do costco travel packages fluctuate in price

The Complete Guide to Using Costco Travel to Save Money

Janice Moskoff

August 7, 2023

11 min read

You may already be familiar with Costco for rock-bottom pricing on favorite bulk grocery items, household goods, and gas. However, you may not be aware that Costco offers equally great deals on car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages.

What does Costco know about travel? It turns out a lot. They have been in the travel space for over 20 years, since 2000, bringing the same highly selective group purchase practice to vacations that they deliver to their warehouse aisles. 

Think of Costco Travel as an easy-to-use online travel agent offering a limited selection of quality trip options with enviable rebates and perks—depending on your membership level. While it's not typically the best deal for independent travelers, those looking for one-click booking on package trips will get value out of it. And it's hard to beat Costco's rates on car rentals.

And yes, you must be a Costco member to use Costco Travel.

How much does a Costco membership cost?

Costco has two membership categories with two levels of perks and pricing under each. 

The first membership type is a Personal Membership. Anyone can purchase either the Gold Star Personal Membership ($60) or the Executive Personal Membership ($120) with a 2% annual reward. 

The second type of membership is a Business Membership. The two levels within the Business Membership are the Business ($60) and the Business Executive ($120). 

Which membership should you buy? The one that best fits your budget. However, the Executive Membership with its 2% reward, maxing out at $1000 each year, could save you a lot of money. 

Consider one $3,000 trip booked with Costco Travel using an Executive Membership at 2% generates a $60 reward. Additionally, Executive Members are eligible for extra travel perks and upgrades, depending on the trip. And keep in mind the 2% reward applies to all Costco purchases—except gas and a handful of other items. 

View a sample earning table for the 2% Executive Membership reward below to see how your savings might build. 

Costco Travel flights

Costco Travel does not sell standalone flights. Costco members can only purchase flights when bundled with a lodging or travel package purchase. There are a few benefits to doing this.

• ‍ Time savings and less hassle. Find and book all of your travel needs, including your airfare, in one place. Receive one itinerary, including flight details, to keep track of it all ‍
• Accrue frequent flier mileage. Continue to earn frequent flier mileage on your favorite carriers. Enter your mileage membership numbers during booking.
• ‍ Rewards. Executive Members earn a 2% reward on all non-taxable Costco Travel, including airfare.

Alternatively, there are a handful of downsides to buying your flight from Costco Travel. They are: 

• Cancellation fees. Your flight may be subject to cancellation fees. View the example below to see cancellation fees set to $200 per person for a Costco Travel roundtrip flight from Chicago to Cancun. This same flight booked directly with the carrier is not subject to these fees. 
• Pricing: Compared to the prices Going finds, Costco's fares are pretty average. In comes cases, the price might be lower if you book your flights independently of the package deal you find on Costco. ‍
• Limited choice. Costco Travel does not work with all airlines. A notable exception for US travelers is Southwest Airlines.  ‍
• Seat selection hassle. Costco Travel users regularly report seeing limited seating choices or finding seating maps unavailable when booking flights. As a workaround, enter your flight confirmation number from your Costco Travel booking into the carrier’s website to pick from a wider selection of non-discounted seats.  ‍
• No frequent flier mileage redemption. You cannot purchase flights with frequent flier mileage on Costco Travel.  ‍
• Costco Travel is your customer service. If an issue arises with your flight, you must contact Costco Travel for changes or resolution. Many Costco members report frustration with recent overly long hold times.

How to book a flight with Costco Travel

To book a flight with Costco Travel, go to the Costco Travel homepage to use the main search form. 

If using the form to search for a Vacation Package, enter the Destination and Region you would like to travel for your dates.  Alternatively, you can also search for a flight with a hotel stay or cruise. Keep in mind, you can only buy a flight from Costco Travel when bundled with a travel package.

Next on the form, select your departure airport in the Flying From field, as well as your flying class. Also, if you are traveling with kids, enter the ages of all children to get accurate package pricing. Click Find My Vacations to view your travel options. 

Based on the search terms in this example, there are 16 matching packages. The lowest price is Occidental at Xcaret ($4,968). This package includes four roundtrip flights from Chicago to Cancun, lodging, and other extras.

To book the package, click View Details & Customize. And then review, checkbox, and click I Understand on the Travel Advisory. Now you can view your flight options. You will see Included Flights at the top of the page. These are the flights Costco Travel selected as the most convenient and affordable for your package.

Scroll down the page to view Additional Flights Available or use the filter to narrow your search. For this trip, there are more than 200 matching flights. 

If a cheaper flight appeals to you, click Select and then Accept when Costco Travel displays a notification screen confirming the price change and your new flight selection. 

However, if you want to stick with the included flight, click Continue to Hotel in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to complete your booking.

Are Costco Travel Flights a good deal?

Avid Costco Travel fans swear they get better deals on flights bought as part of a Costco package. However, it is best to research comparable flight prices before you book. 

Because Costco Travel does not itemize travel package pricing, it is hard to know how much a flight costs without extra effort. To compare your Costco Travel flight, you need to compare package pricing with and without the flight. Unclick the Flying From box to do this.

For example, from our Xcaret trip from above, the cost for a weeklong Costco Travel package that includes airfare to Cancún for a family of four to stay at an all-inclusive resort is $4,968. This same Costco Travel package without the airfare costs $2,849.

The price difference is $2,119, or the cost of the airfare. 

Can you get a better price for a similarly well-timed roundtrip non-stop flight to Cancún? Most likely. 

A search on the carrier’s website for the same flight showed the cost for four tickets at $2,305, or $186 more than the Costco Travel price. But a week later on the Google Flights page , a similar flight was down to $1,924. That works out to $481 roundtrip per person, which is roughly the average airfare for a flight to Cancún. 

But Going doesn’t find average airfares. In fact, we’ve frequently found deals under $200 roundtrip to Cancún like $170 roundtrip from Chicago, $157 roundtrip from Austin, or $189 roundtrip from Denver—all on nonstop flights. 

How to use Costco to book flights with Going

The best way to use Costco Travel and Going together is to receive Going alerts to stay informed on the best fares. When you see a flight price you love, go to Costco Travel’s website to explore packages to that location. 

Once you find a package you like, price it for the dates you can travel—with airfare and without—to know your flight cost. 

If the price looks better on Costco Travel and you are okay with the potential cons of booking your ticket through them, then jump on the deal. Otherwise, you can book the flight directly with the airline or an OTA and still buy the land-only package from Costco Travel.

What airlines does Costco travel use?

• Aegean Airlines
• Air New Zealand
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Air Transat
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Bahamas Air
• British Airways
• Cayman Airways
• Delta Air Lines
• Fiji Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines 
• Olympic Air
• Sky Express
• United Airlines 
• Virgin Atlantic

Costco Travel car rentals

Costco Travel regularly offers some of the best deals on rental cars. Expect better models for lower prices from the industry’s most reputable car rental agencies. 

