Unfortunately, Costco does not offer any free or discounted memberships for seniors, meaning that senior shoppers still have to pay full membership fees.
The starting cost of a Costco membership is $60 per year, which gets you access to a Gold Star membership. This entry level membership gets you in the door and allows you access to all of the great deals available everyday at Costco. It also grants shoppers access to places like Costco Gas, Costco Tire Center, Costco Travel, and Costco Optical.
Costco also has a second membership tier–the Executive membership–which costs $120 per year and grants the added benefit of 2% cash back per year (up to $1000) on qualifying Costco and Costco.com purchases.
Contents
- 1 How Much Is A Costco Membership For Senior Citizens?
- 2 How To Get A Costco Membership For Seniors
- 3 Different Costco Membership Options For Seniors
- 4 Benefits For Senior Members At Costco
- 5 Other Ways To Save At Costco For Seniors
- 6 Is Costco Membership For Seniors Worth It?
- 7 Similar Stores With Senior Discounts
- 8 FAQs
- 9 Conclusion
How Much Is A Costco Membership For Senior Citizens?
Costco memberships are priced at two levels, and these prices apply to all hopeful shoppers, regardless of age or senior status.
Gold Star memberships cost $60 per year while Executive memberships cost $120 per year. Executive members receive the added bonus of 2% cash back on all qualifying Costco purchases made throughout the year.
How To Get A Costco Membership For Seniors
If you’re looking into getting a Costco membership, but you’re not quite sure where to start, keep reading!
To sign up for a Costco membership, you can either sign up in person at a Costco Warehouse location by finding the member services counter, or you can sign up for your membership online.
To become a Costco member in person…
- Go to your local Costco Warehouse location
- When you go inside, the door person may ask to see your membership card, but you can simply let them know that you’re there to sign up for a membership
- The door person can help direct you toward the member services desk
- Let someone at the member services desk know that you would like to sign up for a membership
- They will let you know what your options are, including Gold Star membership and Executive membership, and what the benefits are of each of these options
- Once you’ve signed up, you will receive your Costco membership card immediately so that you can start shopping right away!
To become a Costco member online…
- Visit Costco’s Join Costco page
- Select the membership level you would like to purchase
- Fill out the “New Sign Up” form, then click “Save & Continue”
- Follow the rest of the prompts and enter your payment information when asked
- Once you membership is confirmed, you will receive your membership number via email
- To get your membership card, you will need to visit your local Costco Warehouse location and speak to someone at the membership counter about getting your card (which will involve having your photograph taken)
- Once you have your card, you’re ready to shop!
Read more about buying a Costco membership on Costco.com here.
Different Costco Membership Options For Seniors
Individual Costco memberships are available at two different levels–Gold Star and Executive.
Gold Star memberships, available for $60 per year, grant shoppers access to Costco Warehouse locations as well as all merchandise available on Costco.com. Gold Star members also gain access to Costco Gas, Costco Travel, Costco Tire Center, Costco Optical, and more. This membership level also includes a second card that can be given to your spouse or a member of your household.
The Executive level Costco membership, available for $120 per year, grants shoppers access to everything that a Gold Membership does, plus a lot more. Executive members receive 2% cash back on eligible Costco and Costco Travel purchases (up to $1000 per year). These members also receive discounts on some Costco services.
Benefits For Senior Members At Costco
While Costco once offered special shopping hours for senior members, the warehouse chain has since retired this policy as of April 2022.
Currently, Costco does not offer any special perks or benefits for senior shoppers, beyond the many benefits they offer to all of their shoppers.
Other Ways To Save At Costco For Seniors
By becoming a Costco member, you will get access to a ton of sales and promotions every day of the year. From huge discounts on high price tag items like furniture, mattresses, and lawn care equipment to discounts on travel packages, Costco members always have great ways to save.
Here are some other ways that you can save money by shopping at Costco:
- Costco offers price adjustment – Have you ever had that experience where you finally break down and buy an expensive item only to see it go on sale a week later? Well, not to worry! If that happens to you at Costco, you can receive the difference back if you let Costco know within 30 days.
- Return anything you’re not 100% happy with – One of the best things by far about shopping at Costco is their legendary return policy. No matter how long it’s been since you bought something, you can return it to Costco with or without a receipt and get your money back. It doesn’t get better than that!
