Forget paying at Costco. Here are 3 ways to shop without a membership

A basic annual membership (Gold Star) at Costco currently costs $60 per year. The Executive membership, which gives you 2% cash back on your purchases, costs $120.

And those prices won’t last much longer. Starting September 1, the cost of a basic Costco membership will rise to $65, while an executive membership will cost $130.

These aren’t terrible prices by any means if you can benefit from regular Costco access. But if you don’t need to visit a wholesale club every week or even every month, you may find it wasteful to join Costco and pay the membership fee.

If that’s the case, you’re not necessarily out of luck. Here are three ways you can shop at Costco without paying.

1. Shop online

Many people are surprised to learn that you can shop at Costco.com without a paid membership, but you should expect to pay more for your purchases if you do so.

Costco charges a 5% surcharge on orders placed by non-members. The only exception to this rule is prescription drugs.

Remember that Costco covers its costs through membership fees, and if you don’t pay those fees, you’ll be charged more.

However, if you only order from Costco.com occasionally, it may make more financial sense to pay the extra charge rather than getting a membership. Let’s say you order from Costco four times a year and each order has a total value of $200. In total, that’s a $40 extra charge for $800 worth of products, which is cheaper than the basic membership.

Another problem you might encounter as a non-member at Costco.com is that you are prohibited from purchasing certain members-only items. But even in this case, there is a possible solution.

If you have a friend with a membership, just ask them to buy you the item in question and give them the money back. It doesn’t have to be a deal breaker if an annual membership doesn’t make sense for you.

2. Shop with a friend

If you live in the suburbs, you probably know at least one person who pays for a Costco membership. And you should know that members can bring a guest along to shop, so if you don’t want to pay for an annual membership, just try to come along with a friend occasionally.

If you want to do that, though, pay attention to the products Costco stocks and the prices. After you get a better idea of ​​the store’s inventory, you may decide that a membership could bring you nice, ongoing savings.

3. Shopping with the Shop Card

A Costco Shop Card is the store’s gift card and can only be purchased by members. However, there’s nothing wrong with a member you know purchasing a Shop Card and gifting it to you.

Once you have a Shop Card in hand, all you have to do is present it at the door and you can shop at Costco on your own. If you want to shop at Costco occasionally and don’t want to be tied to a friend’s schedule, ask a member you know to buy you a few Shop Cards and pay them back. This will give you the freedom to shop at Costco at your leisure.

While a Costco membership offers many benefits, it may not be worth it if you don’t expect to use it often. Fortunately, you can still shop at Costco.

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