The pros of renting a car with Costco Travel are many. They include: 

• Pricing. Costco Travel generally offers the lowest prices from the highest quality vendors.
• Booking a car with a reputable agency. Costco Travel does not work with low-cost carriers.
• Free additional drivers. Additional drivers, which can often cost $10 or more per day, are included with every booking. 
• No upfront payment. Reserve Costco Travel rental cars with no deposit or prepayments.
• Free cancellation. Cancel a car rental with zero penalties.  
• No hidden fees. Costco Travel rental car pricing includes taxes. Expect no surprises at the rental counter.
• Easy comparisons. The Costco Travel website shows car rental options in an easy-to-view grid, making it simple to find the best deal across vehicle types.
• Earn loyalty program points . Enter your preferred loyalty program number at booking to earn points.
• Rebates. Some rentals include a Costco Shop Card.
• Rewards. Executive Members earn a 2% reward on all non-taxable car rental bookings.

There is one major con to renting a car through Costco, it is:

• Limited choice. Costco Travel only works with four rental car agencies. You will not be able to rent from major players like Hertz, or discount agencies like Sixt, Fox, or Payless, among others. 

Are Costco car rentals a good deal?

How do Costco car rentals stack up against other booking sites? Let’s compare a springtime week-long car rental in Honolulu to find out. 

The cheapest car available on Costco Travel from the Honolulu airport costs $610 for a week, including all taxes and an additional driver. This price and same vehicle type are available from both Alamo and Enterprise. 

A quick search on CarRentals.com tells us the cheapest car in Honolulu for the same period is from ACE Rent a Car and costs $577, including tax. 

On the surface, the ACE rental looks like a better deal. 

However, the ACE rate does not include an additional driver. The fine print on the ACE Rules and Restrictions page tells us that adding a driver costs $11 per day. Across eight days, this fee increases the ACE rate by $88, making the Costco rental the better deal for those who plan to have more than one person drive. 

Which car rental companies work with Costco?

Costco Travel only works with four rental car agencies. They are:

• Enterprise 

How to book a car rental with Costco

On the Costco Travel homepage, start a car rental booking from one of two places—the Rental Car tab in the main search box or from Rental Cars in the main menu. 

To search car rentals, enter your Pick-up and Drop-off Locations, Dates, and Times. For roundtrip rentals, your Pick-up and Drop-off Location will be the same. For one-way rentals, click Drop-Off At a Different Location to enter a different Drop-off location.

Once you set your search details, click Find My Car to view your rental options. See below for a search results table for a one-way rental from LA to San Diego in April. The cheapest rental costs $621.

From the search results grid, click on any price to show more detail for the rental car, as is shown above.

Once you see a price and vehicle you like, click Continue to book it. You will now have a chance to select optional equipment for your rental, such as booster seats, Wi-Fi, and more. After making your selections, click Continue at the bottom of the screen. 

You now have one more chance to upgrade your vehicle. If you like your original price and vehicle, skip the upgrade and click Continue.

After this step, you must log in to book the rental. Once logged in, enter contact information and accept the terms and conditions. Then click Finalize Booking.

Costco Travel Packages

Costco travel packages typically include lodging and may also include airfare, airport transfers, and car rental, as well as activities—depending on the trip—for some of the best pricing in the industry. 

Costco separates travel packages into four main categories. They are: 

1. Vacation Packages which include stays at resorts or hotels, as well as airport transfers and some extras. Package pricing usually defaults to include airfare, though you can buy a package without the flight. Or you can build your own package by selecting any combination of hotel, airfare, or car rental. 

2. Specialty Vacations are for African safaris and guided vacations booked with outside providers that are priced exclusively for Costco members. 

3. Cruises are available on 12 different cruise lines for some of the best value and rebates in the industry.

4. Theme Parks include discounted stays bundled with admission tickets at Disney or Universal properties.

Costco Travel will sometimes assign one of three value labels to their travel packages. These labels are: 

Kirkland Signature. Expect the most extras and the best rooms at the lowest prices. View Kirkland Signature Vacations here . 

Buyer’s Choice. Typically one tier below Kirkland Signature trip value. Find Buyer’s Choice trips on the Costco Travel home page or here .

Limited-Time Deals. Members must book these trips by a set date to take advantage of savings and perks. Find Limited-Time deals here . 

There are many pros to booking a travel package with Costco Travel. They are: 

• Pricing. Costco Travel's package bundling can save hundreds of dollars on your vacation.
• Time savings. By shopping for pre-vetted vacation providers and entering all of your traveler details only once in one place, you will simplify your trip planning and save time. 
• Travel advisories. Costco Travel will alert members to travel advisories and important visitor information during the booking process.  
• Partial payments. To secure your booking, Costco may require only a partial payment.
• Price reductions. If you see a price reduction on the land portion of your Vacation Package, you can call Costco Travel customer service to ask them to pass on the savings. 
• Rebates. Earn rebates on many packages in the form of a Costco Shop Card valued at 5-8% of lodging costs.
• Rewards and extras. In addition to earning a 2% Reward on all non-taxable travel spending, Executive Members are eligible for perks, such as room upgrades or resort credits—depending on the trip.

The main con to booking a Vacation Package through Costco Travel is:

• Limited choice. Costco only works with a limited number of lodging vendors to set destinations. If you do not see a hotel or resort you like for a place you want to visit, you will need to search elsewhere.

Are Costco vacation packages a good deal?

Like with flights or car rental bookings, it is best to research pricing to ensure your Costco Travel package offers the best deal. 

Let’s consider the same Xcaret package we used above. The total cost for this package, which includes roundtrip airfare for a family of four to stay at an all-inclusive resort, is $4,968. 

Pricing this same trip without airfare, we discovered tickets cost around $1,900 when bought from the carrier at an average price. Add this to the room bought directly from the resort, which costs $2,422.

How does this stack up? The total for our independently booked trip is $4,336, or $622 less than the Costco Travel package. Also, considering the resort offers free airport transfers for stays longer than six days, there is no added value to this extra in the Costco package.

But, when you add the $229 Costco Shop Card that comes with this package and the 2% Executive Member rewards, higher-tier members can expect to see a return of over $300, making the price difference only $300. For some travelers, the convenience of being able to book everything at once may be worth it. For more price-conscious travelers, booking separately—especially if you can score a deal from Going that cuts your airport in half—it's smarter to book everything on your own.

Cruises on Costco Travel

Some of the most experienced travelers who love cruises claim Costco Travel is their first and last stop when planning a cruise due to its hard-to-beat pricing, rebates, and rewards.  For example, the cost for a five-night Western Caribbean Disney cruise for a family of four in the most affordable room on Costco Travel is $7,303, including tax and a $595 Costco Shop Card.

This same trip costs $7,358 on the Disney Cruise website. Considering the rebate and 2% Executive Member rewards—Costco Travel offers a better deal. 

