Costco Cracking Down On Membership Sharing – What You Can Do

For some people, the Costco crackdown on membership sharing has been problematic. In the past, you might not have thought much about borrowing your neighbour’s card and heading to the warehouse, but now, you might be denied (and your neighbour may get caught).

We’ll highlight the couple of options you’ve got if you’d still like to enjoy the occasional Costco haul, and we’ll cover Costco’s updated membership options. You might decide a basic membership is worth it.

First, a personal tale on sharing a Costco membership

Funny enough, one of our team members was busted not having a membership not long ago. Here's his story:

I was volunteering with the Vancouver Asian Film Festival at the time and was getting supplies and snacks for a film shoot. Of course, as a non-profit organization, budgets are limited, so Costco and its sweet deals really help a small player like us.

Thing is, I didn't have a membership card at the time, so I bummed one off my parents. I had done it in the past without much issue, but things were about to change.

With a cartload of cookies, hand sanitizer, water bottles, and paper towels, I went on my merry way and showed them my card. Usually a little nervous, I tried to hide my dad's grinning face on the back of his card and tried to play it cool like McLovin.

Unfortunately, I was denied and they asked me to hand over the cart. After some argument, they granted me a one-time exception, but the embarrassment will be grilled into my mind forever.

What to do if you don't have a membership

If you want to shop at Costco but don't have your own membership, here's what you can do.

1. Go into a warehouse with your friends and/or family

While you can’t go into Costco with your friends’ or family members’ Costco membership alone, you can join them on their next trip.

Costco members are allowed to bring their children and up to two guests with them. Ask when they're going next, and see if they'll let you join them. (Who doesn't like having a companion at Costco?)

Then, put whatever you want to buy into the shopping cart. Let the Costco member pay for everything, and repay them once you’re out of the warehouse.

2. Simply stick to purchasing items online

You're also free to shop online at costco.ca. In fact, there are many items you can purchase without a membership.

That said, some items do require a membership, and you won’t be able to see the price until you sign in.

Say you're an Xbox or PC gamer and want to save on Game Pass. This is a better deal than simply letting Microsoft bill you directly (which would cost $29.99 for three months). After signing in, here's the price to pay.

For these items, you'll have to either get your friend to make the purchase for you or hope that they trust you enough to hand over their Costco login info. Don’t worry – you can still pay using your own credit card.

You won't be limited to sending stuff to their address either – it can be shipped anywhere.

3. Get your own membership

We've saved this for the end, but you can also pony up and get your own membership.

No need to worry about getting caught at checkout, borrowing a card, or going to Costco on someone else's schedule.

If you’re ready to purchase your own Costco membership, you have two tiers to choose from. The main difference is that one offers 2% back on all your Costco purchases, and the other one doesn't. Here are the basics and what they cost, not including your local sales tax.

Which membership is better really comes down to how much you spend. To offset that extra $65 plus tax, you'll need to spend a total of $6,500 per year at Costco. If you're just an occasional shopper, a Gold Star membership will do.

If you're at Costco all the time, consider the Executive membership instead.

Here are the best Costco Mastercards

When shopping at a Costco warehouse, keep in mind that they only accept Mastercard. However, you can also use Visa when shopping online.

Card Name	Annual Fee	Welcome Offer	Features	Apply Now
Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard	$0	None	* Earn 3% unlimited cash back on all eligible purchases made in USD * Earn 2% unlimited cash back on all eligible non-USD purchases if you have one qualifying service with Rogers, Fido, or Shaw	Apply Now
MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard	$120	$150 GC Boost + 30,000 bonus points (terms)	* Earn up to 5 points per $1 spent on purchases * 10% bonus points every year on your birthday	Apply Now
CIBC Costco Mastercard	$0	None	* Earn 3% back on restaurants and Costco gas * Earn 3% back at other gas stations, EV charging, and Costco.ca * Earn 1% back everywhere else	Apply Now

You can also refer to our Costco page on credit cards or our best Mastercard page to help find the best Costco card for you.

FAQ

What is the Costco membership crackdown?

Costco began cracking down on membership sharing within the last few years in the lead-up to its hike in membership prices. Some locations even installed membership scanning devices in an effort to crack down.

Can you share a Costco membership with someone not in your household?

No, Costco memberships are non-transferable. If you’d like to share your membership, you would have to bring them as a guest and pay for the transaction yourself. You can’t add them to your membership.

Is Costco membership sharing allowed?

Currently, the primary Costco cardholder is allowed to enter the warehouse with their children and up to two guests, but they can’t give the card to others to use whenever they want.

What happens if you get caught sharing a Costco membership?

Costco reserves the right to revoke membership if you’re caught (usually repeatedly) for sharing a membership. If your membership isn’t revoked, your card could be flagged going forward, so you’d have to present additional ID.