 2x reward card for shopping at other stores.)
Costco has the most amazingly liberal return policy on electronics – 90 days on iPad, for example.
I have bought two vehicles through Costco. The Subaru salesman who handled my transaction said he joined Costco because he got a better deal the he got through Subaru
We’ve used Costco’s car buying service twice now. They were quick to respond with a price and connected us with each car dealer (though we had to travel a bit to get to their designated dealer). We felt good about the deal we got; however, we should have tried to negotiate “extras” prior to committing. tbtrfg On the negative side, both car dealers dragged out the paperwork signing process and kept us waiting for hours.
Thank you for this article! I love Costco, but was not aware of a number of the services you mentioned. Great info – thank you!
In 2016 we bought a Hawaii vacation package through Costco Travel. It included air fare, hotel room and a rental car with unlimited mileage. It was outstanding and the price was just about exactly what we had in the budget. We’re hoping to go back again later this year.
Oh, forgot to mention that Instacart delivers groceries from Costco. Be still my beating heart, no more struggling through mobs with a shopping cart the size of a tank. :)
There are 2 other good deals at Costco that we like to take advantage of. One is the take-out pizza from the snack bar at the front of the store. A large pizza is hot & ready to go for $10 and you can call ahead to order. Also, in the prepared foods cold bins by the fresh meat we find rotisserie leg/thigh combos for $4.99 a package and there are 8 pieces. If you like the legs & thighs this is actually more meat than you get on a whole chicken. Don’t forget the free refills of lens cleaner… Read more »
Great tips, thanks Peggy!
We don’t get free refills on lens cleaner anymore where we go-stopped several years ago :(
I love Costco, but I’ve been severely disappointed with their cartridge refill quality and service.