Costco Travel works with 12 cruise lines. They are: 

• Carnival Cruise Line
• Celebrity Cruises
• Disney Cruise Line
• Holland America Line
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Princess Cruises 
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

The pros of booking a cruise with Costco Travel include: 

• Pricing. You will find Costco Travel offers highly competitive pricing on cruises, even before taking rebates and rewards into account.
• Value labeling. Kirkland Signature and Buyer’s Choice cruises offer the best value for members.
• Price reductions. Members can track cruise price drops to get a better deal and contact Costco to honor price reductions.
• Rebates . Most cruises offer a 5-8% rebate on non-taxable cruise costs in the form of a Costco Shop Card. 
• Rewards and perks. Executive Members earn a 2% reward on all non-taxable cruise spending and are eligible for extras such as room upgrades, shipboard credits, and more—depending on the trip.

The cons of booking a cruise with Costco Travel are:

• Limited choice. Costco does not work with all cruise lines, including many higher-end ones, such as Windstar, Viking, and Oceania, among others. 
• Rebates instead of shipboard credits. Instead of offering shipboard credits as most travel agents do, Costco offers cruisers rebates on a Costco Shop Card. Although the cards generally offer a higher value, cruisers have to wait four to six weeks after the trip to receive them.
• No one is tracking price drops for you. Costco does not proactively track cruise prices and share price reductions in the way a travel agent might. Cruisers must do this themselves and request Costco Travel for the adjustment.
• Less hand-holding. Costco Travel customer service agents are not cruise specialists. First-time cruisers with questions may prefer booking directly with a dedicated specialist.

Theme parks on Costco Travel

Costco works with the following theme parks: 

• Walt Disney World
• Universal Orlando
• Disneyland Resorts

For example, a one-week trip for a family of four that includes five-day Park Hopper tickets staying at The Art Of Animation in Walt Disney World costs $5,139 on Costco Travel. This same package booked directly on Disney's Art Of Animation website costs $6,985. The Costco Travel savings here are huge. 

The two major benefits of booking a theme park package with Costco Travel are better pricing and reward earnings for Executive Members.

The significant con in buying from Costco Travel is that theme parks visits can be confusing. Inexperienced or first-time visitors may find it helpful to book with a dedicated theme park travel agent who can answer questions, such as how to reserve rides, make dinner reservations, or get tickets to special events.

Costco Travel hotels

Costco Travel works with a limited number of pre-selected hotel brands so expect only a few lodging choices for any given destination. 

However, if it turns out Costco Travel has lodging that you like for a place you plan to go, expect to get a better price, as well as perks, rebates, or rewards unavailable elsewhere. 

The pros of booking a hotel through Costco Travel include: 

• Time savings. For travelers who suffer decision fatigue, sorting through a smaller list of pre-vetted options is a welcome change.
• Pricing. Costco Travel nearly always offers a better price for rooms with their vendors. Even before considering potential extras. 
• Partial payment. Costco Travel may only require a deposit to secure a hotel booking—depending on the property and travel date. 
• Price reductions. If you see a price reduction on your hotel booking, you can call Costco Travel customer service to ask them to pass on the savings.
• Rebates . For some bookings, Costco Travel may offer a rebate valued at 5-8% of lodging costs in the form of a Costco Shop Card.
• Extras. Regardless of membership level, extras—such as airport transfers or late checkout—may be included at no cost. Executive Members may be eligible for additional perks. 
• Rewards . Executive Members earn a 2% reward on all non-taxable hotel spending.

The cons of booking a hotel through Costco Travel are: 

• Limited selection. Costco works with four major hotel brands, some of which only have middling ratings. Travelers looking for exemplary service or boutique lodging may have to look elsewhere. 
• Not many family-friendly accommodation options . Many families appreciate having space to spread out while traveling, such as separate bedrooms within one unit. Costco generally does not provide this kind of lodging, nor does it offer an easy way to search for properties that have it.

Are Costco hotels a good deal?

Even before assigning a value to the rebates, rewards, and extras, Costco Travel will nearly always offer a better price on hotel stays for the properties it sells.

For example, Costco Travel prices a 7-night stay in a San Juan, PR hotel for a family of four at $3,621. This room for the same period costs $3,900 on the hotel website. 

Coming in nearly $300 less, Costco Travel offers better hotel pricing.  And Costco further sweetens the San Juan hotel package by providing complimentary roundtrip airport transfers, a $235 Costco Shop Card, and an Executive Member benefit of a $15 resort credit per day.  

Which hotel companies work with Costco?

Costco Travel works with four major hotel brands. They are: 

• IHG Hotels & Resorts. This includes 15 different hotel brands like the Holiday Inn, the InterContinental, and the Kimpton Hotel, among others.
• Hyatt. This includes 11 Hyatt brands across North and South America.
• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
• Swissotel Hotels & Resorts

How to book a hotel with Costco

To book a hotel with Costco Travel, use the main search form on the Costco Travel home page. Click on the hotel icon to conduct a hotel-only search.

Or, browse hotel brands from Costco Travel’s main menu dropdown. Select your preferred brand, and you will arrive at a page with the same search box, though you can scroll down to view that brand’s featured properties.

When using the main search box to query hotel stays, fill in your destination, travel dates, number of rooms requested, and number of travelers. If you are traveling with children, enter that here. Their ages may affect lodging pricing. Once you submit your travel details, click Find My Hotel to view options.

From this hotel snapshot, you can see several things, including the total price for your stay, included extras, property photos, and reviews from other Costco Travel members. To continue with the booking, click View Details & Customize. Read through and agree to the Travel Advisory.  You will now arrive on your hotel detail page. On this page, you can click to Learn More about the property, including the on-site dining options, room types, and member reviews. You can also review rate details, cancellation policies, and additional information regarding included extras. 

You can also explore other room options from this page by clicking Modify Room. If you want to keep your original room, click Keep Current Selection. 

Also, note the Total Price of your hotel package in the upper right-hand corner of your screen, as well as the Amount Due Today—the deposit required to secure the reservation and make the booking. 

Once you have reviewed all details and are ready to book, click Continue To Transportation—if transportation is part of your package. Otherwise, select Continue to Recap to log in and the booking.

The perks of booking with Costco

• Pricing. Costco Travel will offer the most competitive pricing on many of the products it sells, even before considering rebates and rewards.
• Rebates. Many Costco vacation packages and some hotel bookings include a complimentary Costco Shop Card, or gift card, calculated up to 5-8% of the lodging value. Members receive the card in the mail four to six weeks after the trip.
• Rewards. Executive Members earn an additional 2% reward on all non-taxable trip costs. All 2% Rewards accrued for the year are paid in one certificate approximately three months before membership renewal. 
• Credit card savings. Pay for a trip with a Costco Anywhere Visa card and get an additional 3% cashback on travel. Combine this benefit with a Costco Shop Card and an Executive Membership, and you could tally a 10% return on your travel spending. 
• Extras. Some trips sold on Costco Travel offer extras such as late checkouts or complimentary airport transfers regardless of member status. However, Executive Members get additional perks that could include complimentary meals, spa credits, room upgrades, or VIP airport experiences, among others. 
• Price reduction pass-through. Costco Travel will pass on lodging price reductions . Travelers who see a price drop on the land portion of their trips can call Customer Service to request the savings.
• Stay informed . Booking on Costco Travel will keep you informed about travel advisories, as well as government taxes and fees for international trips. 
• No surprises. Costco Travel package pricing includes all taxes and fees—except for departure taxes and other local taxes and fees collected by local governments.
• Convenience . All of your travel documents and bookings will be from one vendor in one place. 

