Not sure I understand about points. There’s just two cards per account. I put the note above.
If I could put my two kids on and not get 2%, I would. It’d save me $65.
But it’s not possible - or what am I missing?
Their rules say you and one additional card.
Hence both my kids (we use this address) are on one account but not ours.
And the person paying has to be the cardholder.
Business accounts do get more cards, but regular members are limited to two people.
The Costco member discount on drugs just saved us ~$50 this month on meds either not covered or with high co-pays.
I recently renewed my Costco membership after letting it expire for a year. Honestly, I haven’t really used Costco much. Sam’s Club is 5 min from my house, and the stuff I buy there isn’t really that different than Costco. In fact, many of the things I would buy at Costco or Sam’s, I can get at HEB for around the same price and quantity. Basically, for us, if we let both memberships expire, HEB would work fine, and we might actually save money not overpurchasing bulk.
I’m curious why you signed back up if you have Sam’s and you seem to find your needs at HEB - and you seem to not use your membership much!
I renewed my Costco membership today. Reasons for changing my decision include:
Costco emailed me a targeted deal in which they offered a $45 shop card, if I renewed my membership.
Citibank warned me that if my Costco membership is not renewed this month, they will cancel my Costco credit card on the day before annual cashback is given, forfeiting cashback for my 2025 spending. My pending cashback is ~$25. The combination of the lost cashback and $45 shop card exceeds the cost of membership.
This month (until Feb 22), Costco is offering members a 25-30% discount on Sameday orders, making online order pricing more competitive with Instacart. While a worthwhile deal, this is far worse than the Sameday offers last year. Last year, each Sameday deal was 30% off a $50+ purchase. You could claim at both Costco and Business center, for net of $30 off $100 purchased. You could also stack with Instacart gift cards for another 20% off, beyond the 30% off. Now it is $10 off $35 purchase (max $10 x 2 off), and Instacart gift cards are not supported as payment method.
There are some rare special savings deals this month/week that interest me. I’ve never seen Solo silverware discounted before, but Business Center offers them this month (not regular Costco). Dixie bowl discounts are also rare (only at regular Costco, not Business Center, and only this week). I may also get the discounted pink lady apples (only offered at Business Center) if I don’t find the 4lb bulk size too daunting. My nearest Business Center is further away than I’d want to drive, so this aligns well with the Sameday deals listed above that include free delivery on orders from Business Center + ~30% discount.
I plan to buy a new light weight jacket soon and would like to check out the jackets offered within store. I expect price and value will be good, but selection will be limited.
Costco offers a refund on membership if not satisfied, so there is little risk, if something unexpected happens, such as not getting the $45 shop card.
We buy what we call “freezer salmon.” It’s 3 lbs of Alaska salmon for $39 at Costco. It’s individual portions wrapped in plastic.
Much of the reason I keep my “executive” Costco membership is my son uses it (probably more than I do). He clearly lives at another address, but when he needed to have a new card printed they didn’t seem to care at all. If/when he gets kicked off, I will cancel and go back to a “regular” membership.
I live on Costco freezer salmon combined with “Industrial carrots” (those huge bags which never seem to go bad. Between carrot ginger soup and Moroccan carrots and roasted with maple syrup and carrot/apple slaw etc. I can exist pretty much for a month without restocking!
I don’t know if this was just the sales person in the optical department, or if it is allowed at all stores. My brother called me as he was at Costco to get new glasses. He did not know you needed to be a member to use the optical department. He called me and asked if he could have my membership number to use while ordering glasses. The salesperson was on speaker phone and took my number. Only my membership number was needed, my charge card was not used.
At the Costco near me, you can’t get anywhere NEAR either the optical or hearing aid department without scanning your Costco card- how did your brother get inside the store?
There’s a “no man’s land” type of space before you scan- usually displays low end TV’s, potted plants, the can recycling machines, and sometimes ginormous bottles of hand lotion. But optical is pretty deep inside the store where non-members aren’t allowed!
At ours you need to scan in the store. If you walked with someone, even if you didn’t know them, you could probably get in. But they do take your card to purchase. In this case it sounds like they did it remotely.
You do not need to be a member to have an eye exam, as they are independents; you pay the OD, not Costco. Non members can also use the pharmacy and food court. You can just tell the door greeter that you are going for an eye exam and be let in. At the couple of stores near me, the optical department is immediately past the entrance.
Can recycling machines? I’ve never seen that in a Costco!
In Michigan they have machines for the returnable cans and bottles so you can get the deposits back.
You tell them you are going to the pharmacy or to see the eye doctor. I don’t think you can buy glasses without a membership but you can go to the eye doctor who is independent. They don’t scan your Costco card to see the doctor.
I think you used to be able to buy liquor in Colorado, but that’s when the liquor store had a separate entrance. Now the liquor is in the regular store so I don’t think you can.
As others have mentioned, you can tell the employee at entrance that you are going to the optical/hearing aid dept. When I needed my hearing aid repaired without a membership, there was a line for scanning, so I didn’t even bother telling the employee at entrance. Instead I just pointed to the hearing aid dept with my finger while walking in, bypassing the scan line.
At our Costcos you can also get into the store thru the membership line door,go past that and to the hotdog counter, and then go thru a closed register line or the self service line to get into the store.
Of course, this depends on you knowing where you want to be as this would take you away from the eye center and closer to the liquor/pharmacy area, and you’d have no cart, and you might miss some of the free samples…
We also have self scanners to check in now, and there is not always an employee there to make sure you scan.
I almost hesitate to post this but if you know someone that just wants to make an infrequent trip to Costco then you can buy them a gift certificate at the member counter, any amount, even $10. With the certificate they can get into the store and then pay with any credit card or cash the remaining balance.
You can get in with a costco gift card, but I think they then have to pay a 10% fee on purchases. I think they can do that by getting a ‘day pass’ at the membership desk too.
Our entire family are Costco members. Both my son and daughter have had their own Executive cards for years. That said, I doubt either of them has set foot in a Costco since COVID. Their nearest location is on Long Island—one of the busiest Costcos in New York. It’s perpetually crowded, and finding a parking spot feels like winning a scratch-off ticket. They have most items delivered through Instacart and pick up anything else they need from nearby grocery stores.
I, on the other hand, have a Costco just two miles away and go about once a month. There’s also a Safeway only half a mile from my home. I shop at Costco mainly for convenience and am not particularly price-sensitive.