Should You Get a Costco Membership Just for Holiday Shopping?

For many people, getting a Costco membership is truly an easy call. A $60 outlay gives you a basic membership, which includes access to warehouse club stores and member-only items sold online. For $120, you can upgrade to an Executive membership, which offers perks like 2% cash back on your Costco purchases (with limited exceptions).

If you expect to shop at Costco regularly for things like groceries and household supplies, then a Costco membership might easily pay for itself in the form of savings during the year on those items. But what if you're contemplating a Costco membership for the express purpose of being able to save on holiday purchases? Is it worth spending the money? It might very well be.

A single purchase could justify the cost of a membership

Costco tends to offer a host of deals in the months leading up to the holiday season. You can find everything from Christmas decor to gift-wrapping supplies available at low prices from roughly October through the holidays themselves.

Not only that, but Costco tends to offer its fair share of deals on Black Friday. So if you know you want to purchase something like a TV or laptop for someone special as a holiday gift, that alone could be a good reason to join Costco. You might save well more than $60, or even $120, on a single electronics purchase during the holiday season, thereby covering your membership fee and coming out ahead financially.

Plus, you should know that electronics purchased at Costco come with a free second-year warranty and tech support. With another retailer, you might only get a one-year warranty.

Meanwhile, if you're planning to do a lot of hosting for the holidays, then it could also pay to join Costco so you can load up on food and snacks in bulk. The savings you reap from a cartload of appetizers, snacks, and desserts could actually exceed what you spend on a membership.

But if you're not sure whether a Costco membership makes sense for holiday shopping only, find a friend with a membership to tag along with, visit your local Costco, and take notes. See what prices are available in store on the things you're interested in buying and compare them to what other retailers have available.

If you see that you're able to save $80 on your Christmas decorations at Costco compared to what other retailers are charging for the sort of items you want, then you might tell yourself you'll spring for a basic membership. Doing so lets you come out $20 ahead. And from there, you might enjoy added savings if you visit Costco a few more times in the weeks leading up to the holidays.

A reasonable alternative to a membership

While Costco.com designates certain purchases as member-only, you don't necessarily need a membership to buy things online. Granted, you'll pay more as a non-member, but you might still enjoy a fair amount of savings compared to another retailer.

However, the prices you'll find at Costco stores are generally even lower than the online prices you'll see. And you do need to show a membership card to get in the door. But if you're thinking you're only going to make a single Costco run during the holiday season, then you may want to just see if you can go to the store with a friend and get in on their membership.

Costco members are allowed to bring guests. And if you have a friend with an Executive membership and you use their account to check out, they'll get to enjoy 2% back on your purchases -- even if you pay for those purchases with your own credit card. So chances are, if you're not ready to buy a membership of your own, you can convince someone in your life to bring you to Costco for a one-time holiday haul.