costco travel home page

Welcome to Costco Customer Service

Membership Auto-Renewal

Return/Replace Order

Price Adjustment

Cancel Order

Verify Membership

Update Account Info

Edit Shipping Address

In-Home Delivery FAQ

Find a Warehouse

Where can I find information about Costco Travel?

Document id, published date.

For more information on our Costco Travel program, please visit our Costco Travel website at www.costcotravel.com .

Costco Travel can also be reached by calling them directly at 1-877-849-2730.

Their hours of operation are as follows:

• Monday - Friday 5 a.m. - 7 p.m. PT
• Saturday - Sunday 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. PT

Further contact information can be found here .

Is this answer helpful?

Everything you need to know about Costco Travel — and why I love it for saving money

Costco isn't just the place where you can buy toilet paper in bulk, inexpensive gas, cheap hot dogs and gift cards. You can also book great trips via the company's online travel agency, Costco Travel.

I know, I know: At TPG, we're often staunchly against booking travel through third-party sites , as there can be tradeoffs versus booking directly. But in recent years, I've become a big fan of the travel deals I can find via Costco Travel.

When planning our annual beach trip back in 2022, my best friend found a few options for Mexican all-inclusive resorts on Costco Travel and shared the links with me. I promptly told her we'd probably be better off booking directly and brushed off the idea of booking through Costco — neither of us even had a membership at the time.

However, comparing the prices and benefits at a few of the resorts proved my initial reaction wrong.

I actually got a Costco membership to book the deal since the cost of the membership was less than what we'd save by booking through Costco. We saved around $300 on a three-night stay at TRS Coral near Cancun (one of TPG's best all-inclusive resorts in Cancun ), not including the free hydrotherapy spa circuit and the $241 Digital Costco Shop Card included in the package.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Madison Blancaflor (@madison_ave18)

Our stay was fantastic, and I officially became a Costco Travel convert.

If you're curious about how to use Costco Travel to find deals, here's everything you need to know about Costco Travel — and why I love it for saving money on travel.

What is Costco Travel?

All Costco members have access to the Costco Travel booking platform, where you can find and book a wide range of travel — from vacation packages to hotels, cruises and rental cars. You can even book theme park vacation packages to Disney and Universal or specialty vacations such as an African safari.

Related: Costco cruise deals: How to save money booking travel at a warehouse club

Once you log in to Costco Travel, you can search for specific dates or destinations or browse through available deals and featured destinations. I personally love perusing the limited-time deals when I know I want to plan a getaway but don't have a specific destination in mind.

Trips booked through Costco Travel are often discounted and/or include perks and benefits you may not get by booking directly or through other booking portals. Usually, a trip booked through Costco Travel will also include a Digital Costco Shop Card (essentially a type of Costco gift card) of varying value.

What travel can you book through Costco Travel?

You can book hotels, cruises, rental cars and vacation packages through Costco Travel. Vacation packages range from hotel-only offers to all-encompassing packages that include airfare, hotel stays and rental cars. You can even build your own package.

However, one thing to note is that you can't book stand-alone flights via Costco Travel. There is an option to book flights through some vacation packages, but if you're only looking for airfare, you'll want to head to Google Flights to check out your options and book.

You can book Costco Travel offers both online and by phone.

Do you have to be a Costco member to use Costco Travel?

Yes. Costco Travel is an exclusive service for Costco members.

There are two personal membership levels: Gold Star and Executive. Gold Star costs $60 per year, while an Executive membership costs $120. The basic membership will give you access to all of Costco's services, including Costco Travel, while the Executive membership also comes with a 2% reward on all Costco (and Costco Travel) purchases.

I've found that the Costco Travel deals alone are worth paying the $60 Gold Star annual membership fee, even though I don't regularly use Costco for my grocery store runs.

Check sites like Groupon for discount Costco memberships, as you can sometimes save on that rate — or get an included gift card that helps offset the cost.

Is Costo Travel worth it?

Costco Travel has its pros and cons, but there are definitely times when it's worth it.

For example, let's look at a five-night stay in Maui in early April. At the time of writing, Costco is currently offering a hotel and rental car package for Hotel Wailea, a Relais & Chateaux affiliated property and one of TPG's favorite Maui hotels .

Here's one cost comparison breakdown of Costco Travel's deal versus booking directly:

Even without including the additional benefits, you're already saving more than $400 via the Costco deal. Add in the value you get from the card, daily breakfast and resort credit (which is more than $1,000 in value if you maximize all benefits), and you're looking at $1,442.45 in savings by booking through Costco Travel versus directly.

And since Hotel Wailea isn't a member of any major hotel loyalty program, booking through Costco Travel wouldn't mean missing out on elite night credits or other loyalty program benefits.

