6 Costco Membership Perks You Might Be Missing Out On

When you sign up to be a Costco member, there are a number of obvious benefits you can take advantage of right off the bat. Apart from being able to purchase good quality everyday essentials often at a more reasonable price, you have the option of garnering even more savings by stocking up on items that have a high turnaround in your home by buying them in bulk. Costco also has its own gas pumps that could potentially save you some money, as well as an in-house pharmacy that offers in-person pickup and, in some areas, home delivery of prescriptions for your family and even pets. Perhaps one of the more attractive perks one can avail through a Costco membership is a relaxed return policy on most of its merchandise.

Costco's cheapest membership offering to date is $65 per year for the Gold Star membership. Should you decide to splurge $130 per year for the higher-tier Executive Costco membership, you can get access to more than the core shopping perks. For instance, you should be able to shop at most Costco warehouses an hour earlier than the usual store hours, which could be a game-changer, especially in populated neighborhoods. 

You also should receive a $10 credit on eligible SameDay.Costco.com or Costco via Instacart orders per month, if you prefer getting your purchases delivered to your door. To ensure that you maximize your current Costco membership — or to help you decide to get one if you're still on the fence — below are some of the advantages you can enjoy that you may not know about.

If you enjoy going on trips with your friends or family, it may be worth it to look into a Costco membership to book through CostcoTravel.com. Anyone can browse through the platform to find hotels and cruises available for specific locations, dates, and group size, among other things. You can even build a vacation package by adding flights as well as a car rental, so you get a broader picture of how much money it would take to make your dream getaway a reality.

While a Costco membership isn't required to participate in a Costco Travel excursion or package, at least one person in your traveling party needs to have an active Costco membership to actually book a hotel, cruise, car rental, or vacation package through the members-only platform. In addition, Executive members may be eligible for package-specific rewards, such as resort or shipboard credit. They should also earn a 2% reward after a trip booked directly through the Costco Travel website is concluded.

Of course, any seasoned traveler and car renter should always do due diligence and check the usual third-party travel aggregators to compare and contrast prices for flights, car rentals, and vacation packages. More often than not, though, and depending on your destination, you may find that Costco travel deals are highly competitive, if not cheaper than direct-to-the-source rates.

As previously mentioned, one of the best merits of being a Costco shopper is knowing that you have a wide berth for returning any products you may not be 100% satisfied with. This is especially helpful if the item in question falls under the gadget or appliance category. According to Costco's electronics return policy, products like refrigerators, microwaves, computers, tablets, projectors, cameras, or TVs, among other things, may be returned or exchanged within a 90-day period that begins upon purchase (or upon delivery, when ordered online).

Another important perk that comes with the helpful 90-day guarantee is having access to Costco's Technical and Warranty Services. The online portal will likely have the answers you need in terms of warranty coverage or simply getting your product to work as intended. U.S. Costco members may also call Technical and Warranty Services at 1-866-861-0450 for additional assistance. Just provide your Costco membership number as well as the necessary product details, and someone from the tech support team should be able to walk you through the steps to fix a glitch at no added cost.

While Costco usually offers free tech support for most electronics and larger appliance purchases, according to the fine print, your product may have certain limitations that exclude it from the benefit. It's also worth noting that tech support may assist in product setup and basic troubleshooting, but major repairs may have to be checked against your product's manufacturer's warranty. In any case, it's always a good idea to double-check with Costco's customer service regarding your item's coverage.

Costco directly partners with a specific list of licensed providers so that members essentially have a one-stop shop for any type of insurance benefit or option they may need. This is bolstered by additional discounts and premiums only offered to Costco members. For example, Protective Life offers competitive rates for up to 30 years and a special entry-level price for the first five years through its Member Advantage Life term policy, only available to Costco members. 

Pets are also covered — as long as you're based in a participating state, you may be able to get discounted insurance for your furbaby through Figo Pet Insurance. Furthermore, Costco also has a partnership with American Family Insurance that offers both car and home insurance at a discounted price, especially if you opt to bundle both insurance types for maximum coverage. The latter also provides members-only pricing for renters' insurance.

