Unlock Additional Savings at Costco

You will learn how to Unlock additional savings at Costco through Costco Membership & Credit Card, Costco Travel, Online Website, Photo Center, Liquor, Gas and other areas.

Costco is my favorite store. The overall experience is stellar, an awesome “Risk-Free Guarantee” policy as well as having unbeatable prices. As you are probably already familiar with, we love the organic fruits, fresh vegetables, meat and seafood selection. We also buy the majority of our bulk home essentials as well as our kid’s clothing at Costco.

Costco Hot Dog — Costco Foodcourt: One of our many favorite pleasures

Here are ways to unlock additional savings at Costco.

Costco Credit Card & Membership

Credit Card

I use the Costco Credit Card for the majority of my purchases due to the superb cash back rewards:

4% on gas worldwide
3% on restaurant and eligible travel purchases
2% for purchases at Costco warehouse and Costco online
1% on all other purchases

Handful of cash — Bittersweet Tradeoff: Spend a lot and then receive tons of cash back

There are other nice perks like no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and providing additional warranty years of select items which I will discuss below.

Membership

Consider upgrading to the Costco Executive Membership ($120/year). The biggest benefit is the annual 2% cash back reward at Costco, Costco Online and Costco Travel. If you spend over $3,000 year at Costco, then it is a no-brainer to upgrade to the Executive Membership (extra $60 over the base membership).

Costco Travel

Check out the Costco Travel Site prior to booking your next vacation. We used this site for an upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise in 2020. The booking experience was excellent as the agents were knowledgeable answering all of my questions. In addition to providing the Royal Caribbean online price, Costco is sending us a ~5% cash back card of the total cruise cost and $75 ship credit.

After booking our initial trip, Royal Caribbean has had subsequent cruise specials. All I had to do was call the Costco Travel line and they handled the price adjustment on our behalf with the cruise line.

Cruise Ship — Scored a great deal on a 2020 cruise – Thank you Costco Travel!

Also, maximize your trip reward by using your Costco credit card (3% back on Costco Travel) and Executive Membership (2% back on travel). All this adds to some serious cash back.

Costco Auto Program

Before you purchase or lease your next auto, take a look at the Costco Auto Program. After you submit a request on this site, Costco will arrange the dealership appointment and you will receive a Costco Member-Only price sheet. This price is pre-negotiated and in turn hopefully provides you with a haggle-free experience at the dealership.

I used this process a few years ago for my last car purchase. The dealer confirmed that Costco had the best pre-negotiated rate at that time. Since this perk is included in your membership, you have nothing to lose. Leverage this program as another data point to get the best deal.

Costco.com Website

Visit the Costco.com website for your non-typical Costco store purchases like furniture and appliances. We decided to purchase our patio set from the website. We opted to pay for shipping to deliver this bulky shipment directly to our home.

One of my relatives purchased his washer and dryer combo from Costco.com. Prior to purchasing, he researched other local and national store chains and found Costco to have the best price.

Many of the appliances purchased at Costco have a 2-year manufacturer warranty, in-home delivery, basic hookup and haul away of old items. Use your Costco credit card, and you may qualify for extra 2-year warranty on TV’s, Major Appliances and other items as well as the 2% cash back.

Costco Photo Center

We have used the Costco Photo Center for family books, photo prints, greeting cards and canvas prints. All of our items have been of good quality with no complaints from us. Costco also has the flexibility of either shipping to your home or to a Costco warehouse.

We also love the Photo Center for taking passport photos. It is an unbeatable price ($5) and super convenient as the passport photos are printed out while you shop.

Costco Liquor

Costco is one of the largest wine retailers in the world grossing over $2 billion annually in wine sales. Costco’s overall liquor sales (adding in spirits and beer) surpass over $4 billion annually. I enjoy cruising down the aisles looking at the wide variety of wines and drinks. Personally, I stay within the $10-20 bottle range and always find interesting ones to try.

Time waits for no one wine — One of the more interesting wines found at Costco

For gifts, I have purchased high-end whiskey and fancy wine. I have my eye set on getting the Dom Perignon one day for that super special occasion.

Costco Gas

We found Costco gas to be about $0.25 cheaper per gallon. Since we are regular visitors to Costco, it is convenient for us to get the weekly fill-ups there. The Costco credit card also offers 4% cash back on ALL gas stations, so no need to make a special trip to Costco if you are in immediate need of gas.

Costco Optical

Costco Optical provides a viable and low-cost alternative for both eyeglasses and contacts vs a private eye clinic.

As one of my follow-up articles, I provide a review of my Costco Optical experience (See Costco Optical Eyeglasses and Contacts Review).

Future Areas to Explore

I have not taken advantage of unlocking additional savings at Costco in the following areas but plan to consider them for the future: Pharmacy and Tires & Auto. I look forward to continue getting the same stellar experience and unbeatable prices in the future!

About DadMBA: Through his schooling (he does have a MBA) & more importantly being a Dad, he has provided practical advice to family & friends on finances & other life topics. He loves helping others thus the creation of DadMBA.