The Lesser-Known Way You Can Shop at Costco Without a Membership

There's a reason so many people are willing to pay for a membership to Costco. That modest annual fee can more than pay for itself in the form of savings on purchases like groceries and household essentials, not to mention the other items you might buy at Costco at a lower price than other retailers.

But for some people, the expense of a Costco membership just isn't worth it. You may feel like you won't shop there often enough to warrant the $60 fee for a basic membership, or the $120 fee for an executive membership. If that's the case, but you're still eager to walk into Costco and see what the warehouse club experience entails, you're not out of luck by any means.

Your Costco Shop Card could be your ticket in the door

A Costco Shop Card is a gift card you can use at Costco. And having one is enough to gain entry into Costco even if you don't have a membership. So if someone decides to give you a Costco Shop Card as a gift, all you need to do is flash it at the store's entrance, the same way members flash their membership cards, and you're in.

Now the one thing you should know is that you must be a Costco member to purchase a Costco Shop Card. But if someone buys one for you, you're all set.

When a Costco membership doesn't pay

For many households, a Costco membership is more than worth paying for. But that may not be the case for you. It probably doesn't make sense to join Costco if:

• You live alone
• You have a very small home with very limited storage space
• You don't cook many meals at home
• You don't have a car
• You don't have a Costco warehouse club within a reasonable distance from your home

If these circumstances apply to you, you may instead want the option to shop at Costco for specific occasions only -- for example, to stock up for Thanksgiving or buy things for the holidays. In that case, you could always ask a Costco member you know to purchase a Costco Shop Card on your behalf, reimburse them, and gain access to the store.

Of course, once you spend some time at Costco to use your Costco Shop Card, you may find that you want to sign up for a membership of your own. And in that situation, you may find that a $60 basic membership is totally worth it, even if you don't get over to Costco all that often.

You should also know that an executive membership, which gives you 2% cash back on your purchases, is basically risk free. That's because if you don't earn enough cash back to make back the extra $60 that membership costs, Costco will refund you the difference. So while you might think you're better off starting with a basic membership and seeing how things go, there's really no risk in upgrading your membership immediately once you sign up.