If you happen to have a Costco Executive membership, additional benefits may be available to you when you sign up for a policy with one of Costco's partner providers. For instance, when you purchase a home or auto insurance policy through Costco's partnership with American Family Insurance, as an Executive member located in an eligible state, you may have access to emergency roadside assistance, the option to renew every year that you remain an Executive member, glass repair reimbursement, and home lockout assistance, with certain limitations applied.

All of Costco's partner-negotiated programs and policies mentioned above are listed on Costco's Insurance Services page, should you need more clarity on the types of insurance offered by direct partner providers. However, if you want to shop around for other insurance carriers that aren't in direct partnership with Costco, there's also the CBC Health Insurance Marketplace, a private, multi-provider insurance platform wherein Costco acts as your insurance broker or agent.

Here's how it works: You use the portal to shop for a variety of insurance products — medical, dental, vision, and disability, to name a few — from multiple major carriers. Instead of having to go to every provider (like Aetna or Blue Cross Blue Shield) directly and get quotes one by one, you can see several quotes from different providers that fit your requirements on a single portal. Licensed agents from the CBC platform will be on hand to help you compare plans and even walk you through the enrollment process. In some cases, you may not be required to provide a Costco membership number to get a quote. However, you will definitely need one to actually enroll for coverage.

The use of the CBC Health Insurance Marketplace platform is beneficial to those who want comprehensive health coverage options that aren't necessarily provided by a single carrier. Do note that, much like with the insurance providers Costco is in direct partnership with in the previous section, any plan enrollment you go through via the marketplace will be with the insurance providers you have chosen. Costco will not be underwriting or paying claims.

Considering what you already know about Costco's exclusive offerings thus far, it would be safe to say that, as a responsible car owner, it would benefit you to at least consider acquiring a membership if you don't already have one. As a Costco member, you can buy quality tires for a reasonable price and be afforded excellent tire warranty coverage, as well as the convenience of getting a service done, such as a tire replacement, at the same place you shop for groceries.

If you're shopping around for a new or used vehicle or perhaps need to get your current one serviced but are overwhelmed with the idea of trying to research the best place to address your needs, one thing you should look into is Costco's Auto Program. This is Costco's lesser-known car-buying service exclusive to its members. The platform promises to negotiate on your behalf by providing you with a network of trusted and approved dealers nationwide. According to Costco, as a member, you automatically are given low and pre-arranged members-only pricing, with discounts and manufacturer incentives already included. If you're new to online car buying and are iffy with the whole process, you can get in touch with Costco's member support team to ensure all your worries are assuaged.

Costco Auto Program also has a partnership with Camping World, a renowned recreational vehicle (RV) retailer in the U.S. You can browse by RV type or brand as well as view what's available within your zip code. According to the Costco Auto Program's guarantee, you'll be offered the lowest advertised price and an additional Costco member discount, among other perks. Other auto-related incentives you can take advantage of by being a Costco member include a 15% or up to $500 discount off select auto parts, accessories, and services at participating service centers, as well as 25% off retail rates when you rent a moving truck with Budget Truck Rental.

If you happen to run a business, you may need to process credit card payments, which can be quite costly in the long run, especially if you have a small enterprise. Through Costco's partnership with Elavon, a credit-card processing provider, you may be able to reduce some of your operational costs. As a U.S. Costco Gold Star member, you are afforded lower processing rates on both in-person and online credit card transactions, among other perks like round-the-clock support through Elavon's customer account management team. Executive members who qualify get bonus financial benefits in the form of waived application and monthly statement fees, both of which you typically need to pay for when you have a standard Elavon merchant account.

Costco constantly improves its list of extra privileges that it makes available to those who opt to make the jump to the Executive-level membership. Apart from the benefits already mentioned all throughout this piece, there are some services that have been newly added to the roster. Costco now has a partnership with Pods, a moving and storage company in the U.S. that provides you with a weather-resistant container — either at your home or at a Pods storage center — to use for additional storage, to keep equipment or belongings in while you remodel or declutter, or to pack up and move to a different address, among other uses. 

If you book a Pods container through your Costco Executive membership — provided that you fulfill the requirements (such as a minimum of two months storage rental) — you get free container delivery and pickup to a local address, up to four free local redeliveries, 20% off monthly storage charges, and 20% off long-distance transportation, to name a few. As always, limitations may apply depending on your location, so make sure you get in touch with Pods for a more accurate insight into service availability.