Ultimate Costco Guide: How to Make the Most of Your Money at Costco

Endless savings opportunities and great buys await you at Costco.

This massively-popular warehouse club is a treasure trove for smart shoppers, but knowing the ins and outs of Costco are key to getting the most out of it.

Yes, savings are key at Costco. But so is quality: Costco is known for selling top-quality products and brands, as well as partnering with top manufacturers for its own Kirkland Signature brand.

And while budget-oriented shoppers can find great deals on paper towels and canned black beans, those who love the finer things can score Osetra Caviar and a private-jet membership.

This guide is aimed at helping you. That means how to save money at Costco, what to buy at Costco, what not to buy at Costco, what Costco offers (it’s a lot!), and whether Costco shopping is even right for you at all.

10 tips for shopping at Costco

We’ll cover a lot on this page, but if you want to fast-track your way to improving your Costco game, start with these 10 tips.

1. Costco mailers

Costco makes it easy for you to know where the best deals are – it sends out a monthly mailer that lists all of the featured deals.

Don’t buy things you don’t need, whether they’re on sale or not! But, Costco is great for stocking up on shelf-stable items you use regularly (think toothpaste, seltzer, olive oil, dry spices), and deals on these kinds of products can be a nice win.

The Costco mailer is required reading in our household.

2. Buy Kirkland Signature products

It’s no secret that white labeled products can be a great way to save while still getting top quality.

Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand is no exception. Brands behind the products that wear the Kirkland label include Starbucks (coffee), Duracell (batteries), Kimberly-Clark (diapers), and Reynolds (aluminum foil).

There is a reason you might see Motley Fool employees rocking Kirkland Signature apparel (no joke). It’s a great brand.

3. Be careful buying fresh produce.

The best buys at Costco are shelf-stable because you have lots of time to use the high-volume you’re buying. Produce doesn’t work that way. You need to use it or it’ll go bad.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid fresh produce. Costco’s produce is great, and it has a pretty good selection of organic. My family regularly buys a good chunk of our produce at Costco.

The trick is being prepared. Have your meal plan set for the week and planned around the large quantities of whatever it is you’re buying. Just got a bunch of corn on the cob? Do burgers and grilled corn on the cob one day and an avocado and corn salad another (avocados are a great buy at Costco).

You can also plan for casseroles and other freezer meals that use the produce to make use of it before it goes bad.

4. Make the most of Costco’s super secret pricing codes (ok, not all that secret, but still useful).

The decimals at Costco can tell you a lot about the price and the future of the product. Know the code and you can shop like a Costco pro:

.99 at the end means it’s a normal price
.97 means it’s on clearance
.88 means it's discounted, while .00 means a bigger discount
.49 and .74 mean special manufacturer pricing
If you see an * on the tag it means it will not be restocked - so if you like, buy it because it probably won't be there next time, and if you like it a lot, consider stocking up.

5. Get your cash rewards: consider the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

If you are a regular Costco shopper, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi may really up your Costco game. With the card you get 2% cash back on all of your Costco and Costco.com shopping. And the card has a $0 for Costco members.

What's even more interesting about the card is that it's also great outside of Costco (some might argue it's even better outside). You get 4% back on gas and EV charging (up to $7,000 in spend per year), 3% on restaurants, and 1% on everything else.

That's a solid card, period. Let alone for a brand-specific card.

But there are some drawbacks that could make other cards a better bet for you at Costco. Frankly, the 2% back at Costco isn't especially impressive. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card gives users 2% cash rewards on all spending. And the Discover it® Cash Back has a rotating 5% cashback category -- in quarterly categories that you activate, up to the quarterly spending limit -- that sometimes includes wholesale clubs.

Also, the cashback earned on the Costco Visa Card is only paid out once per year, in a voucher that you have to bring to Costco. Most standard cashback cards pay out more often and are more flexible. We've rated the best rewards credit cards and the best cash back credit cards to help our readers choose the best card - again, whether spending at Costco or not.

6. Boost your cashback even more - consider Executive Membership

Executive Membership at Costco costs an additional $60 per year, but comes with 2% rewards on all Costco shopping.

If you spend $3,000 per year ($250 per month) at Costco, the Executive Membership would give you $60 in rewards, covering the up front cost. That means every dollar spent, and rewards earned, beyond that go right into your pocket.

