Costco: Our best tips for saving money at the warehouse

You can save a lot of money at Costco warehouses. However, it is important to know these different Costco tips and tricks.

You’ll also discover the best credit cards for Costco. Remember that you can use any Mastercard in the warehouse.

Note, however, that no credit card considers Costco a grocery store. So you’ll always have the basic accumulation for the basic or “Other” category of your credit card.

There are two types of membership:

Executive Privilege Membership gives you a 2% annual cash back on most of your purchases (up to a maximum of $1,000 – or $50,000 in annual purchases).

A Costco membership pays for itself if you spend more than $3,000 per year at Costco (a $60 rebate), and is fully refunded if you make $6,000 in purchases per year (a $120 rebate).

Costco Tip: You may be able to get a refund on the difference between the $120 Executive Privilege Membership card and the $60 Privilege Membership card if you don’t fit in!

If you do not expect to spend more than $3,000 per year at Costco, perhaps it might be helpful to ask a friend or family member to provide you with a Costco Shop Card.

Don’t forget! Your Costco membership card allows you to visit a Costco Business Centre, even if you are a private individual.

With the Costco Shop Card, anyone can shop at Costco, member or non-member. To buy it, however, you must be a Costco member.

Non-Costco members must register for a one-day shopping pass at the Membership Counter each time they access a warehouse to use a Costco Shop Card.

While for a Costco member, there is an advantage to getting a Costco Shop Card online : to pay with a Visa credit card instead of a Mastercard credit card! Read the end of this article to know more about this tip.

Many people may think that Costco is only for large families. In fact, everything at Costco is in large quantities.

However, if done properly, it is possible for even a childless couple to shop at Costco and still save money.

Long before we had our children, we were already shopping at Costco. For example, buying meat and then separating it into freezer bags. The price per kilo is unbeatable and the quality is there. Practical for barbecues!

Costco tip: Buy Kirkland products – Costco’s house brand – which are a great value. Very often, it will be big brands that will be behind the Kirkland products (like Duracell for batteries, Huggies for diapers or Danone for yoghurts)!

If you can’t find discounts at the grocery store, Kirkland’s tissue boxes are of much better quality:

Here are most of the products that are often less expensive in Costco stores than in grocery stores:

• Nuts and oils
• Flour, brown sugar, yeast, organic cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and powdered sugar
• Snacks and other sweets
• Cheese
• Meat, fish (including salmon)
• Frozen fruit (handy for smoothies)
• Choice of organic and gluten-free products
• Drugs
• Gift cards (for spas, certain restaurants and regional activities)

Not to mention: gas at unbeatable prices!

Only Costco experts – and employees – know the Costco price tag trick.

Costco price labels help distinguish real bargains from regular rates. Here are the 5 types of prices indicated by these labels:

Costco Tip: As long as you don’t buy products ending in xx.99, you know you’re getting a great deal!

Nevertheless, even the products at xx.99 already have excellent prices compared to the competition!

How many times have you bought a product and then seen it discounted the following week?

Fortunately, Costco Canada offers a price adjustment: you can request a refund of the difference up to 30 days after purchase. To do so, go to the Membership Counter.

Costco’s website, Costco.ca, often offers the same products as in the warehouse (and there’s even a grocery section).

However, prices will often be higher than those you can find in the warehouse, as they include delivery charges.

However, it’s an almost obligatory step when buying household appliances online! Costco’s prices are often very competitive for these reasons:

• Delivery included ;
• Basic installation included for some appliances ;
• 2-year warranty included ;
• Takes back old household appliances for recycling;
• Keep an eye out for promotions and discounts when buying several appliances at once.

The advantage of shopping at Costco for your appliances: there is often a 2-year warranty included. Ditto for televisions!

In addition, the extended warranty (up to 5 years) is often very affordable (between $29 and $99 for a television).

In addition, Costco is known for having the best refund policy in the country. This extends to 90 days for most products, even electronics! Clothes can be returned within 30 days.

This refund policy even extended to 2 years a few years ago, but abuse has forced Costco to lower this to 90 days.

Your Canadian Costco membership card allows you to shop at Costco in the United States (and around the world too!).

We’ve used it frequently in the U.S., particularly in Hawaii: handy for filling up with gas or taking camping gear.

By the way, the Canadian CIBC Costco Mastercard is the only Mastercard that works in a Costco warehouse in the U.S.! However, a foreign currency conversion fee of 2.5% is added.

Otherwise, you will have to pay in cash or with a Visa credit card. For this, prefer the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card, which charges no foreign currency conversion fees.

Here’s another option: Before you leave on your trip, purchase a Costco Purchase Card in Canada with a Mastercard or Visa credit card. Then use your Costco Shop Card at a Costco warehouse in the United States. Conversion to U.S. dollars is instantaneous and free of charge.

Costco for Business is open to all Costco members! Even people who do not have a business.

In Quebec, there is a Costco Business Centre in Saint-Hubert and another in Anjou.

To find out what’s going on at Costco stores in Quebec, check out the Facebook group Les Accros du Costco. Almost 400,000 subscribers comment on new items, discuss discounts, post their finds and ask questions.

They are mailed out a few times a year.

Costco coupons for Executive members are also available here on the Costco website or at the warehouse customer service desk.

The mobile app keeps everything in one place:

• Digital membership card to be shown at checkout or entrance;
• Receipts for warehouse and online purchases ;
• Store like on the website;
• Check discount balance ;
• View the latest offers.

It is available on the App Store and Google Play.

Costco tip: you can use any Mastercard in Costco warehouses! Then, at Costco.ca, you can use both Mastercard and Visa.

Costco is not considered a grocery store! So, you won’t get the accelerated credit card accumulation of supermarkets, if any.

To shop at Costco, we recommend one of these cards Mastercard credit cards, depending on the points you would like to earn.

If you want the complete list per program (AIR MILES, Cash Back, travel points, hotel points), see this article on the best credit cards for Costco.

Discover below a selection of the best credit cards for your purchases at Costco, such as :

• Rogers World Elite^® Mastercard^®: 1.5% cash back
• National Bank World Elite Mastercard^®: 1 point per dollar
• BMO^® AIR MILES^® World Elite Mastercard: 2 miles per $12 (1.68% return)

In fact, the BMO^® AIR MILES^® World Elite Mastercard is the only one with a special category for warehouses or wholesale clubs.

The CIBC Dividend^® Visa Infinite* Card is a great way to earn cash back on all your purchases at Costco. You can use it for all your Costco.ca purchases.

The trick is tobuy an Shop card, which you can then use in the warehouse. Handy if you don’t have a Mastercard!

With this credit card you earn:

• A welcome bonus
• First-year annual fee rebate
• 1% per dollar spent at Costco
• 4% per dollar of purchase in grocery stores and on gas
• Excellent insurance

American Express credit card holders can also shop at Costco (in a way).

The Instacart website includes a large majority of grocery chains, including Costco. Costco offers on this site the products found in its warehouses and delivers them to your home, but at an additional cost.

Instacart accepts American Express cards for purchases made at Costco and even accepts non-Costco customers!

On the Instacart site, you select the items you want, buy them using your American Express credit card, and they’re delivered on time.

With this trick, you can earn 5 times the points for the American Express Cobalt^MD Card and Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card! In fact, Instacart is considered an eligible grocery store or food delivery service.