Finding the Best Deals at Costco

Costco offers deal-seeking members great prices on over 4,000 items sold at 600 warehouses in the United States and online. While they carry a smaller number of items compared to other retailers, Costco’s deals allow members to quickly recoup the annual cost of their memberships.

What Types of Deals Does Costco Offer?

Deals are found in the monthly member savings booklet and include food, household products, health and wellness products, electronics, and apparel, among other items. Costco also has a monthly deals section on their website, featuring specials on items ranging from washers and dryers, to patio furniture, to housewares, to Wagyu beef.

Here are the deals you can expect to find at Costco for several popular items:

Cell Phones

Costco has arrangements with both T-Mobile and AT&T, where members who switch from their current phone provider to either company receive a rebate in the form of a Costco gift card, plus additional incentives like bill credits or a Visa prepaid gift card. Each Costco warehouse has either an AT&T or a T-Mobile counter.

Costco also sells new, unlocked iPhones online, giving you the freedom to use your own cell phone provider. While the phones sell for over $1,100, Costco offers a free Apple Care warranty.

Clothing

Costco sells a mix of name-brand and Kirkland Signature apparel for the entire family both in-warehouse and online. The best deals are on items from brands like Levi's, where the savings can be up to 45% off department store prices. Costco frequently offers online deals, where members receive additional savings when they purchase multiple apparel items.

Costco also offers special member pricing on apparel brands not sold in the warehouse through Costco Next. Featured brands have included Weatherproof outerwear, Dearfoams slippers, and Barco scrubs.

Gift Cards

Costco sells a select assortment of national, regional, and local restaurant, travel, gaming, amusement, event, and spa gift cards both in-warehouse and online. The gift cards usually come in multi-packs, and sell at a savings of 20% to 30% off, depending on the gift card. Occasionally, Costco offers additional savings on top of the discounted price.

Gift cards sold in the warehouse are mainly physical gift cards, while the majority of the gift cards sold at Costco.com are eGift cards. The gift card selection is subject to change.

Laptops

Each month, Costco offers a deal on a number of laptops, with savings of between $100 and $400, depending on the original price. While a handful of laptops are featured in the monthly member savings ad, additional laptops can be found both in-warehouse and online. Featured brands include HP, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and LG.

How Do You Save the Most at Costco?

To get the most out of your Costco membership, be aware of your member benefits and follow these tips:

• Shop primarily in the warehouse, where prices are lower than online. Only shop online for Costco.com exclusive items
• Purchase Costco’s Kirkland Signature-branded products instead of their national brand counterparts. The quality is often the same, if not better, and the prices are lower
• Use the Costco app to be notified of upcoming sales. Join their email list and enable notifications on your phone for flash sales
• Fill up your car’s gas tank at Costco’s gas stations, where the prices are cheaper than most local stations
• Take advantage of deals on rotisserie chicken, beef, wine, and organic foods, and buy these items in bulk
• Take advantage of post-holiday deals, where any remaining decorations and candy are marked down.
• Consider booking a member-exclusive vacation package from Costco Travel
• Fill your prescriptions at Costco’s pharmacy, whose prices are competitive with other pharmacies
• Consider purchasing your next new or preowned vehicle through the Costco Auto Program, which offers lower prices
• Earn cash back by becoming an Executive member
• Apply for a Costco Anywhere Visa Card, which offers cash back on gas, travel, and dining, along with benefits like travel insurance

What Are Costco’s Membership Benefits?

Costco offers two types of memberships: Personal and Business. Personal memberships are for individual customers, while Business memberships are for companies and organizations. Both Personal and Business memberships have two levels, standard and executive. Here are the benefits for each membership type and level.

Personal Membership

Gold Star Membership ($60 Annually)

• Shop at any Costco location or online
• A second membership card for a family member
• A refund on the membership fee if not satisfied

Executive Membership ($120 Annually)

• All the Gold Star Membership benefits
• Savings of up to $1,000 on eligible Costco, Costco.com, and Costco Travel purchases
• Additional Costco service discounts and benefits

Business Membership

Business Membership ($60 Annually)

• Shop at any Costco location or online
• Make resale purchases except for alcohol, where prohibited by law
• Receive two membership cards
• Add more people to the membership for $60 per person
• Get a refund on the membership fee if not satisfied

Executive Business Membership ($120 Annually)

• All the Business membership advantages
• Savings of up to $1,000 on eligible Costco, Costco.com, and Costco Travel purchases
• Additional Costco service discounts and benefits

Important $20/$40 Costco Shop Card Deal Information

• This offer is only for new members and former members whose memberships expired 18 months ago or more
• An email address is required to receive membership confirmation and the digital Costco Shop Card
• Allow up to two hours to receive your membership confirmation email and up to two weeks to receive your digital Costco Shop Card
• Bring the membership confirmation email into any Costco warehouse to receive your membership card
• Membership auto renewal enrollment is required
• You must be 16 or older to be a Costco member
• You must agree to Costco’s membership terms and privacy policy
• The digital gift card has no expiration date and can’t be redeemed for cash

What Are Costco’s Holiday Deals?