Here's another example — this time for a Universal Orlando theme park trip from June 4-6 for one adult and two children from Houston. The total cost when booking each part (hotel, tickets and airfare) individually came to $2,701.35, while booking it as a package via Costco saved just over $300.

That's a fair amount of savings you could use for some frozen butterbeer or even a new wand inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter .

When is Costco Travel not worth it?

Not every offer on Costco is worth booking.

For one, you won't necessarily find the same availability on Costco Travel. For example, flights booked through Costco may have some seats blocked off, and certain dates for hotel stays may be unavailable. Additionally, not all rental car companies are bookable through Costco Travel (such as Hertz*, which is my preferred rental car company due to the perks I get through my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ).

Plus, some hotel stays have a minimum stay requirement. If you're on the hunt for a long weekend getaway, you may not be able to take advantage of some Costco Travel deals.

Even when you do find availability, you should always price-check what you can find by booking directly or through your credit card travel portal and hotel programs.

After booking our fantastic stay at TRS Coral just north of Cancun through Costco, I looked at booking through Costco again in 2023 when planning our annual beach vacation.

While Costco had a deal available for the same resort, we happened to be booking when the resort chain was having a Mother's Day sale for anyone booking directly. We were able to try out a new TRS resort closer to Playa Del Carmen, TRS Yucatan; we saved more than $100 on an even nicer suite than Costco Travel offered by booking directly (even when considering the Digital Shop Card we would have gotten by booking with Costco).

Something else to consider when booking hotels through Costco Travel is loyalty program rewards and elite status. There are a lot of hotels available to book through Costco Travel that are part of major loyalty programs, from Hyatt Honors to Marriott Bonvoy to IHG One Rewards and more. But booking through Costco Travel — just like booking through most other third-party services such as Expedia — means you likely won't earn loyalty rewards, elite night credits or have any elite night benefits honored.

You'll also have to use Costco customer service if you run into any issues rather than going directly to the brand. This is especially important when considering booking a vacation package that includes flights, given the higher potential for delays or cancellations.

Why I love Costco Travel

I am typically a staunch proponent of booking directly, but Costco Travel is an exception. I've found that the benefits I can get by booking some trips via Costco outweigh the cons (some of which include having to go through Costco for any customer service help or occasionally losing out on elite night credits).

Digital Costco Shop Cards

My favorite thing about booking trips through Costco Travel is the Digital Costco Shop Card I get after booking. The card's value varies from trip to trip (generally depending on how expensive the package you book), but you can get hundreds of dollars back to use at Costco.

The Digital Costco Shop Cards can be used for Costco warehouse purchases (a game changer with grocery prices so high due to inflation), but you can also use them toward future Costco Travel bookings. And remember — Costco doesn't just carry bulk grocery items. You could use a Digital Costco Shop Card to buy a new flat-screen TV for movie nights and game days, a new outdoor patio setup ahead of summer or even Costco Pharmacy prescriptions.

I admittedly don't use Costco for groceries often (buying in bulk doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who lives alone), but I have used shop cards to help pay for Christmas presents and future Costco Travel trips. I've actually been looking into using my most recent Digital Costco Shop Card on a new pair of AirPods and a new TV mount for my living room.

Deals on non-points hotel stays and all-inclusive resorts

When I'm looking at booking a hotel stay at a brand like Hyatt or Marriott, I generally choose to book directly in order to earn elite night credits and points. However, when looking at properties not part of a major loyalty program, Costco Travel is often a go-to anytime I can find a deal.

Costco Travel has a nice deals section, and I usually look there first if I'm not sold on a specific destination for a getaway. While deals found on Costco generally have a narrow booking window, I've found that many offer a lot of flexibility for the actual trip dates.

A few examples of limited-time deals for January include Hotel Wailea from the example earlier in this guide, all-inclusive resorts in Mexico's Riviera Maya, and Disney and Universal theme park packages.

Simplifying group vacations

I'm often the travel planner in my friend group (which makes sense, considering what I do for a living), but not everyone is an avid points and miles user like myself. For group trips where we're splitting the cost of hotel rooms among multiple people, it often doesn't make sense to use points and miles to book.

Costco Travel vacation packages offer a way for all of us to save money, and it makes narrowing down potential destinations and hotels easier. Rather than everyone having to spend hours researching ideas and prices from across the internet — which might be my idea of a fun Wednesday night but isn't for some of my friends — I typically just send them to Costco Travel to see if any of the featured deals catch their eye.

Having reservation information for multiple aspects of a trip, such as a hotel and rental car package, makes sharing and saving the itineraries a breeze.

Bottom line

Whether or not you currently have a Costco membership, you shouldn't dismiss Costco Travel as just another online travel agency.

If you know where to look and are willing to price-check the deals you find, you can save a lot of money with Costco Travel deals. I've personally had a lot of success booking friends getaways to popular destinations like Mexico through Costco. Using the service has helped me save on other expenses with the Digital Costco Shop Card I've gotten with my bookings.