The expanded membership also comes with other benefits, which are no cost to you if you're getting your rewards to cover the extra cost.

And if you stack this with the Costco Visa Card, then you're getting 4% on all your Costco spending, which is pretty tasty.

7. If you see a good deal, don't wait

Ok, this could be a dicey tip, since one of the big challenges with Costco is avoiding buying things you don't really need (there's just so much great stuff!).

But deals at Costco and even products themselves come and go. If something that you need and use is a good deal, don't sleep on it. That deal won't last long.

For example, our family lives and dies by Rao's sauce on pasta nights, so when Rao's sauce is on sale at Costco – which happens, but not all that often – we stock up. Same with Dunkin coffee and Impossible Burgers.

Here's the bonus tip here: if you make a mistake and buy to much or realize it's something you don't need, take it back. Costco's return policy is great.

8. Use Costco's return policy

Speaking of Costco's return policy, it's a tip of it's own.

Don't be disappointed about what you've bought at Costco – you don't want that and neither does Costco. That's why they have a really solid return policy that, in my experience, is rivaled only by the likes of Amazon.

Costco has a "Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee". If you bought it and you're unhappy, they want to make it right. There are caveats, so see the specific return policy details, but they're few and reasonable – like 90 day limitation on returning TVs.

It makes it easier if you have your receipt, especially if it's something you buy regularly. But Costco can pull up a record of all purchases linked to your membership, so s receipt typically isn't necessary.

Costco will even refund your membership fee if you're dissatisfied.

Just a few examples of things my family has successfully returned:

A set of kids Star Wars snack containers. We bought two boxes and realized we only needed one.

A backyard splashpad. We used it once and some chemical on it browned our grass underneath. We'd used this once, had it for months, didn't have the box, and didn't have the receipt. Costco didn't blink.

A bagged salad that wilted prior to the best by date. We didn't have the receipt and had thrown out the salad. Costco's bagged salads are great and big, but not cheap overall (cheap on a per serving basis), so it was great to get refunded for this.

Wine that had gone bad. You do have to bring the bottles and packaging back and this may also vary based on state law. But still, very easy to make sure you're not paying for wine you're not drinking.

Overall, the point is, saving money at Costco is about more than the prices, it's also the comfort that you can easily get refunded if you're not happy with your purchase (or membership!).

9. Use the membership with roommates

Yes, families, and especially big families, can really benefit from the bulk at Costco. But so can folks just rooming up.

With a Costco membership, you get a free household card, so it's easy to have two people in the same household hold the keys to Costco shopping.

Naturally, if there are more roommates that can better leverage the double bags of Honey Bunches of Oats, the many pounds of rice, or the stacks of paper towels, all the better.

10. Don't overlook the other Costco services

Yes, Costco is great for groceries, but the other services that Costco offers are also great.

Costco Travel has great packaged travel deals. If you are an ace at planning your own trips piece by piece and eeking out every penny of savings, great.

But if you are busy (as my family is), want easy, quality, and still save money, Costco Travel is great. Our family has used it multiple times. We've compared prices to both travel agents and online deal sites and had a tough time beating Costco's price and package. Costco Travel often includes airport transfers and a Costco shop card as part of the deal.

Costco gas is almost a can't miss. Your mileage will vary (pun intended), but savings can often be $0.05 to $0.25 per gallon. If you’re at Costco anyway, filling up your tank is generally a great idea.

Costco’s tire services are also a great deal. I have had a great experience having a tire repaired at Costco, and would always have Costco in the comparison when replacing tires, especially since tires purchased at Costco come with great benefits like inflation pressure checks, flat repair, tire balancing, and tire rotation for the life of the tires.

And then there’s insurance – life, auto, pet, among others – the Costo Auto Program, check printing, bottled water delivery, window coverings, flooring, and, yes, even more.

What is Costco? And more importantly, why Costco?

Costco is a wholesale club. Which means that it is a store selling wholesale quantities of goods to consumers and small businesses that have purchased a membership to the club.

Costco operates large-format, low-frills stores that stock large quantities of goods. Unlike many wholesalers, which focus on selling to businesses, Costco also sells to consumers. Additionally, membership fees charged by Costco help it keep prices low for its members.

Why Costco is such a phenomenon for shoppers is another matter. The most obvious reason is that you can get great deals at Costco. Not everything is a great deal, but many things are sold at prices that can save you a lot of money.

