Saving at Costco

Most Costco locations open at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. local time, seven days a week. In places where the standard open time is 10 a.m., look for a 9:30 open time on Saturdays. Costco senior hours ended in April 2022.

Most Costco locations close at 8:30 p.m. on weeknights and 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays and/or Sundays. Check with your local store, as hours vary by location.

Costco’s membership starts at $60 per year (Gold Star) and can go as high as $120 per year (Gold Star Executive). The more expensive membership is worth it if you spend $500 per month or more. Check out our full Costco Membership Guide.

Yes. Costco takes EBT at all stores, but not at Costco.com. Buy meat, produce, dairy, breads, cereals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages and even seeds or plants with your EBT at Costco.

Yes. Costco takes Apple Pay in stores, at gas stations, and in the Costco food court as long as you have a Visa card linked to your Apple Pay wallet.

Costco’s return policy contains a 100% satisfaction guarantee with no time limit. Even memberships are refundable. Electronics are the exception and have a 90-day return window.

Costco does not price match competitors, as a matter of policy. But did you know there are stores that will price match Costco?

Costco rotisserie chickens, pizzas, and sheet cakes get all the press, but we’ve got a whole list of our favorite and very Best Costco Deals including vanilla extract, pure maple syrup, peanut butter, and more.

Costco releases their once-monthly Costco Coupon Book, which we scan and upload for easy browsing on KCL. We also share the in-store Costco prices (vitally important, since it’s the only way to actually calculate whether you’re getting a good deal). And keep in mind that Costco.com prices are always higher than what you'll see in-store.

Generally speaking, no, Costco does not offer curbside pickup. At most locations, you can only place pickup orders for specific items inside the warehouse. Over the past year and a half, Costco did a pilot test for curbside in just a handful of markets, but minimum orders were reported to be anywhere from $100 – $500, and there was a $20 service fee.

Costco is a great place to shop for some things, but not a great place to shop for all things. If you know what to buy and what to skip (and pick up some tips from our Costco Warehouse Savings guide), it’s not hard to save the $60 cost of your annual membership.

You don't technically need a membership to shop at Costco. KCL was actually the first to publish this hack online, back in 2012. . . any shopper with a Costco gift card (aka Costco Shop Card) can shop at Costco without a membership. That’s because Costco is so confident you’ll get hooked and join once you see all the Costco deals you can score.

Costco doesn’t take coupons, at least not paper manufacturer coupons, and their Instant Savings don't require you to have the Costco Coupon Book in hand. But, if you’re looking to make your own sort of Costco coupons, you can use rebate apps like Ibotta, Checkout 51, or Fetch Rewards to save a few bucks here and there on your Costco purchases.

There are a number of ways to get Costco delivery, but each will cost you more than if you shopped in-store. Costco delivers groceries from your local warehouse via Instacart and surcharges are built into the inflated prices you’ll see online. Costco.com has free two-day shipping if you’re spending over $75.

Just because you pay to shop there doesn’t mean everything at Costco is a great deal. Especially for products that are driven by huge sales and discounts at other retailers (think robot vacuums, TVs, electric toothbrushes, etc.). Check out this full list of things you should not buy at Costco.

The in-store Costco photo centers shut down in 2021, and the online Costco photo center shut down in early 2023.

However, you can transfer your Costco Photo Account to Shutterfly, where Costco members receive 51% off regularly-priced Shutterfly orders, plus free shipping on orders over $49.

Costco Black Friday sales drop at the end of October with early deals. But the official Costco Black Friday deals go live on the second Monday of November. Expect loads of Costco deals on electronics and holiday toys at Costco during their Black Friday sales.