One Little-Known Way to Get Costco Delivery Without a Membership

Did you know you can pay someone to deliver Costco toilet paper to your door in just hours? How about a 40-count case of Arrowhead water bottles? You don't need a $60/year Costco membership to order.

You can buy Costco products on Instacart, the online grocery-shopping app.

Here's how:

1. Navigate to Instacart. Search "Costco"
2. Shop and drop products into your cart.
3. Check out.

My housemate is a full-time mom who needs sitters to watch the kids when she's gone. Getting delivery through Instacart saves her the hassle and allows her to shop from home. Adding Costco to her typical Instacart routine was an easy decision.

But Instacart prices are higher than their Costco.com counterparts. And Instacart typically charges delivery fees. Still, it's a great way to get Costco delivery without a membership.

Pros: speed, convenience, zero membership

The best part of shopping for Costco Delivery through Instacart is the convenience.

To shop at Costco in person, you typically need the following:

• $60/year Costco Gold Star membership
• A photo ID and Costco card at checkout
• 60 minutes to drive to/from Costco, shop around, and check out

To shop at Costco.com, you need the following: 

• $60/year Costco Gold Star membership
• Internet access

To shop at Costco through Instacart, you need the following:

• Internet access

Instacart is the easiest way to get Costco delivery without a membership. Costco will advertise a Gold Star membership to you at checkout, but it's optional.

Instacart will drop off orders to your porch within hours. That's wonderful when you need cheap groceries right now, or you just ran out of toilet paper and must restock ASAP. If you live in a big city, you'll probably qualify for fast delivery.

Instacart makes shopping fast and convenient. You can save your favorites in the app so they're easy to buy again. My housemate uses this feature to restock essentials like fresh produce and toilet paper. It's a big timesaver. You can also schedule deliveries around your calendar.

Cons: price

In exchange for incredible convenience, shoppers take a noticeable hit to their bank accounts.

Instacart charges service and delivery fees and requests tips for delivery people. Power users can sign up for a $99/year Instacart+ membership to eliminate delivery fees; current Costco members may prefer Costco.com, which offers free same-day or two-day delivery.

Items on Instacart are more expensive than on Costco.com. A brief toilet paper test reveals that a 30-count of Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue varies in price:

• Costco.com: $23.99
• Costco Wholesale on Instacart: $24.87

Small price increases can quickly add up. If 12 items in your cart cost $0.50 more on Instacart than in-store, you'll pay a $6 premium upon checkout. That's on top of whatever Instacart charges you for fast and convenient delivery. It's a small but noticeable markup.

Who benefits from Instacart the most?

Only some benefit from getting Costco delivered through Instacart. Here's who benefits the most:

• Instacart+ members and frequent users
• Shoppers without a Costco membership

Interested shoppers should consider checking out what Costco offers through Instacart. Instacart typically gives free delivery to first-time users (though you'll still have to pay a $3-5 service fee). Plus, the interface is slicker than Costco.com, so you spend less time shopping.

But Costco members should consider sticking to Costco.com. Depending on where you live, you can get same-day or two-day delivery at no added cost. Costco.com prices are slightly lower. Finding things and scheduling deliveries is more of a hassle, but you'll save money.

TL; DR: Shopping on Instacart is a great way to get Costco delivery without a membership, but it's pricier. You can shop with a cash back card to earn up to 5% back at checkout, in-store, or online. No matter how you shop, you'll get low Costco prices on all your purchases.

Another little-known fact about Costco is that it offers 24 special warehouses that sell different products than regular Warehouses. These are called Costco Business Centers, and you can check them out on Instacart, the Costco Business Center website, or in person.