On most holidays, Costco has deals on a number of items, usually found in their monthly savings booklets. While most items in the monthly savings booklets are everyday essentials like food, cleaning supplies, and personal care products, you’ll find laptops, televisions, furniture, apparel, and other items featured, as well.

Here's what you can expect to find deals on during the major holidays.

Valentine’s Day

For Valentine’s Day, Costco members can usually preorder 50-stem rose bouquets to be delivered in time for the occasion.

Presidents' Day

Costco’s February savings booklet is in effect during Presidents' Day. In 2024, the savings booklet featured savings on Shark vacuums, LG televisions, Sealy mattresses, and MacBook Air and HP Pavilion laptops, Sealy mattresses, and LG televisions.

Easter

While there aren’t any Easter-specific deals in the monthly savings booklet, Costco members can start getting their lawns ready for spring and summer with deals on Greenworks outdoor power tools and Scotts grass seed and fertilizer. Deal seekers can also find savings on women’s and men’s casual apparel, and furniture.

Mother’s Day

Costco often runs multiple quantity purchase deals on apparel, and Mother’s Day is no exception.

Memorial Day

Deal seekers looking for Memorial Day deals at Costco will find savings on appliances, furniture, televisions, and laptops.

Father’s Day

Deal seekers looking for Father’s Day gifts will find savings on Apple watches, LG and Samsung televisions, Braun and Philips Norelco rechargeable shavers, and HP laptops.

4th of July

For the 4th of July, Costco offers deals on furniture, appliances, spas, bedding, area rugs, and laptops. Members planning picnics and get-togethers can save on snacks, beverages, ice cream, and frozen meat.

Labor Day

Just in time for Labor Day weekend, Costco usually offers deals on rechargeable toothbrushes, coffee makers, blenders, laptops, furniture, vacuums, and mattresses. With the beginning of football season, Costco takes the opportunity to include warranty coverage of three-to-five years on select televisions.

Halloween

Costco doesn’t carry much Halloween merchandise, but they do sell giant bags and boxes of Halloween candy, and they usually have a deal, especially if you like to give trick-or-treaters full-size candy bars.

Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Christmas

Costco, like most retailers, starts their holiday sales in early November, with a significantly larger November edition of the monthly savings booklet. Deal seekers can find Thanksgiving Day online-only deals, and the sale dates for the November and December monthly savings booklets overlap, translating to lots of offers.

The November and December Costco savings booklets feature deals on a wider variety of items, including laptops, televisions, jewelry, apparel, household appliances, electronics, major appliances, furniture, and vacuums. Thanksgiving Day-only deals in the past included gift cards, televisions, furniture, and paddleboards.

After Christmas

If you’re looking for After Christmas deals on Christmas merchandise at Costco, you’re likely out of luck, as Christmas merchandise is often sold out before Christmas. Any remaining Christmas merchandise after the holiday will be on clearance.

Costco’s post-Christmas deals focus on health and wellness, featuring vitamins, healthy snacks, and workout apparel.

What Is Costco’s Return Policy?

The Costco return policy features a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all items, including Costco memberships. If you need to return an item, just bring it to the returns desk at your local Costco. Online purchases may be returned at a Costco warehouse or shipped back to Costco.

For electronics and major appliances, Costco accepts returns within 90 days of purchase or delivery. Diamonds require all paperwork and an inspection before a refund is issued. Items with a limited life span like tires may have a limited product warranty. Gold bullion, gift cards, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and live event certificates/cards/vouchers may not be returned.

Does Costco Price Match?

Costco has a 30-day price matching policy, where members can receive an adjustment on any item that drops in price within that period. The policy applies to both warehouse and online purchases.

Costco does not price match other retailers, nor do they match warehouse prices on Costco.com orders. Gold bullion is exempt from price matching.

Does Costco Offer Free Shipping?

Costco offers free shipping on most items. Items with a shipping charge mention the fee in the shipping section of the item’s webpage.

Free 2-day delivery is offered on most grocery, household, and office items with a $75 minimum purchase. For orders not meeting the $75 minimum, the shipping fee is $3 per item.

Are There Curbside Pickup Options?

Costco offers curbside pickup only for jewelry, watches, laptops, tablets, cell phones, portable hard drives, and wearable technology items.

What Are Costco’s Holiday Hours?

Costco’s warehouses close for more holidays than most retailers. The chart below has the most current Costco holiday hours and may be subject to change.

How Does Shopping Compare Online vs. In-Store?

Costco’s warehouses are geared toward the adventurous shopper, as you’ll find new merchandise each time you visit. And if you would rather grab a quick bite to eat instead of taking home a rotisserie chicken, Costco’s food court is the place to go. Costco members can also save money by fueling up their vehicles at the parking lot gas stations located at many warehouse locations.

While many items sold at a Costco warehouse are also available at Costco.com, some items, like perishable food, are only found in the warehouse. Most items cost less in the warehouse than online.

What Else Should I Consider?

Consider signing up for the DealNews Select newsletter, which drops a bunch of handpicked hottest deals into your inbox every weekday. You can also set a deal alert for products you’re interested in and receive notifications when they go on sale.