For me, the $60 annual membership fee to Costco has been more than worth it to utilize Costco Travel.

*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through Dec. 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• How my Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi is a workhorse when it comes to cash back
• Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

• Help Center
• 1-866-921-7925

We are processing your payment.

Do not refresh your browser or exit this page.

Help Center

Current product hierarchy

Costco Travel Account

In this article:.

• Logging in/out
• New account
• Troubleshooting account
• Forgot password
• Address update
• On the main page of Costco Travel, select Login
• On the Sign In page, enter your Costco email address and password
• Select Sign In
• Go to your Member Account page
• Select Logout
• Select Create Account
• Your email address
• Confirm password
• Membership number
• Select yes , if you would like to receive emails from Costco
• If you don't have a Costco.com account, you must create one to complete the membership verification process. To register on Costco.com, please follow the steps in Verify Your Membership .
• Your membership number is unique to you alone; your spouse/secondary will have a different membership number
• Each Costco Travel account must have a unique email address assigned to it; your spouse/secondary account must use a different email address
• All current reservations will automatically be moved to your new membership number within 24 hours from the issue date
• Select option 1 for Rental Cars
• Select option 2 for Help With Your Online Account

Please note: We can't create an account for you or assign a new password If your membership has expired, you must renew before attempting to log in

• On the login page, select Forgot Password?
• Enter your email address, then select Send Verification Code
• You may need to check your Spam or Junk folder
• If you don't receive the email, please call
• Enter your new password twice to confirm, then select Update
• Your new password must meet the requirements
• You will be able to log into your Account and view your personal information

You'll receive a second confirmation email from Costco Customer Care advising that your password has changed.

• Log into your Costco Travel account
• Select the dropdown arrow in the upper right-hand corner
• Select Account
• Next to your address, click Edit
• Update your address
• Select Update

Costco Travel documents are digital, address is for verification purposes only.

Is this answer helpful?

Related Answers

• What option do I select if I'm calling about a website issue or error?
• Why didn't I receive my Digital Costco Shop Card?
• Account Sign in Process

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Travel Tips

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.

Related Articles

• Credit cards
• View all credit cards
• Banking guide
• Loans guide
• Insurance guide
• Personal finance
• View all personal finance
• Small business
• Small business guide
• View all taxes

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

Costco Travel Vacation Packages Offer Luxury and Value

Claire Tsosie is an assigning editor for the team responsible for expanding NerdWallet content to additional topics within personal finance. She has edited articles on a variety of topics, including home improvement, Social Security, estate planning, Medicare, crypto and business software. Previously, she was a credit cards writer at NerdWallet. Her work was featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press.

Elina Geller is a former NerdWallet travel writer specializing in airline and hotel loyalty programs and travel insurance. In 2019, Elina founded TheMissMiles, a travel rewards coaching business. Her work has been featured by AwardWallet. She is a certified public accountant with degrees from the London School of Economics and Fordham University.

Kenley Young directs daily credit cards coverage for NerdWallet. Previously, he was a homepage editor and digital content producer for Fox Sports, and before that a front page editor for Yahoo. He has decades of experience in digital and print media, including stints as a copy desk chief, a wire editor and a metro editor for the McClatchy newspaper chain.

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Table of Contents

How does Costco Travel work?

Can you use costco travel without a membership, is costco travel worth it, the downsides of costco travel, does costco travel offer travel insurance, the verdict: is costco travel a good deal.

The vacation packages featured by Costco Travel make a familiar, super-sized promise to Costco shoppers: You can save by prioritizing quality and buying in bulk. And for value-seeking travelers looking for a little bit of luxury, the wholesale giant delivers.

These vacation packages, which generally include posh accommodations, select meals and ground transportation, aren't available at bargain-barrel rates. But they're quick to book and competitively priced. For some, they might be the most cost-efficient ticket to a lavish getaway. Here’s everything you need to know about Costco Travel.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Costco Travel is a website that allows Costco members to purchase vacation packages, hotels, cruises and rental cars. These vacation packages, which can include posh accommodations, select meals and ground transportation, aren't available at bargain-barrel rates. But they're easy to book and competitively priced. For some, they might be the most cost-efficient ticket to a lavish getaway.

To book one of these vacation packages, you need to provide a Costco membership number at checkout. Memberships start at $60 a year, plus tax. With the Gold Star Executive membership, which costs $120 a year, you'll get additional Costco Travel benefits and 2% back (up to $1,000 in annual rewards) on qualifying Costco, Costco.com and Costco Travel purchases.

With a vacation package booked through Costco Travel — which also offers a la carte booking services for hotels, theme parks, car rentals and cruises — you can visit destinations like Rome, Paris, Cancun and many others.

