We just rented a car through Costco. I had compared rates through Costco, Southwest, and USAA. USAA had a cumbersome process, having to log onto each company’s website individually to see the rates. They came out the lowest. Then, as I was going along in the process, it became clear that it didn’t include tax! That makes a huge difference when you rent from an airport especially.
So, now Costco was the cheapest. I could see each company’s rates for different models simultaneously. Costco always includes your spouse as an additional driver. Younger drivers pay a surcharge, but at least they can rent. Rates are all inclusive too, we had no extra fees. I paid with my Costco Amex but when I returned the car they asked me if I wanted to use that or another card, so that is flexible too.
It was all set up online and went smoothly. I just went to the Enterprise desk and gave them my name, although I had the reservation number too.
One of the things I really like about Costco and AAA car rentals is that there is no extra charge for spouses to both drive the same rental vehicle. Some others charge extra per day if you want to have anyone other than the ONE driver use the car.
Agree about the extra driver charge/discount. This summer we were on a family vacation where our whole family had to fly out, but we were coming and going at different times. We were able to add my adult son as an additional driver at no cost, which saved a whole lot of hassle as he was able to take the rental car back a day earlier than my husband and I. We caught a ride with another family member that was going back the same time as our flight. We also rented a car through Costco earlier in the summer with another couple and were able to add our friend (NOT a Costco member) for no additional fee. The rules do vary depending on which car rental company you choose, but the rates were better than other discounts I could find.
Still anxious to see/hear what the changes or new perks might be when Costco dumps (or vice versa?) AmEx and VISA pulls in - was that suppose to happen this winter???
Yes, you can use your AmEx through March 31. I already have a Visa so I asked Costco if I needed to get their co-branded Visa to keep getting my 2% executive cash back. They said No, I could just use my current Visa card and I’d still get that benefit. So I won’t have to make any changes other than to begin using my Visa.
I need to figure out if I want to maintain the AmEx card that I got specifically so I could shop at Costco. It has an annual fee, which I don’t care for.
I’m surprised that you could use any VISA. But I also thought you could only use the Costco AMEX - you’re saying no no, you can use any AmEx there???
I’ve got to believe that the new Costco VISA will have at least as many perks as the Costco AmEx - it will be such an upheaval if it doesn’t. Though I already have 2 VISA’s I’ll probably get the Costco version and dump one of my other ones if the benefits of the new Costco VISA are decent.
Dont want/need any more credit cards, but I am hopeful (AmEx is still non committal on this) that AmEx will convert the Costco cards to another no annual fee card without having to cancel/reapply for a card. We have a long history with this card which I’d like to continue, and we have our credit frozen, so it would be a pain to unfreeze it to have to apply for another card.
You can currently use any AmEx. I have the Costco AmEx because I opened the AmEx card at the same time I got my Costco membership. And Yes, they told me that after April 1, you can use any Visa.
It would be great if I could continue my AmEx with no annual fee. We’ll see what they do.
I called AmEx about a month ago to ask if I would be able to continue my card with them after the Costco conversion. Was told that it is not possible to transfer the account to another product and I must start over with a new AmEx card. We too have a long history with the Costco card and I didn’t want our credit report to go from a 15 year history with AmEx to a new account. Then if I get the Costco branded Visa, it’s another new account on our report. I really like the convenience of having my credit card and Costco membership on one card, but I don’t need any new cards and don’t want a hit on my credit score.
The ‘hit’ on your credit score is very minor for having a new card and usually disappears in a few months. Cancelling a card is also a minor adjustment. Losing a long term card is a little more ‘costly’ to your score, but all other things being consistent you’ll probably never notice it, especially if you aren’t planning to need your credit score for a major purchase like a house or car.
We got a new AmEx card at AmEx’s urging. It’s free and we will get $300 for spending $1000 in 90 days, which we will easily do for our hotel bill already booked. We will see what Costco offers for CC or just use one of our other existing CCards.
Himom, I ignored all those ads for the AMEX card. What I did was open a fidelity AMex card, which is free. My Gold Amex card is now up to $180 annual fee. I want to use all my points on that, then cancel it.
Can’t you transfer your points from one AmEx card to another & cancel the one that has a fee? That’s what I generally do, as I STRONGLY DISLIKE having fees for things I can get free.
For those of you who have mentioned buying the microwave packets of kale/quinoa…
I made a pack last night for dinner to eat hot as a side dish. Had about 1/2 the pack left. Today, I added diced banana pepper, onion, jalapeno, some lightly steamed corn off the cob and cilantro to it and then splashed it with some Garlic Expressions (vinegarette salad dressing) and ate it cold for lunch. FANTASTIC! I will be using it this way much more often. I should have added some feta too.
Just came from Costco. Wish I had looked at this thread before I left I bought a ridiculously huge pumpkin for just a few dollars. The flowers I bought from them that were at my front door are dying so it’s time to pick something else at the front door. Also ate lots of samples as my lunch