At the same time, bulk buying of goods may be a time saver for many people, allowing them to make fewer shopping trips.

Costco has also invested heavily in the customer experience. This means that everything from product selection and services offered to customer service are obsessed over by company management – and it shows through in the experience for most customers.

Of course many people go crazy for Costco because they find enjoyment in scouring the rows of giant shelves for sneaky bargains. (Note: we can relate, though must point out that we also love healthy savings balances and budgets, so always caution against buying things you don’t need!).

Costco Membership

The standard Gold Star Membership at Costco

is $60 per year. This allows you to shop in stores and online. You get two membership cards with this membership – one for you and one another member of the household.

If you’re new to Costco and not sure about it yet, this is the membership to start with. And remember, Costco is all about satisfied customers, so bear in mind that the membership can be canceled and refunded at any time if you’re not happy with it.

The Executive Membership is the stepped-up membership and costs $60 in addition to the standard membership (so $120 total). This provides everything that the Gold Star Membership does, with the added benefits of 2% rewards on all of your Costco shopping (up to $1,000 in rewards per year) and additional discounts on Costco services.

If you’re a regular Costco shopper, the Executive Membership can make a lot of sense. This is especially true if you spend $3,000 or more ($250 per month) at Costco, since, at that level of spend, the rewards you get pay for the $60 bump-up to the Executive Membership.

Like the basic Gold Star Membership, the Executive Membership is also backed by Costco satisfaction guarantee, so if it’s not working out, you can also cancel it and get it refunded (though bear in mind, you’ll lose your accrued rewards if you do).

Shopping at Costco: What can you buy? What should you buy?

To the question what can you buy at Costco the short answer is: nearly everything. That's an exaggeration for sure but you can buy everything from fresh produce, shelf-stable canned goods, and vitamins, to cell phones, TVs, and live plants. Then there's also toys, books, seasonal items, frozen food, and car tires. And that's just what's in the stores.

You can also shop Costco.com online and services like Costco Travel to access even more.

The question of what should you buy at Costco is tougher and to some extent will depend on who you ask. Most people will agree that things like shelf-stable products, paper products, and canned drinks are great to buy at Costco. You're basically always buying bulk at Costco, so these types of products are great because they're useful and won't go bad.

And one of the best ways to find out what you should buy at Costco is to experiment. Shop and take some chances. You may find something you love, and if you hate it, remember that Costco has a stellar return policy.

Here are some other items at Costco that either generally get good reviews or we personally recommend:

• Sauces and dips (think hummus, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce)
• Bakery items (if you won't eat them quickly these can be sliced or cut and frozen)
• Food court (good way to fuel up before shopping or recover after!)
• Gasoline (almost always cheaper)
• Fresh produce (tricky, but usually very good)

If you're preparing for a party or event, the fact that you're getting bulk becomes an advantage. That makes Costco almost an essential stop. Drinks, party platters, cheeses, wine and beer (location dependent) – these are all easy buys when you're hosting.

As far as the fresh product goes, food waste is a big problem in the US and we don't want to contribute to that – good deal or not. However, even if you don't have a large family, you can still take advantage of Costco's quality fresh produce by thinking things through just a bit ahead of time.

• Know how fresh items will ripen or how long they will last. Knowing just a bit about the food you eat can be helpful. For example, avocados ripen best out at room temperature, but if put in the fridge once they're ripe they can last another week or two. Spinach and lettuces go bad quicker, even in the refrigerator, so plan to use these soon after purchase.
• Have a plan. If you plan ahead of time, you can easily create a meal plan that has variety, but also makes best use of bulk fresh produce. A large bag of squash and zucchini from Costco can make soups, pastas, casseroles, and stir fries, among others.
• Make freezer friendly meals. A big haul of certain fresh items can do double duty, making a great fresh meal for the current week, but then also going in a casserole or other freezer-friendly meal for a future date.

Honestly, Costco doesn't require that you buy insane amounts of anything – fresh produce or otherwise – I have a family of five and rarely have trouble going through the produce I buy, even with just some basic planning.

What you should know about Costco.com

The best Costco experience is had in-store. However, if you're a Costco member, it's well worth knowing about Costco.com too, for at least few reasons.