Ginka Poole visits St. Lucia during a trip booked through Costco. (Photo courtesy of Ginka Poole)

Book all the reservations at once

On the Costco Travel website, it's possible to book a full itinerary — even including the car ride from the airport to your hotel — in just a few minutes. For Ginka Poole of Nashville, Tennessee, this was a big draw.

“For a vacation, it’s good to kind of turn your brain off for a while and not have to worry,” says Poole, a travel blogger and photographer. “You pick your destination, and there aren’t too many other choices you need to make.”

She used the service to purchase a trip to St. Lucia , a Caribbean island, with her husband. The package she bought, which cost about $6,000 for a weeklong stay, included ground transportation, the resort stay, breakfast every day, first-class flights and a credit for a tour.

The benefits and accommodations are top-notch

Say you booked a seven-day vacation package from San Francisco to London and Paris for two. For $4,900, you'd get these goodies:

Nonstop economy flights

Transportation to and from the airport

A superior queen room in a London hotel with a daily English breakfast, three-course dinner for two, champagne afternoon tea service and an appointment with the hotel concierge

A $400 tour credit in London

Standard premier railway tickets from London to Paris

A premium room in a Paris hotel with a daily breakfast buffet

To be sure, you could easily book a similar trip for less than $4,900 if you nixed some of those extras. But you'd be hard-pressed to find the same level of amenities and benefits at a lower price on other travel aggregators.

When booking through Costco Travel, you can get 3% cash back on your purchase when you pay with your Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi . If you don’t have that card, try using one that offers extra rewards for travel or flat-rate rewards.

Parita Kuttappan and her husband, Vishnu Kuttappan, visit the Haleakala Crater in Maui on a trip booked through Costco Travel. (Photo courtesy of Parita Kuttappan)

For Parita Kuttappan of Chicago — who booked a trip to Maui and Kauai for herself, her husband and her mother-in-law and father-in-law through Costco Travel — those fancy stays were worth the cost.

“Our accommodations were amazing — exactly what we thought we were going to be getting,” says Kuttappan, who founded the lifestyle blog My Inner Shakti. The resorts they stayed at were beautifully decorated, spacious and comfortable, she notes.

Itineraries are somewhat customizable

Vacation packages on Costco Travel come with a basic itinerary, but you generally handle the details yourself. After selecting your dates and destination, you can add flights, upgrade your room or make other tweaks. Then, it's up to you to plan daily activities.

In Kauai, “We took a helicopter tour of the island, and that was something I will never forget,” Kuttappan says, noting that she booked the tour separately from her package. “It was absolutely breathtaking. We got to see the canyon there, and the different waterfalls and an aerial view of the entire island, which was absolutely amazing.”

Here's why you might not want to book a vacation package through Costco Travel.

Costco Travel is not cheap

Vacation packages can offer a great value, but don't expect clearance prices. While the website features select packages for less than $499 per person, multiday trips with airfare generally run well over $1,000 per person.

"I would say [it’s] a great deal if you’re looking for convenience and willing to spend a little bit extra,” Kuttappan says, who also used the service to book a trip to Italy with her husband.

If trimming costs is your priority, you might be better off booking cheaper accommodations and flights elsewhere.

Not all expenses are included

Vacation packages often include some meals and benefits, but they don’t cover everything.

Poole and her husband were surprised to find they spent an average of about $400 a day purchasing alcohol, lunch and dinner at the resort in St. Lucia, she says. (Breakfast came included in their package.) While online reviewers noted that the food at the resort was expensive, Poole says she didn’t realize how costly it was until she got the final bill for their stay.

» MORE: Travelers, save on meals with these tidbits

“I do wish there would have been a little more information either from reviewers or from Costco themselves saying, 'This is what you’re going to spend,'” she says. To avoid surprises like these, ask the property you’re staying at about food costs beforehand and track expenses during your stay.

You’ll generally go to major hotels and resorts

Most of the hotels and resorts listed on Costco Travel are relatively large, often boasting hundreds of rooms. These properties can get you easy access to coffee, food and a gym — but they might not take you very far off the beaten path.

“You’re going to get a big resort. You’re not going to get a nice boutique hotel,” Poole says.

You cannot purchase a travel insurance policy through Costco Travel. However, you can purchase a trip insurance policy through Costco’s partner Zurich Travel Insurance. There are many plans to choose from, including those that offer trip cancellation , trip interruption , emergency medical coverage , travel delay , lost luggage coverage and more. 

If you have a travel credit card that offers complimentary trip insurance , use that card to buy a Costco Travel vacation package so that you receive coverage for your trip.