Costco Travel insurance

Costco Travel does not directly sell travel insurance. Instead, it offers member-only rates through their preferred travel partner, Zurich Travel Insurance. 

Members have the option to buy plans through Zurich that could include any of the following coverages: 

• Trip Cancellation
• Trip Interruption
• Travel Delay
• Baggage Loss or Delay
• Emergency Medical Expense, including those related to Covid-19
• Rental Car Damage, including due to accidental collision, theft, and vandalism

Costco Travel contact info

• Main Customer Service For Questions Or Bookings: 1-866-921-7925
• Main Customer Service Hours: Mon - Fri: 7A to 7PM; Sat - Sun: 8A to 5PM (PST)
• Customer Service While Traveling: 1-866-317-4711

Frequently asked questions about Costco Travel

Can i use costco travel without being a member.

Unfortunately, you cannot use Costco Travel without being a member. You can browse the Costco Travel website as a non-member. However, you cannot book any travel unless you log in. 

How does Costco Travel work?

Similar to their warehouse stores, Costco Travel offers a limited selection of travel products from a small number of pre-vetted providers. Costco members can book travel at resorts, on cruises, at theme parks, as well as reserve car rentals, all at significant discounts. 

Members reap savings in terms of lower prices, generous rebates, Executive Member rewards, and other extras that regularly exceed the value of what the competition can offer.

Should I book my flight with Costco?

You can only book your flight with Costco Travel when you purchase it in combination with a travel package.  

The major benefit to buying your flight with Costco is that if you are an Executive Member, you will earn a 2% reward on the non-taxable portion of your fare. The biggest downsides to purchasing your flight with Costco are that you may be subject to cancellation fees, and you must resolve all issues with Costco Travel customer service, which has recently suffered from extended hold times. Plus, you may find cheaper rates elsewhere.

What are the Costco Visa travel benefits?

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card provides excellent cash back rewards, including 3% on travel. See the table below to view cash back percentages earned across different spending categories

Where can I login to Costco Travel?

Log in on Costco Travel from any booking login prompt or the Login icon in the upper right-hand corner of the site. Enter your Costco Travel membership number and password.  Your Costco Travel membership number is different from your Costco membership number. You can create your Costco Travel account from the link on this screen using your membership number.  If you do not have a Costco Travel account and still want to book a trip, select Continue without an account during the booking process, where you can enter your Costco membership number to book the trip.

Freelance Writer

Published August 7, 2023

Last updated December 21, 2023

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Costco Travel: 5 Things To Know Before You Book

If you’re anything like money expert Clark Howard , you’re probably used to getting almost everything — from clothes to food to tires and home goods — at Costco . But have you ever thought about booking your getaways through Costco Travel ?

In this article, we’ll take a look at how Costco Travel works and talk about the pros and cons of booking your trips through the warehouse giant.

This article was updated in April 2024 and I review it every 12 months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here .

Costco Travel: What You Need To Know About Travel Packages, Car Rentals, Cruises and More

Costco uses its bulk-buying power to negotiate discounted rates for its members on travel packages (including airfare and hotel), car rentals, cruises and more for members at CostcoTravel.com. You can also access the service by phone at 866-921-7925.

So just how much can the warehouse club save you on your trip?

Our in-house travel expert Clara Bosonetto compares Costco Travel to the AAA discount you may be familiar with. Members may see a 10% savings overall through booking with Costco.

With that in mind, here are some other things you need to know before booking a trip through Costco Travel.

1. Costco Travel Packages Offer a One-Stop Shopping Experience

Just like many other travel websites, Costco lets you book an entire vacation online. This appeals to people who like to have all the moving parts of planning a trip (airfare, accommodations, activities, etc.) handled in a neat, organized way.

But the cookie-cutter approach can have its downsides.

“Costco hotels and resorts tend to be the big box type vs. boutique or off-the-beaten-tracks properties,” Clara says. “Due to volume bookings, these preferred hotels often throw in a dining credit, an activity or a room upgrade: small perks that can mean a big difference to some.”

Clara also notes that you’ll probably never get the same Costco Travel representative twice if you’re booking over the phone. “Customers can call to speak with a rep, but they will get a different one each time versus working with a local agent,” she says.

Check out Costco Travel packages here .

2. Booking a Hotel With Costco Travel Is Easy

All the hotel prices at CostcoTravel.com provide upfront pricing — including taxes.

Costco works with a variety of brand-name hotels including:

• Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
• Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
• IHG Hotels and Resorts
• Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts

Book a hotel through Costco here .

3. Here’s What You Need To Know About Costco Travel Car Rental

You can rent a car through Costco Travel . The site works with popular rental car brands including:

In addition booking a car in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, you can rent a car through Costco Travel for use in Canada, France, Germany, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Spain, and England.

One of the nice features of renting a car through Costco is that the additional driver fee is waived.

While Costco Travel is a great resource to shop for deals, make sure you follow our step-by-step guide to finding a deal on a rental car .

4. Costco Travel Offers Great Last-Minute Deals on Cruises

Costco partners with a variety of mainstream cruise lines to offer deals to members. They include:

• Celebrity X Cruises
• Disney Cruise Line
• Holland America Line
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Princess Cruises
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Royal Caribbean International
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

According to Clara, Costco is a great place to book last-minute cruises because you’ll often get perks such as onboard credits.

And, here’s another nice feature: If you don’t use all the onboard credit you’re given, you can get a partial refund before disembarking.

Book Costco cruises here .

5. You Can Earn 5% Back on Costco Travel

Costco Executive Members ($120 annual fee) earn an annual 2% reward on Costco Travel purchases (up to $1,000).

On top of this 2%, you can earn 3% back on travel expenses if you use the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi . So as both an Executive Member and Costco Anywhere Visa® Card-holder you could earn 5% back on purchases made through Costco Travel!

However, certain expenditures are excluded from this offer:

• Trip protection
• Travel purchased through a third-party such as activities and tours
• Rental car equipment
• Resort charges
• Port charges
• Resort and cruise line fees

Final Thought

If convenience is king for you, you may want to give Costco’s travel offerings a try.

However, if you’re the kind of person who enjoys boutique travel or hunting for travel bargains, you’re likely to be better off booking without the help of the warehouse club.

“I still believe in booking airfare and accommodations separately for the lowest vacation price,” Clara tells us. “But again, some don’t want to spend the time to do this. As you know, it’s a lot of work!”

Have you used Costco Travel to plan your vacation? Tell us about your experience in our Clark.com Community !

• April 16, 2024: Updated the following. Fixed rental car links for Avis and Budget. Also added England, Scotland and Wales to list of places you can rent a car through Costco Travel.

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Can Costco Travel Save You Money On Your Next Trip?

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Hardcore Costco fans -- myself included -- agree on one thing: Costco doesn't carry every brand or item, but if Costco carries what you're looking for, it almost always has it at an incredible price. So a natural question for Costco fans who like to explore the world is, can you save money with Costco Travel?

