Forget Paying for Costco. Here Are 3 Ways to Shop Without a Membership

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An annual basic (Gold Star) membership to Costco currently costs $60 a year. The Executive membership that gives you 2% cash back on your purchases costs $120.

And these prices aren't going to last much longer. Starting Sept. 1, the cost of a basic Costco membership is rising to $65, while an Executive membership will cost $130.

These are by no means terrible prices to pay if you can benefit from regular Costco access. But if you don't need to visit a warehouse club store every week, or even every month, then you may find it wasteful to join Costco and pay the membership fee.

If that's the case, you're not necessarily out of luck. Here are three ways you can shop at Costco without having to pay.

1. Shop online

Many people are surprised to learn that you can place an order on Costco.com without having a paid membership. However, you should expect to pay more for your purchases in that situation.

Costco imposes a 5% surcharge on orders placed by non-members. The only exception to this rule is for prescription drugs.

Remember, Costco uses its membership fees to offset its costs. If you're not contributing to those fees, you're going to be charged more.

However, if you only place the occasional order on Costco.com, then it could make more financial sense to pay the surcharge instead of a membership. For example, say you order from Costco four times a year, and each order totals $200. All told, that's $40 in surcharges for $800 worth of products, which is cheaper than the basic membership.

Now that said, one other snag you might hit as a non-member on Costco.com is being barred from buying certain member-only items. But even in that case, there's a potential workaround.

If you have a friend with a membership, just ask them to buy you the item in question and pay them back. It doesn't have to be a deal-breaker if an annual membership doesn't make sense for you.

2. Shop with a friend

If you live in a suburb, chances are, you know at least one person who pays for a Costco membership. And you should know that members can bring a guest along to shop. So if you don't want to pay for an annual membership, just aim to tag along with a friend on occasion.

However, if you're going to do that, pay attention to the products Costco has in stock and the prices. You may decide after getting a better sense of the store's inventory that a membership could result in nice ongoing savings for you.

3. Shop with a Shop Card

A Costco Shop Card is the store's version of a gift card, and it's something only members can buy. However, there's nothing to stop someone you know who's a member from buying a Shop Card and giving it to you.

Once you have a Shop Card in hand, all you need to do is show it at the door, and you'll be let right in to shop at Costco by yourself. If you want occasional access to Costco and don't want to be tethered to a friend's schedule, ask a member you know to buy you a few Shop Cards and pay them back. That gives you the freedom to shop at Costco at your leisure.

While a Costco membership offers a lot of benefits, it may not be worth paying for if it's something you don't expect to use often. Luckily, you can shop at Costco regardless.

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