- Turn your yearly rebate check into cash – Although some Costco locations are starting to tighten up on this policy, you can theoretically still exchange your yearly cash back rebate check for cash. This rebate check comes from the 2% cash back rewards executive members receive on their Costco purchases throughout the year. While these checks used to be 100% redeemable for cash, Costco has changed its policy slightly. Now, you have to use it in a Costco store. But the loophole is that if you buy a low-price item (even if it’s just a couple dollars), you can then receive the rest of the amount of your rebate check back in cash. We’ve heard stories of this working at some Costco locations and not at others, so it’s best to test the theory out yourself!
- Save a ton on tires and tire services – Costco Tire Center is one of the biggest perks of having a Costco membership. Everyone knows tires can be super expensive, so having access to affordable tires through Costco Tire Center is a major bonus.
- Plan your vacation through Costco Travel – The next time you’re planning a trip, consider using Costco Travel to save money on hotels, cruise packages, and rental cars. Costco Travel promotions are available year round and get you access to some pretty unheard of deals if you keep your eyes peeled.
- Sign up for The Costco Anywhere Visa credit card through Citi Bank – By signing up for this exclusive rewards credit card, you get access to amazing benefits like 4% cash back on purchases at participating gas stations (up to $7000 per year), 3% cash back at restaurants and eligible travel, as well as 2% cash back on all Costco and Costco.com purchases. This means that if you combine your Costco Citi card with a Costco Executive membership, you’ll be receiving a whopping 4% cash back on all of your Costco purchases year round!
Is Costco Membership For Seniors Worth It?
Even though Costco doesn’t offer a formal senior discount, we still think that Costco memberships are more than worth it for senior shoppers. From everyday low prices that undercut the competition by a large margin to regular promotions on travel and high-price items, Costco membership is a major benefit to anyone.
Plus, as you get older, having a one-stop-shop becomes even more valuable as it saves time and energy for those who don’t want to spend the whole day driving from store to store to find everything they need. At Costco, you can get all your needs met in the same place and trust that you’re spending as little money as possible.
That said, here are some possible downsides to consider:
- Almost everything at Costco is sold in large quantities, which tends to make sense for large families and people with households with kids
- The warehouses are very large, making them more difficult to navigate for shoppers with different mobility needs
- If you don’t plan on doing the bulk of your shopping at Costco, the cost of the membership might not end up being offset by the savings you receive
Similar Stores With Senior Discounts
If you’re still looking for a store that offers a more straightforward senior discount, check out this list of alternatives!
- RiteAid
- Ross
- TJ Maxx
- Amazon Prime
- Kohl’s
- Kroger
- Goodwill
- Michaels
- Walgreens
- The UPS Store
FAQs
Does Costco offer trial membership?
No. Costco does not offer trial memberships. However, they do have a 100% satisfaction guaranteed return policy. So, if you buy a Costco membership and you aren’t completely satisfied, you can return it and get your money back with no strings attached. If you return your membership after 1 year, you will not receive back credit for any full years of membership that have already passed.
What is the cheapest Costco membership you can get for seniors?
The least expensive Costco membership available is the Gold Star membership. This costs $60 per year and grants shoppers access to Costco Warehouse locations where they can find amazing deals every day. Gold Star members also get access to Costco Gas, Costco Tire Center, Costco Travel, and Costco Optical.
Does Costco offer free membership for seniors with EBT?
No. Costco does not offer any free memberships based on need or age status. The only ways to get a free membership through Costco are to become an employee, be added to a friend or family member’s account, or to be gifted a membership by an employee who receives complimentary memberships each year.
How can you get a free Costco membership?
To get access to a Costco membership for free, you can:
- Go to Costco with a friend who has a membership and pay together
- Be gifted a membership by a Costco employee
- Be added to a Costco membership account owned by your spouse or member of your household
- Get a job at Costco
While it’s not quite the same as having a free membership, you can also try these workarounds for shopping at Costco without a membership:
- Shop with a Costco Shop Card (these can be received as gifts or as promotional offerings through giveaways, Groupons, etc.)
- Order through Instacart (Instacart allows shoppers access to members-only retailers without needing membership)
- Shop at Costco.com (some items are only available to members, but much of Costco’s merchandise is available online regardless of membership status)
Conclusion
Shopping at Costco offers plenty of benefits for shoppers of all ages, whether you’re starting a new family or tending to an empty nest. From daily discounts to cash back rewards and more, a Costco membership has tons of perks. Unfortunately Costco does not offer any special benefits to its senior shoppers, but this is because they offer so much already. At Costco, everyone has equal access to the rewards.