Of course, planning a trip for your family is a lot more complicated than buying humongous boxes of cereal, but Costco Travel -- an arm of the big-box chain -- has plenty to offer. It's a bit like being a treasure hunter roaming the aisles: You'll need to work a little to find out if Costco has the best deal -- but we've done some of the legwork for you.

Let's take a look:

Costco Travel currently partners with the following hotel brands:

For the purposes of this article, I started with Fairmont for comparisons. I chose the Fairmont Mayakoba Resort in Riviera Maya (just south of Cancun). The Costco Travel website displayed the cheapest room type as a Deluxe Casita King. A three-night stay, with breakfast included, in November priced out at $844.97.

On the Fairmont website, the same stay priced out at $859.96 but did not appear to include a $22 per night resort fee. In a live chat session, a Costco Travel rep noted the resort fee was included in their price.

However, Fairmont is part of LeClub Accor Hotels. Accor offers up to a 10% discount to members of its loyalty program. In the case of Fairmont Mayakoba, it offers a 5% discount, which would knock about $50 off the reservation, bringing the direct booking cost relatively close to that of Costco Travel.

It's also worth noting that this specific property has a number of different room types. If you're looking for the cheapest room rate at this property, Costco Travel didn't actually have it. Fairmont's website displayed a cheaper room type with a rate that included breakfast like the Costco Travel rate. This is a good example of why you need to check multiple sources to verify you're getting the best deal.

Related: The Best Hotel Chains for Families

Hyatt is a different story. In the past, TPG had found that the Costco discount with Hyatt was 10% at most properties. A customer service agent at Costco Travel told TPG for this story that the discount varies by property -- which we found in our search results as well.

Like Fairmont, we started our search around Cancun. Costco Travel showed significant discounts at Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya . The Hyatt website quoted us a rate of $2,214 for a three-night stay. Costco Travel clocked in at $1,992.90. On top of that, you'd save about another $75 on that stay if you have the Costco Executive Membership plus the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. (Of course, spending 25,000 World Of Hyatt points per night to stay there will sometimes be the best deal of all.)

Priceline, which we checked to see where it stacked up against booking directly with Hyatt or through Costco Travel, came in about $100 cheaper than booking direct with Hyatt but $100+ more than Costco Travel. Hyatt and Costco Travel had much more flexible cancellation policies than Priceline.

We also decided to dig in to the New York market with Hyatt. At the Hyatt Union Square New York, Costco Travel presented a rate of $1,308.66 all-in; I could book the exact same room type from Hyatt on the same flexible booking terms for $1,279.82 for the dates in question. Hyatt also offered a members an advance purchase rate that was another $10 or so cheaper per night. A quick check of Priceline had its rate at almost $1,400.

We also looked at Hyatt Place New York/Midtown-South. Our sample dates showed booking directly with Hyatt resulted in the exact same price as Costco Travel. You could save a few bucks if you have an Executive Membership and the Costco credit card, but keep in mind that as of late 2018, Hyatt Place no longer offers free breakfast unless you book directly with Hyatt .

Rental Cars

As with hotels, Costco Travel is not a guaranteed-cheapest, one-stop shop when it comes to car rentals, but it can be a winner if you are looking to rent with Alamo, Avis, Budget or Enterprise. It can also be a winner if you are looking for an included authorized driver. Mommy Points and her dad just used the heck out of that perk on a recent multi-generation trip to Hawaii . (Make sure you pay for the rental with a card that offers primary rental car coverage such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve.)

Our first search was in Miami for a three-day weekend. Costco Travel presented Avis as the cheapest for our sample dates, at $171 all-in for a full-size car rental. The Chase Ultimate Rewards portal clocked in at $192.01 with the cheapest option being from Dollar.

Priceline found a rate of $120 from a company called Easirent, which I've never heard of. If you're comfortable renting directly from Sixt (I would be), its rate was $152.

On a search at LAX, we found similar results. Costco Travel had the lowest rate of $170 from Avis for a full-size car rental. The Chase Ultimate Rewards portal found a much higher rate of $219.62 for a full-size car from Dollar.

If you include booking direct from Sixt in the mix, Priceline found a $136 rate for a full-size car rental on our sample dates. Last, we put a request into AutoSlash . It does a great job of not only finding excellent prices on car rentals but also tracking your car rental to find lower prices after you book. AutoSlash found that cheap Sixt rate that Costco Travel didn't have access to. Bottom line, Costco sometimes has the best rate for those rental companies it offers, but those rental companies aren't always the cheapest in a given market.

Theme Parks

Costco Travel can help you save money at Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, as well as at Disneyland in California. As a self-avowed Disney nerd, even I was surprised by the savings on park tickets and hotel rooms. Costco Travel also sells vacation packages for Disney World, both with and without flights.

Related: Best Credit Cards for Theme Parks

For our sample package, we chose a package of a hotel and theme park tickets. We also chose one of the Marriott-affiliated properties, the Dolphin -- though Costco Travel does have other a good mix of other options both on- and off-site.

While you may give up some perks, staying off-site at Disney World and using your hotel points can save you a bunch of money on a Disney World vacation. ( Here's our full report on the best hotels you can book using points for your Disney World vacation .)

But if that's not an option, Costco Travel can save you a lot of money over normal cash rates. On our sample dates, Costco quoted us $3,452.89 for five nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin resort and five days of Park Hopper tickets for two adults and two kids ages 3–9. When we priced that separately, the hotel would have cost $2,301 and the park tickets would have cost an additional $2,200.34, for a total of $4,501.34. A savings of more than $1,000 for a Disney World vacation? That's a lot of extra cash for Dole Whips and Hei Hei cones.

Costco Travel offers more modest (but still meaningful) savings at Universal Orlando. We priced out five days at the Loews Portofino Hotel, one of the hotels at Universal that include Express Passes, Universal's version of FastPass. The hotel rates are on the expensive side, but if you plan to visit Harry Potter's domain or other popular parts of Universal, the Express Pass benefits are something to strongly consider.

Costco Travel priced out five nights at Loews Portofino with two-park, park-to-park tickets for all five days of the stay at $2,880.75. This price included two adults and two children ages 3–9. Booking directly on the Universal Orlando website was $230 more, for a total of $3,116.52. (Though we have to point out that if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express and book Loews Portofino via the Amex Fine Hotel and Resorts program , you get perks like free breakfast, late check-out, etc.)

Cruises are the one category of travel where you can still reliably save money using a travel agent. That's because most travel agents will rebate you a portion of the total price of your cruise in the form of an onboard credit to spend on the ship. Costco Travel is no different, though its rebate is in the form of a Costco Cash Card.

Costco Travel has a long list of cruise partners. Popular options such as Carnival, Disney, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are available, along with some more boutique cruise operations like Azamara Club Cruises. Since our own Mommy Points recently returned from a Disney Cruise and I booked a Disney Cruise a couple of months ago via Costco Travel, I focused my attention there.

Disney Cruise Line pricing is fairly standard across most sites. This may give the impression that you're better off booking directly with Disney. However, Costco offers a Costco Cash Card with every Disney cruise we researched. The amounts vary, but generally weigh in at about 8% of your total spending. That's one of the better "rebates" available on a Disney Cruise.