Costco.com online selection

As a warehouse, Costco has a great selection in its stores. But nothing beats the unlimited inventory space of the internet (at least, when combined with the logistics capabilities of a company like Costco).

For items like clothing, in-store selection may be somewhat limited. Maybe they don't carry your size in general, or maybe the size is just sold out in the store. This is often solved by shopping online, where there is more inventory and often a broader array of sizes available.

For food items, there may be additional flavors available online. For TVs, different sizes. For home goods, additional colors.

Costco.com online-only items

In some cases, items may only be available online. As I write this, scanning the online-only Costco offers, I see computers, gift boxes, jewelry, clothing, flowers, furniture, and a spa (among other things) available as online-only purchases.

Large, bulky items

Yes, you can buy some furniture items in a Costco store. You can also buy an 85" TV. But do you want to? Do you really want to worry about how to get it home? For a lot of people, the delivery of these really large items makes it well worth it to buy these online.

As part of the delivery, you can choose "room of choice" or "white glove" delivery. In these cases, the delivery folks will, respectively, bring the item into a certain room in your home, or set it up and take away the packaging. With appliances, you can get service to hook up the appliance.

Not everything is as tough to transport as a dining set or large TV, but I've heard of plenty of people opting for Costco.com for items like diapers and paper towels -- not having to lug these large items to your car can be worth paying shipping, especially if you're managing young children!

Online-only deals

Sometimes there are deals that are only available online. This may be an item that's a good deal and only available online. Or it may be a deal that's only available online. I'm not one for doing much clothes shopping at Costco, but some people swear by the bulk-clothing savings that are sometimes offered on Costco.com -- like $20 savings when buying 5 items or $50 when buying 10 items.

Costco services and Costco Next

These deserve coverage in their own full sections outside of a mention with Costco.com, but many of Costco's services, like Costco Travel, are online experiences.

Likewise, Costco Next, which is a Costco service that allows you to shop direct from manufacturers at Costco prices, is something that you have to do online.

Treasure hunt

Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? Online, Costco offers it's version of a treasure hunt -- a curated selection of interesting and off-the-beaten-path products.

Yes, I am a Costco member for the avocados, bakery bagels, and two-packs of Dave's bread. But I also love the occasional (and sometimes... not-so-occasional) off-beat purchase.

What to know about shopping Costco.com

For starters, don't assume that prices are the same on Costco.com as they are in your local store. Costco prices often aren't the same from one warehouse location to the next, and the same goes for shopping online.

Yes, sometimes prices may be lower online, but the safer assumption is that they are probably the same or a bit higher.

Part of the reason that prices are higher online is that shipping is included on most items on Costco.com. That's great for the convenience factor, but only if the price difference is worth it to you.

With grocery items, Costco itself offers 2-Day Delivery, which will deliver non-perishable grocery items in two days. The cost is fairly steep ($3 per item) unless you spend $75 or more.

If you want perishable grocery items, Costco has a partnership with Instacart to deliver to some areas. The grocery items through this program are marked up across the board to cover Instagram's fee. The markup isn't insignificant. Comparing online prices of perishable items like bananas, avocados, and blackberries to a receipt from a recent Costco trip, the items online were 17% more expensive.

The Costco app

Yes, Costco does have an app. Should you download it? If you're a Costco member, yes, probably.

Following a fairly recent update, a main feature of the app is that there is a digital version of the membership card that you can use to get into the warehouse or at checkout. That's handy if you forget your physical card.

Apart from that, the app differs little from Costco.com.

Interestingly, the overall scores for the app on the Apple App Store and Google Play are pretty good. As of this writing, it gets 4.8 stars on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play.

However, many people seem to really hate the Costco app. One Redditor titled a post "True or false: the Costco app is the worst part of the entire organization", which was met with much agreement.

To a large extent, the critics don't seem to think the app is especially bad for what it does. It's more a matter of it missing functionality that they believe should be there, especially when comparing to apps from competitors like Sam's Club.

I haven't personally had much need to use the app. I don't do much Costco online shopping and have my Costco card attached to my keyring -- meaning I don't really need the digital membership card feature. The little playing around I've done with the app doesn't change that, beyond having quick access to Costco's treasure hunt list.

But with all of that in mind, it's still probably worth the 30 seconds it takes to install the app. In my view, it's not bad, and could come in handy at times, especially if you're caught without your card.