» Learn more: How to find the best travel insurance

If you'd happily stay at a low-cost motel while traveling abroad if it meant saving money, booking a vacation package through Costco Travel just doesn't make sense. But for those who want to land a swanky hotel and ready-made itinerary for a reasonable price, it might be the fastest and most cost-effective option.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Up to $300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

• Help Centre
• 1-855-863-0357

Start Searching

• Packages  
• All-Inclusive  
• Cruises  
• Rental Cars  
• Hotels  

* Indicates required fields

Rental Period:

pickUpDate - dropOffDate

Pick-Up: pickUpTime - Drop-Off: dropOffTime

Pick-Up Location:

pickUpAddress

pickUpAgencyName

pickUpAgencyAddress

Drop-Off Location:

Same as Pick-Up Location

dropOffAddress

dropOffAgencyName

dropOffAgencyAddress

Coupon Override

Please call.

For drivers under the age of 25, additional fees and/or restrictions may apply.

For information and assistance in completing your reservation, please call:

We're unable to find your location.

Alaska Cruise Tours:

A cruise tour is a voyage and land tour combination, with the land tour occurring before or after the voyage. Unless otherwise noted, optional services such as airfare, airport transfers, shore excursions, land tour excursions, etc. are not included and are available for an additional cost.

Explore U.S. and Canadian Cities

Last-minute vacations.

• San Francisco, Toronto, Phoenix and More
• Member Value in Every Package

Book Now, Pay Later

Save on your next rental car.

• One Additional Driver Fee Waived
• Executive Members Earn an Annual 2% Reward

Limited-Time Deals

Instant savings.

• Instant Savings of US $ 100 or More
• Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico and More

Family-Friendly Resort

Moon palace package.

• All-Inclusive Resort
• US $ 350 Resort Credit

Boutique Hotel

Wayfinder waikiki package.

• Four Nights for the Price of Three
• Digital Costco Shop Card

Europe or Alaska

Kirkland signature holland america line.

• Exclusive Costco Member Savings
• Shipboard Credit
• Digital Costco Shop Card with Every Sailing

Book Before They're Gone These Deals Won't Last!

Napa Valley & Sonoma

Welcome to Wine Country Member Value in Every Package

Last-Minute Summer Travel

It's Not Too Late to Book Vacation Package Getaways

Riviera Maya: Hotel Marina El Cid Package

All-Inclusive Resort Resort Credit, One-, Two- and Three-Bedroom Suites All-Inclusive Privileges amongst El Cid Resorts

Dominican Republic: Dreams® Macao Beach Punta Cana Package

Beachfront, All-Inclusive Resort Digital Costco Shop Card

Vacations of a Lifetime

Amazing Experiences Exclusively from Costco Travel

Featured Travel

Family-friendly fun.

Value, Quality and Features for Families Choose from Resorts and Cruises

Oahu: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Package

US $ 150 Resort Credit Digital Costco Shop Card Daily Resort Fee Included

Orlando: Universal's Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn and Suites Package with Universal Orlando Tickets

Exclusive Savings on Vacation Package Promo Tickets Early Park Admission Digital Costco Shop Card and More

Venice, Florence, Rome and Sorrento: Your Way

Daily Breakfast Executive Member Benefit at Select Hotels

New Orleans: Omni Royal Orleans Hotel Package

Costco Member Savings New to Costco Travel

Austin: Thompson Austin Package

Welcome Amenity Waived Daily Resort Fee Costco Member Savings

Featured Destinations

Nashville, tennessee.

Music Legends, Historic Battlefields and More

Seattle, Washington

The Emerald City

Washington D.C.

Monuments, Memorials and Museums

Featured Cruises

Eastern caribbean and perfect day cruise.

Royal Caribbean | Icon of the Seas℠ Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Miami

Ancient Mysteries & Egypt Cruise

Holland America Line | Nieuw Statendam® Digital Costco Shop Card, Rome to Athens

Alaskan Cruise

Disney Cruise Line Round-Trip Vancouver 7-Night Cruise Aboard Disney Wonder Digital Costco Shop Card Courtesy of Costco Travel

Mexican Riviera Cruise

Princess Cruises | Discovery Princess® Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Los Angeles

Hawaii Inter-Island Cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line | Pride of America Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Honolulu

Labadee, Puerto Plata and Bahamas Cruise

Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Beyond? Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Fort Lauderdale

All-Inclusive Resorts & Cruises

Member favorites, think costco travel first.

• Exclusively for Costco members
• We are Costco and we know travel
• The value you want with the quality you expect
• No surprises when you're ready to pay
• Additional advantages of membership

Learn more about the Costco Travel difference

Executive Members

• Maximize Your Rewards with Both Cards

Click here for details.

Explore More Travel

Spain guided vacations.

Additional Member Savings on Tours Through 2026

Weekly Travel Deals

Featured This Week

Vacations and Cruises with Costco Value

Executive Member Benefits

Special Extras with Select Vacations

Plus, Earn an Annual 2% Reward

Travel Items and Costco.ca

Luggage sets.