About two weeks after we returned from our Disney cruise this year, we had a Costco Cash Card in the mail for the amount promised. Obviously, if you're not a big spender at Costco, it could take you a while to burn through a big cash card -- but that's not a problem in our household.

In addition to the Costco Cash Card, you can still earn the 2% and 3% discounts, respectively, for Executive Membership and the Costco credit card. With the prices of some Disney Cruises, this can definitely add up. Last, you can save additional money with a Disney cruise when you book through Costco Travel because it allows you to pay with a Disney gift card. There are a number of ways to purchase Disney Gift Cards at a discount .

Related: How to Book a Cruise Using Miles and Points

Cruise Critic and CruiseCompete can be great resources when trying to compare fares that travel agencies are offering, though you generally won't find Costco's pricing advertised on those sites, so check Costco Travel directly.

Royal Caribbean is another popular cruise line I would recommend, both for families and couples. I took a peek at how Costco Travel's pricing for Royal Caribbean compared to other choices. Since an Alaska cruise has been on our family's wish list, I priced out a seven-night cruise from Vancouver to Seward in July 2020 on Radiance of the Seas.

For a family of four with two children ages 3 and 9, Royal Caribbean's website quoted me a price of $4,393.72 for a room with an ocean view. Although I have elite status with Royal Caribbean, I did not include any discounts that status might offer. However, Royal Caribbean was offering a $75 onboard credit if booked directly with them. Royal Caribbean has been running more promotions lately, but I don't generally find their cheapest price all-in via its website.

CruiseDirect.com quoted me the exact same price as Royal Caribbean's website but its price included a $175 onboard credit. (This is typically how I see Royal Caribbean's pricing. It mandates that all travel agencies sell at the same price but don't get too picky if those travel agents offer a rebate in the form of onboard credit.)

Costco Travel's website initially quoted me a price of $4,488.72. That puzzled me, so I used the excellent live chat feature. An agent confirmed that the pricing was a glitch and should be exactly the same as the Royal Caribbean website. Costco Travel's price also included a $260 Costco Cash Card.

If you value the Costco Cash Card as cash (I do), then Costco Travel's price was $85 cheaper than CruiseDirect and $185 cheaper than booking with Royal Caribbean direct. As a general rule, I've seen onboard credit as high as 10% of the booking price of our cruise as a rebate from travel agents when booking Royal Caribbean.

Saving On Travel at Costco Beyond Costco Travel

If you have a Costco membership, Costco Travel isn't the only way to save on travel. You'll also find deals at Costco.com and your local warehouse.

Right now, Costco.com has two interesting Universal Hollywood deals. The first is a three-visit pass for $139.99 . One-day tickets to Universal Hollywood range between $109 and $129 for a single day without Express Passes. Although this deal has a few blackout dates (essentially the week between Christmas and New Year's), this represents a phenomenal saving opportunity. You have 12 months from your first visit to use the additional two days in the park, which is plenty of flexibility.

Costco is also selling discounted 18-month passes that allow unlimited access with some blackout dates. The passes are $219.99 on the Costco website right now. Universal Hollywood doesn't sell this exact pass on its website, but their Gold Pass, which allows for 12 months of access and has similar blackout dates, sells for a higher $319. Check the blackout dates on Costco.com, but this pass can be a great deal for Universal Hollywood regulars.

Warehouse deals are generally geared to regional or local attractions. Living near Washington, DC, we've scored discounted tickets to Hersheypark and lift tickets for nearby ski mountains.

Keep an eye out around the holidays for Gaylord and other hotel gift cards. Marriott owns the small chain and the gift cards are generally valid at most Marriott hotels.

Bottom Line

Costco Travel isn't always the cheapest option out there and doesn't have every travel booking partner you may be interested in, but there are times when it does offer the best publicly available deal we could find. We found the best values were on hotel bookings, travel to Disney World, Disney Cruises and on car rentals when you wanted to use one of the brands available via Costco.

It's also worth a mention that in our tests, the live chat feature was extremely helpful and staffed by Costco Travel reps who know their travel. In most cases, you'll probably want to start your booking searches elsewhere, but be sure to compare Costco Travel before you commit. In the case of Disney Cruises, Costco Travel may be the only stop you'll need.

Savings from Costco Travel can absolutely pay for a Costco membership, currently $60. Remember that it's also possible to earn up to 5% off any of Costco Travel's listed prices. Costco Executive Members earn a 2% rebate on travel while Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi cardholders earn an additional 3% rebate on eligible travel expenses.

Edward Pizzarello covers family travel for TPG Family and also blogs at Pizza in Motion . You can find him podcasting at Miles to Go and eating doughnuts on Twitter and Instagram .

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You Can Use Your Costco Membership to Score Major Vacation Deals

Here’s what you need to know before booking with Costco Travel.

What is Costco Travel?

Do you have to have a membership to use costco travel.

• Ways to Book With Costco Travel

Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Shopping at Costco probably conjures up visions of a crowded store with larger-than-life packages of household essentials and snacks. While booking a vacation may not come to mind, in reality, you can purchase travel — and often get great deals — through Costco using its in-house travel agency called Costco Travel.

Let’s take a look at what you can expect when you use Costco Travel to book your next vacation.

Costco Travel is Costco’s in-house travel agency.  It’s open to all Costco members, but a separate Costco Travel account must be made before booking. While anyone can look at the Costco Travel website, only members can see pricing and book travel.

It acts like other online travel agencies, allowing Costco members to book vacation packages, hotels, cruises, rental cars, and theme park tickets. You’ll notice that flights can’t be booked separately through Costco Travel (they must be part of a travel package).

Courtesy of Disney Cruise Lines

Yes, you must have a Costco membership to use Costco Travel. There are two levels of Costco memberships, and either one will work. Gold Star membership costs $60 per year, while an Executive membership costs $120 per year.

The Executive membership may make sense to those who spend a lot at Costco because it earns 2% back each year, up to $1,000 per year, on qualifying Costco purchases, including Costco Travel. 

That means if you spend at least $3,000 per year at Costco (including in-store, online, and Costco Travel purchases), the Executive membership works out to be a better deal than the Gold Star membership.

Executive members are also eligible for extra benefits on select vacation packages. You’ll find these offers by going to the Costco Travel website and navigating to Deals>Member Specials>Executive Member Benefits . The benefits vary by package but can include things like a $100 spa credit, a $100 resort credit, a $100 shipboard credit, a private beach lunch, and more. These bonuses can easily be worth more than the price difference between Gold Star and Executive membership.

Related: The Best Budget Travel Tips — From Saving Money on Air Travel to Spending Less on Hotels

Ways to Book With Costco Travel 

George Tsamakdas/Getty Images

While you can book a hotel stay through Costco Travel, the options are limited unless the hotel is part of a vacation package. In fact, you’ll find some vacation destinations, including Maui, Cancun, and Punta Cana, that don’t offer any stand-alone hotels through Costco Travel.

