In September, Costco raised its membership prices for the first time in years. The cost of a Gold Star membership increased from $60 to $65 per year, and an Executive membership went from $120 to $130 per year. The reason the Executive membership costs double is that it pays you 2% cash back on Costco purchases.
You may be torn over whether to keep shopping at Costco or canceling your membership in light of the recent fee hike. But you should also know that if you play your cards right, you may not have to pay for your Costco access at all.
Does Costco offer discounted or trial memberships?
Occasionally, Sam’s Club will offer discounts on memberships to attract new customers. But that’s not something Costco does.
Not only does Costco not discount its memberships, but it also doesn’t offer a free trial membership so you can check out the store and see if you like it — at least not directly, anyway. But you can sort of get a free trial at Costco because the store lets you cancel your membership at any time for a refund.
So yes, if you want to be able to shop at Costco, you will need to shell out some money upfront. But since you can always get that money back if you aren’t satisfied with your membership, it isn’t much of a risk.
How to basically get your Costco membership for free
Since we just established that Costco does not offer discounted memberships, you may be wondering how on earth you can pull off a free membership. And the answer is, if you join at the Executive level and spend enough money at the store during the year, you can earn enough cash back to make back the $130 fee.
It takes $6,500 of Costco spending in a year to earn $130 at a rate of 2% back. But if you shop at Costco every week and spend $125 per week, that’s $6,500 right there. And even if you don’t shop at Costco 52 weeks of the year, you might still end up hitting the $6,500 mark if you make a few one-off purchases, like electronics or appliances, on top of buying everyday items.
Plus, Executive members at Costco can earn cash back on vacation packages they book through the store’s travel service. If you decide to take a family of five to a resort, it might cost you several thousand dollars, allowing you to pretty much recoup your entire Executive membership fee with a single purchase.
Don’t sweat it if you can’t get your Costco membership at no cost
Of course, one thing you don’t want to do is spend extra money at Costco just to rack up a high enough tab to get your membership for free. If that happens naturally, great. But you shouldn’t force it.
That said, don’t be too upset if you end up having to pay for Costco access to some degree. What you spend on a membership, you might more than make up for in the form of savings on groceries, household products, and other purchases.
Remember, too, that while the above strategy hinges on having an Executive membership at Costco, if that tier isn’t right for you, just stick to the Gold Star membership and make your peace with spending the $65 a year. Even if the bulk of your savings comes in the form of Costco’s cheaper gas, if you fill up your car there once a week and save $1.25 per fill-up (which is feasible seeing as how you might save $0.20 per gallon), that alone helps you recoup your entry-level membership fee.
You should also know that even though Costco’s basic membership won’t give you cash back on purchases, you can set yourself up for cash back by using the right credit card. Click here for a list of the best credit cards for Costco shoppers so you can enjoy even more perks as a member.