We are processing your payment.

Do not refresh your browser or exit this page.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

‘Costco, Don’t Give Up on America As a Nation of Readers’: The Week 1 Winner of Our Summer Reading Contest

Read the work of the winning writer, Daphne Nguyen, 16 — and take a look at three favorite video responses, too.

By The Learning Network

For 15 years, our Summer Reading Contest has been inviting teenagers around the world to tell us what New York Times pieces get their attention and why. Up until now, students could only enter by posting short written comments, but this year we’re also allowing 90-second video responses.

That’s why this week , the first of our 10-week challenge, we’re featuring both the winning essay by Daphne Nguyen as well as our three favorite videos. Though the vast majority of the 509 submissions this time around were written, we hope to encourage more students to experiment with video.

Scroll down to see this work, along with a list of runners-up and honorable mentions. As you go, note the variety of topics that caught the eyes of these teens, including pieces about A.I., Alzheimer’s, Asian grocery chains, gardening, cockroaches, rom-coms and the saga of J. Lo and Ben Affleck.

You can read the work of all of our winners since 2017 in this column . And remember that you can participate any or every week this summer until Aug. 16. Just check the top of our contest announcement to find the right place to submit your response.

Daphne Nguyen, 16, from San Jose, Calif., responded to a June news item, “ Costco Plans to Stop Selling Books Year-Round ,” by writing:

I like books, and I also like Costco. Like many of us, I spend time with both of them regularly. I carry a paperback so I can stop looking at my phone, even during our weekly Costco run. So I was genuinely disconcerted to read that “Costco Plans to Stop Selling Books Year-Round” and offer them only during the holiday season. I guess books are a nice gift for someone else, but not something you’d want for yourself? Or for your children? In fact, the Costco book section is thoughtfully curated for the entire shopping family. There are “My Busy Book” play sets, special C.S. Lewis box sets, and best sellers like “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yaros. The aisle feels fun and inviting, not dated or out of place. Costco says that books are inconvenient to sell because they have to be specially unpacked off the pallet and changed out weekly for new releases. That seems like the “it’s not you, it’s me” break-up routine. And it seems like a cop-out. They’ve got plenty of people buzzing around doing all kinds of things — what about the staffers constantly refolding clothes? Costco’s ingenuity shines with the $6 rotisserie chicken. Why not get creative with books? Put Oprah’s top picks at the check-out lines! Surprise us with cookbooks around the food aisles! What Costco stocks is what America buys. So Costco, don’t give up on America as a nation of readers, educated citizens of a democracy. And please don’t give up on books.

Three Favorite Video Responses

Andrew Han on “ Don’t Call It an ‘Ethnic’ Grocery Store ”

Chrisel Roche on “ How 3 Texas Teenagers Grew Up to Be Broadway Stars (and Stayed Friends) ”

Gabriela Abeyta on “ At This School, Students Live Entirely for Music ”

In alphabetical order by the writer’s first name.

Alicia Wu on “ Leaving Mr. Mom Behind ”

Andy Yuhao Gong on “ Why Gardening Is So Good for You ”

Angeline on “ Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much? "

Audrey Yin on “ What Joan Nathan Taught Me About the Power of Showing Up ”

Charlotte Keegan on “ Boys Get Everything, Except the Thing That’s Most Worth Having ”

Dharma Rajesh on “ Don’t Call It an ‘Ethnic’ Grocery Store ”

Ella Shin on “ Scaly Fossil Is the Oldest-Known Piece of Skin ”

Emeline on “ My Mom Had Alzheimer’s. Now I Do Too. But I Learned From Her Not to Despair. ”

Jocelyn Chen on “ When Did Teen Boys Get a Nose for $300 Cologne? "

Morgan Cole on “ Rekindling Love Takes More Than a Good Match. Just Ask J. Lo and Ben Affleck. ”

Sharvari Dhile on “ English Language Books are Filling Europe’s Bookstores. Mon Dieu! ”

Honorable Mentions

Anne Ma on “ The First Meaning of ‘Crush’ Came Long Before a ‘First Crush’ ”

Christine Cai on “ Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands ”

Claire Yura Kim on “ TikTok Attempts to Rein in Weight Loss Diets ”

Emma Yu on “ I asked A.I where I was from. Its Answer: Nowhere ”

Eva Sharma on “ A Girls’ Trip to Costa Rica. But With No Phones, Did It Happen? "

Jia-Rong Karen Lee on “ How the Cockroach Took Over The World ”

John Mang on “ Are You Wearing Sunscreen the Right Way? ”

Rosie Hong on “ New Delhi Sweats Through Its Hottest Recorded Day ”

Samuel Wang on the New York Times game Connections

Siyoon Kim on “ My In-Laws Gave Gifts to Two Grandchildren, but Not to a Third. Help! ”

(Note to students: If you are one of this week’s winners and would like your last name published, please have a parent or guardian complete our permission form [PDF] and send it to us at [email protected] .)