If you do find a stand-alone hotel to book through Costco, remember that if it is part of a hotel loyalty program (like Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, or IHG), you likely won’t earn hotel points or elite night credits, and any status you have won’t be recognized. This makes booking these types of hotels through online travel agencies like Costco Travel unappealing for many travelers.

Costco Travel offers cruises on 11 cruise lines, including some of the industry’s most popular brands like Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian, and Princess.

There are so many cruise booking websites out there, and they all offer relatively similar pricing. The differences come in the extra perks like drink packages, onboard credit, and, in the case of Costco Travel, complimentary Costco shop cards. The value of the shop card varies based on the cruise and room type but usually falls somewhere between $25 and $95 for shorter cruises and can be as high as $425 for longer cruises.

While Costco Travel can offer great deals on cruises, one of the downsides is that you can only search one month at a time. This could add some extra work for those who have flexibility in their travel dates and want to search for a wide variety of dates at one time.

Theme Parks

Costco members can also purchase Disney (U.S. locations only) and Universal Orlando vacation packages through Costco Travel. These packages include hotel accommodations and theme park tickets and will usually come with extras like early park admission, transportation, waived resort fees, or a food and beverage credit.

Related: Splurge or Save? Here's How to Build the Perfect Walt Disney World Vacation for Your Budget

Katie Rice/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Rental Cars 

Booking a rental car through Costco Travel is straightforward with four rental car companies to pick from — Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Enterprise.

The search results are displayed in an easy-to-read grid format with the least expensive price for each car type shown in red. While this is excellent for someone who prefers simplicity, Costco Travel won’t necessarily always have the lowest price since it excludes so many car rental companies. 

Vacation Packages 

A Costco vacation package consists of a hotel with a flight and/or rental car. Packages are available for destinations all over North America as well as the South Pacific, Europe, and Africa. There are also specialty vacation packages available through a small collection of companies, including Contiki, Lion World Travel, Adventures by Disney , and Trafalgar Worldwide Guided Vacations.

Costco Travel vacation packages can offer tremendous savings over booking a hotel and flight separately, and they often come with extras like airport transfers and Costco shop cards. 

These shop cards vary in value and generally increase based on the cost of your vacation. We saw offers for Costco shop cards from about $150 all the way to over $900 for a one-week vacation package.

Some packages come with activities included in the price. While that might be a great deal for some, keep in mind that these activities may increase the price over what you’d pay by booking through another website or booking separately. 

Costco Travel can save you money, especially on vacation packages, but it’s smart to price out your vacation on multiple websites to ensure you’re getting the best price and package for your needs.

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How To Use Costco Travel To Save Money

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Costco Membership

Costco travel, price comparisons, vacation package included activities, costco travel cruise deals, searching and booking, costco theme parks and specialty vacations, final thoughts.

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When you hear “Costco,” chances are the first thing that comes to mind is the big-box warehouse, a gigantic market where you can get wholesale prices on groceries, cheap home goods, affordable gifts, clothing, and alcohol. Did you also know Costco has an in-house travel agency?

Costco Travel offers vacation packages, hotel rooms, cruises, and rental cars to Costco members.

By taking advantage of the same bulk-purchasing power that it uses in retail, Costco can secure group rates when putting together vacation packages and bundles.

In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Costco Travel and whether or not it can save you money on your next vacation.

There are 2 levels of Costco membership, and you must be a member to use Costco Travel .

• Gold Star: $60 per year
• Executive: $120 per year

Costco Executive members receive 2% back annually on qualifying Costco purchases, including Costco Travel purchases, up to $1,000 per year. This 2% reward comes as a certificate that can be redeemed for most Costco in-store purchases.

If you spend at least $3,000 per year on Costco purchases, including Costco Travel purchases, you’ll earn enough through the 2% yearly reward to negate the extra cost of the Executive membership.

A Costco membership is required to book vacations through Costco Travel. Costco Executive members can earn 2% in rewards on qualifying Costco purchases, including Costco Travel.

Costco Travel is an online travel agency available to Costco members only. It offers vacation packages, hotels, cruises, rental cars, and theme park and specialty bookings . Interestingly, you can’t book a flight through Costco Travel unless it’s included in a vacation package.

You can access Costco Travel by selecting Travel on the Costco website or by visiting costcotravel.com .

To view prices, you must be a Costco member, and you need to create a Costco Travel account, which is separate from your Costco.com account, before you can book anything. To do this, you just need your Costco membership number and an email address.

Costco Vacation Packages

A Costco Travel vacation package includes a hotel stay with a flight and/or a rental car. Searching for a vacation package works like any other online travel agency you may be familiar with. First, you need to input your travel destination, number of travelers, dates, and departure city.

The search results list, which defaults to Costco recommendations first, is easily filtered and sorted to find exactly what you’re looking for.

The total package price is displayed along with any included extras, such as a Costco digital shop card.

After choosing a package, click on View Deals & Customize . You can see what’s included in the package and select different flights or choose an upgraded room. The cost of your package automatically adjusts based on your choices. Remember that the price and extras, such as the Costco shop card that comes with many travel packages, may change as you alter your options.

Once you finalize the details of your Costco Travel package, you can select whether you want just to pay a deposit or pay for the entire trip. Payments can be made with a Visa or Mastercard . American Express cards aren’t accepted.

While only Visa cards are accepted in Costco stores, you can pay for a Costco Travel package using a Visa or a Mastercard.

We wanted to see how Costco Travel vacation package prices stacked up, so we checked out a few options. These examples include a 7-night package for 2 people, including hotel accommodations and flights.

Costco Travel offered the best packages for the first 2 examples. Not only was the package price the lowest, but Costco’s packages also included airport transfers and Costco shop cards, making them an even sweeter deal.

However, the third package illustrates that Costco Travel isn’t always the best option. In this example, Costco Travel was the most expensive. However, it included a daily breakfast buffet and a walking food tour. The cheapest option was Expedia, but that package was completely nonrefundable, which may not be worth the savings for some travelers.

One thing to look out for when booking a vacation package through Costco Travel is that they sometimes include extras that you don’t really want . If you remove these extras, the price drops, but some packages require you to add an activity.

For example, this European vacation package included a walking food tour in the quoted price.

After tour was removed, the price dropped by $582.44 ! That’s a huge price to pay for a walking tour, and it would have been easy to assume it was a part of the package when, in reality, it cost a lot extra.

The bad news is that some vacation packages don’t let you to opt out of an activity . In this example, there were 5 activity options available ranging in price from $582 to $1,590.

This can add a lot of unnecessary costs to a Costco Travel vacation package.

Costco Vacations travel packages include a hotel plus a flight and/or rental car. These packages often offer tremendous savings over booking through other websites or booking each element separately. However, Costco Travel won’t always offer the lowest price, so it’s good to shop around a bit before booking any vacation package.

Costco Hotels

Searching for a hotel through Costco Travel works just like any other online travel agency you may be familiar with. However, the options for booking a hotel without a vacation package are limited .

To begin, click on the Hotels tab on the Costco Travel website and then enter the city, dates, number of people, and the number of rooms.

