Is a Costco Executive Membership Really Worth the Cost?

We were on the road recently when my husband and I decided to stop at a Costco. It was early in the morning, but we saw plenty of people streaming through the doors. When we tried, however, we were stopped. Turns out that early-morning admission is a perk for people with the executive-level membership – not ordinary members like us.

We were curious whether it was worth the extra money to get a fancy membership, so I did some digging. A standard Costco Gold Star membership costs $65 per year, compared to an Executive membership, which costs nearly double ($130 annually).

So, there are more perks with the higher-level card—but is it worth it?

Costco's Executive-Level Perks

Whichever Costco membership you have, you're able to shop online or in warehouses. It comes with an additional membership card for someone who lives in your household. With an Executive membership, there are a few additional benefits, including:

• Two percent back on up to $1,250 of eligible Costco purchases each year. It comes in a check that you can spend at the warehouse store.
• Early shopping hours (9-10 a.m. Sunday through Friday and 9-9:30 a.m. on Saturdays)
• $10 a month credit on eligible orders of at least $150 from sameday.costco.com or Costco via Instacart
• Executive-only perks on certain Costco products and services

Is It Worth It?

Strictly from a financial viewpoint, you’d have to spend $3,250 a year at Costco to break even on the extra $65 in cost. (The math: two percent cashback rewards on $3,250 equals $65). That makes sense if you spend at least $270 or so each month.

If you’ve ever had the “upgrade your membership” speech from someone at Costco, the salesperson might suggest that just the purchase of one pricey laptop or television makes the extra cost worth it; the same is likely true if you book your travel through Costco. If you have major appliances or vacations on your shopping list, those could easily justify the Executive membership.

In our family, we had the Executive membership years ago but weren’t buying enough to make up the double cost of it, compared to a Gold Star membership. Now, we put all our Costco purchases on a Costco credit card—we still receive two percent back on all purchases at the club store, in addition to five percent back on gas at its pumps.

The Value of Early Shopping Hours

Rewards aside, the big question is how much that early access is worth to you. We always swear that we will "never, ever again" go to Costco on a weekend, but then somehow, we end up in the overpacked warehouse on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.

If you shop at Costco frequently and really don’t have the patience to deal with all those other eager people, the extra cost of an Executive membership might be worth the peace of a quieter shopping experience.