• Help Center
• 1-866-921-7925

Start Searching

• Packages  
• Hotels  
• Cruises  
• Rental Cars  

* Indicates required fields

Rental Period:

pickUpDate - dropOffDate

Pick-Up: pickUpTime - Drop-Off: dropOffTime

Pick-Up Location:

pickUpAddress

pickUpAgencyName

pickUpAgencyAddress

Drop-Off Location:

Same as Pick-Up Location

dropOffAddress

dropOffAgencyName

dropOffAgencyAddress

Coupon Override

Please call.

For drivers under the age of 25, additional fees and/or restrictions may apply.

For information and assistance in completing your reservation, please call:

We're unable to find your location.

Alaska Cruise Tours:

A cruise tour is a voyage and land tour combination, with the land tour occurring before or after the voyage. Unless otherwise noted, optional services such as airfare, airport transfers, shore excursions, land tour excursions, etc. are not included and are available for an additional cost.

Sorry, but the requested page was not found.

Please explore some of our great offers.

Find Your Caribbean Paradise

Stunning Beaches, Island Charm and Flavorful Cuisine Member Value in Every Package

NEW Hot Buys

Plus More Limited-Time Packages Book Before They’re Gone

Cancun: Moon Palace Package

All-Inclusive Resort $150 Instant Savings $350 Resort Credit, Digital Costco Shop Card

Rome, Italy

The Eternal City Daily Breakfast with Every Package Look for Limited-Time Instant Savings

Orlando: Walt Disney World® On-Site Collection Package

Stay In the Heart of the Magic Walt Disney World® Resort On-Site Hotels Theme Park Transportation, Tickets and More

All-Inclusive Resorts & Cruises

Relax and Enjoy the Value Meals, Beverages and More Included

Featured Travel

Tahiti: hilton moorea and conrad bora bora nui package.

Daily Buffet Breakfast

8 Nights with Airfare from $5,689 Per Person*

Condo Resorts

Studios to Three-Bedrooms Suites Great for Large Groups or Long Stays

Las Vegas: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Package

$75 Food and Beverage Credit Invited Guest Check-In

Costa Rica: The Westin Reserva Conchal Package

All-Inclusive Resort $50 Spa Credit Westin® Kids Club

Romance & Honeymoon

Getaways for Two Choose a Vacation Package or Cruise

San Diego: Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina Package

Reduced Mandatory Daily Resort Fee Reduced Daily Parking Fee

Featured Destinations

Seattle, washington.

The Emerald City

Charleston, South Carolina

Beautiful and Historic

Boston, Massachusetts

History and Culture

Featured Cruises

Bahamian cruise.

Disney Cruise Line Round-Trip Port Canaveral 4-Night Cruise Aboard Disney Wish Digital Costco Shop Card Courtesy of Costco Travel

Greece, Turkey and Italy Cruise

Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Ascent℠ Digital Costco Shop Card, Rome to Athens/Piraeus

Panama Canal - Ocean to Ocean Cruise

Princess Cruises | Island Princess® Digital Costco Shop Card, New York to Los Angeles

Dawes Glacier, Juneau & Ketchikan Cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line | Norwegian Bliss Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Seattle

Canada & New England Cruise

Princess Cruises | Emerald Princess® Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Boston

Great Barrier Reef Cruise

Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Edge® Digital Costco Shop Card, Round-Trip Sydney

Maximize Your Rewards

Costco anywhere visa® card by citi.

3% Cash Back Rewards on Costco Travel Learn More

Executive Members Get More

Executive Members Earn an Annual 2% Reward on Costco Travel

Costco Executive Membership

Upgrade Online Today

Hidden Gems

Member favorites.

We are processing your payment.

Do not refresh your browser or exit this page.

I'm a former TV chef who spends about $150 a week at Costco. Here are 11 things I always get.

• I'm a former TV chef who spends $150 on tasty ingredients and cooking shortcuts at Costco  each week.
• The Minsley cooked rice and Bachan's Japanese barbecue sauce can effortlessly upgrade meals.
• I also grab ingredients like Kerrygold butter and Kirkland Signature Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Before the first season of my aspireTV series, "Butter + Brown," I trained with a chef whose husband was a corporate executive at Costco.

In my mind, Costco was for folks who loved pre-seasoned meat, Kirkland Signature-branded alcohol, and birthday cakes . However, I couldn't have been more wrong.

This chef gave me the inside scoop on the best items from the store, and since then, I've joined the nearly 35 million customers who have an executive Costco membership. I use my membership to stock up on ingredients for family dinners and quick meals.

Here are 11 items I always get on a $150 budget at my Los Angeles Costco.

The Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is perfect for baking and making excellent sauces.

European-made butter in bulk is an instant "yes" for me. The quality of butter I use in baked goods or sauces can change the dish's outcome, so I always pick up two boxes of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter to keep in my fridge.

European butter is also typically higher in butterfat than its American counterparts, which can make food taste richer and more flavorful.

Costco carries a salted version, which is my favorite. A pack of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter costs $14.50 at my Costco.

My kids eat the I Heart Hydros hydroponic strawberries at every meal.

I can't speak for everyone else's children, but mine eat fruit like it's going out of style. These hydroponic strawberries, which are grown without soil, have been a mainstay in my cart lately.

One major plus of these berries is their taste, which is sweeter and juicier than many other options I've tried. I can't say if they're better for your health, but they're full of flavor and are a big hit at my house.

The hydroponic strawberries cost $6 per case at my store.

The Sun Fresh green seedless grapes are perfect for lunches and freezing. 

My pantry is stocked with snacks, ranging from veggie chips to cookies and Doritos. However, I also require my daughters to take fruit in their school lunches .

At Costco, I can find a variety of grapes, from black seedless and cotton candy to table varieties. I typically buy one container for the fridge and another for the freezer.

A 3-pound package of grapes costs $8.50 at my location.

I grab precooked rice for when I need a quick meal at home.

Like most people, chefs try to find ways to save time in the kitchen. I focus on figuring out what to feed my family for dinner, and for myself, I keep it simple.

The Minsley organic cooked brown rice is great alongside quickly seared salmon or grilled chicken . For $9, I bought a box containing six bowls of rice.

I like to satisfy my soda cravings with Poppi.

Before Poppi drinks , I hadn't had an orange soda in about five or six years. I was intrigued when I heard about the brand "bringing soda back." And they did, with a vengeance.

Now, I pick up a variety pack with cherry-limeade, orange, and strawberry-lemon flavors. With only 4 to 5 grams of sugar per serving, these sodas pair perfectly with lunch.

I bought a case containing 15 cans of Poppi for $20.

My husband drinks at least four cups of coffee daily, so Horizon Organic half-and-half is necessary.

Years ago, my husband slung espresso cups behind the counter at Peet's Coffee. Though he's moved on from that job, he hasn't left his coffee obsession behind.

This half-gallon carton of Horizon Organic half-and-half ensures we have enough for the coffee enthusiast (and me, the tea girl). At my location, a carton costs $6.90.

We need to have a lot of Peet's Coffee on hand as well.

I also get a bag of Peet's Coffee when I'm at Costco — I choose the Major Dickason's Blend, a dark-roast coffee with a rich flavor. This brew is full-bodied, bold, and not at all bitter.

Though big in flavor, it maintains its smoothness as it goes down. We love Peet's, so it's perfect that Costco sells a giant bag we can grind up ourselves. A 32-ounce package of coffee costs $16.90 at my Costco.

Breakfast with three kids can sometimes be chaotic, but ready-to-go bagels make it easy for everyone. 

My girls love bagels. I'm convinced it's the New Yorker in them, and Costco allows them to get their fix.

My kids have different tastes and preferences, so Costco's two-for-$7 deal on Kirkland Signature bagels is the best way to ensure they each have what they like. I usually pick up everything and plain for the kids, and sometimes, I'll grab a cinnamon-raisin pack for myself.

Simply Orange pulp-free orange juice gets a thumbs up from my daughter.

We're big fans of the Simply juices. I usually opt for either the brand's Simply Lemonade, Simply Limeade, or Simply Peach flavors, but at Costco, we get the Simply Orange juice.

Though I'm not a huge orange-juice drinker, my teenager loves to take a small bottle with her to school. A case of Simply Orange juice is $16 at my location.

Serving pasta once a week means there has to be cheese available. 

There isn't a week that goes by without my kids asking for one of my pasta dishes. Whether it's pesto, a simple Bolognese , or a kale-and-sausage dish, each requires a heaping pile of Kirkland Signature Pecorino Romano or the brand's Parmigiano-Reggiano to make it sing.

In my opinion, Costco has excellent wedges that taste just as good as something from a fancy cheesemonger. I bought a block of Pecorino Romano for $16.90 and Parmigiano-Reggiano for $17.10.

I like to stock up on my favorite condiments at Costco.

I'm a self-proclaimed condiment queen. I love a good hot sauce, an aioli, and a great dressing. Though I prefer to make my own, there are moments when I simply don't have the bandwidth to do so.

Bachan's Japanese barbecue sauce is handy for salmon-teriyaki cravings, and the Don Pancho cilantro-lime-crema everything sauce is great on tacos.

The Japanese barbecue sauce costs $6.80, and the cilantro-lime-crema sauce is $8 at my location.

Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one .

• Main content