Results appear on the next screen, with options to filter the list by a specific hotel, hotel chain, area, amenities, member reviews, and ratings. The results list can be sorted by price, but you only see prices if you enter your Costco number.

Remember that when you book a hotel through Costco Travel, you aren’t eligible to earn hotel loyalty points, nor will the hotel recognize any elite status you have . If you’re loyal to a particular hotel chain, such as Hyatt , Hilton , or Marriott , it’s important to weigh any savings against the benefits and points you’d give up.

After selecting a hotel, you can choose a different room, and the price will adjust automatically.

Payment options and cancellation policies can vary based on the hotel and rate you choose, so be sure to read the fine print carefully before you book.

We priced out a couple of hotel stays to see if Costco Travel offered competitive pricing. We found examples of Costco’s price being both higher and lower than the hotel website’s price. You may be able to find a great deal, but it’s not guaranteed.

There are a limited number of hotels you can book through Costco Travel unless you’re booking a package. You may find there are no options even in popular cities and vacation spots, so it can be frustrating to book a stand-alone hotel through Costco Travel.

Costco Cruises

Like many online travel agencies, Costco offers deals, perks, and specials when booking cruises. Sometimes, these can be quite valuable, but as always, it pays to shop around.

If you know more or less what you want, it’s easy to search for cruises on Costco Travel. Just go to the home page, click the Cruises tab, and enter your destination, departure month, specific cruise line (if you have a preference), and duration.

You can also select an option to search for Alaska cruise tours, which combines a cruise voyage and a guided land tour before or after the voyage.

The results page lists every matching available cruise, with options to filter and sort the results. Each result shows the available room types and any included extras, such as a Costco Cash Card (gift card), onboard credit, or discount.

The price listed in Costco Travel’s cruise search results is per person and doesn’t include taxes and fees.

One of the downsides of using Costco Travel to search for a cruise is that you can only search for 1 month at a time . While other cruise booking websites allow you to search by year or any combination of months, Costco Travel requires you to pick a specific month to travel.

When you find the right cruise, you can select your stateroom type, the number of people joining, and even the specific room location. You can also choose to add flights and pre- or post-cruise hotels to a package.

Some cruise lines offer their own credit card with cruise rewards, but a more general travel rewards card like The Platinum Card ® from American Express almost always offers a better value. For more information, check out our full guide to the best credit cards for booking cruises .

You can browse available deals, packages, and popular options if you aren’t set on a specific cruise, date, or region. You find these options by scrolling down on the Costco Travel cruise page, where you can explore by destination, category (such as last-minute cruises or luxury cruises), departure port, or cruise line.

We priced out cruises on Costco Travel and the cruise lines’ websites and found that the cost was usually lower with Costco Travel, especially considering they all came with Costco shop cards.

However, getting accurate pricing on a cruise can be tricky . For example, for the Norwegian cruise, the cost was higher on Norwegian’s website initially, but that’s because it included Free at Sea promotions. With those removed, the cost was the same. Booking through Costco came with a $70 shop card but didn’t give you the ability to add the Free at Sea promotions (which could be very valuable for some guests).

In our research, we’ve found that most cruise booking websites offer the same (or very similar) pricing. The difference is in the extras offered, like a Costco shop card, drink packages, or shipboard credit.

It’s always smart to price out a cruise on multiple websites, and Costco Travel could be a great place for Costco members to start.

Costco Car Rentals

Costco Travel also includes a stand-alone car rental booking feature in addition to letting you rent a car as part of a vacation package.

Unlike some other online travel agencies that offer just about everything under the sun, Costco sticks with 4 big car rental agencies: Alamo , Avis , Budget , and Enterprise.

If you would prefer to get your rental from another company like Hertz or Dollar , you should book directly or use a more inclusive portal like AmexTravel.com or Orbitz .

When renting a car, be sure to use a credit card that comes with car rental insurance . You’ll need to decline the rental company’s collision or loss damage waiver (CDW/LDW) for the credit card insurance to be active. Some of our favorite options, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card , include primary coverage.

To search for a rental car, input the pickup and drop-off locations, dates, and times, and then click Search .

Search results are shown in a grid, with the 4 companies as the columns and the various classes of cars available as the rows. The lowest prices for each type of car are shown in red , and the price includes taxes and fees. You can click on any price to see the terms and conditions for that rental.

We did some price comparisons using the metasearch engine Kayak , and we always found lower prices on rental cars through other websites .

That doesn’t mean that Costco will never have the best price, however. Car rental prices fluctuate, so it’s always best to price out your rental on multiple websites before booking.

Costco Travel also offers the ability to book select theme parks and specialty vacations .

• Adventures by Disney
• Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa
• Brendan Vacations Ireland & Scotland
• Disney Cruise Line
• Disneyland (vacation packages)
• Evan Evans Britain’s Finest Sightseeing Tours
• Insight Vacations
• Lion World Travel (African safaris)
• Luxury Gold
• Trafalgar Worldwide Guided Vacations
• Walt Disney World (vacation packages)

To book a theme park or specialty vacation package through Costco Travel, you first choose the package type you’re looking for.

Then, you can see each package’s inclusions and details. Each vacation package includes different components, so it’s important to read the details carefully.

Pricing information isn’t displayed until all package components are selected, so it can be a bit tricky to search based on your vacation budget .

For Costco members , using the retailer’s travel service can present an opportunity to save some cash on an incredible vacation. Through negotiated rates with hotels, tour providers, and more, Costco can sometimes offer generous discounts or great added perks.

As always, make sure to compare prices and read all terms. While Costco may offer a price advantage for one service, another portal might win for something else, while direct booking may be the best option for yet another aspect of your travel.

Lastly, if you plan to book a vacation package through Costco and have a Gold Star membership, you might want to consider upgrading to an Executive Membership for an extra $60 a year. The extra 2% rewards could make the upgrade well worth it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is costco travel.

Costco Travel is a travel booking service exclusively for Costco members. It offers great deals on vacation packages, hotels, cruises, rental cars, and guided tours.

How does Costco Travel work?

The platform can offer competitive prices the same way it offers deals on retail products, and the same way that organizations like AAA can offer lower rates. By leveraging the size of its membership, Costco can ask travel service providers to offer lower prices for its members, driving business toward them in exchange.

Is Costco Travel a good deal?

That depends — it’s always smart to compare prices on your own to see. In some cases, Costco offers a better rate than other travel booking services or booking directly.

However, in other cases, Costco is more expensive or offers fewer options. For example, many hotels can’t be booked unless they are part of a package, and vacation packages won’t offer flights on some airlines, such as Southwest.

Can you cancel Costco Travel bookings?

Sometimes. Just like with any other travel service (or booking directly with a hotel or airline), each reservation can have different terms and conditions. Make sure to read the terms carefully every time you book to see if something can be canceled or refunded.

Can you book Costco Travel without a Costco membership?

No. You must sign up for a Costco membership ($60 to $120 per year) to book services through the Costco Travel portal.

Can I book on behalf of someone else?

Yes, as long as you hold a Costco membership. Just enter the other person’s name when prompted for traveler information.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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