How to cancel a Costco membership and get your money back
Go to the membership counter at any Costco warehouse, or call Member Services at 1-800-774-2678. Costco refunds the membership fee if you're not satisfied, at any time. Executive members get the fee back minus any 2% reward they've earned. Work out your refund below.
From Costco's customer service pages, checked October 18, 2026.
If you cancel
If you downgrade
How to cancel
Only the Primary Member on the account can cancel. Costco offers two ways:
- At a warehouse. Go to the membership counter at any Costco warehouse. Costco says you get an immediate refund there. It helps to bring your membership card.
- By phone. Call the Member Services Center at 1-800-774-2678 and ask a live agent to cancel.
Costco's cancellation page doesn't list an online option for cancelling. Online, you can turn off auto-renewal, which lets the membership lapse at the end of the year instead.
Will I get a refund?
Yes. Costco's satisfaction guarantee covers the membership: it says it will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you're not satisfied.
Executive members
Costco subtracts any 2% reward you've earned or been issued from the refund. If your reward is bigger than the refund, you get nothing back and lose the extra reward. So a member who earned $30 in reward would get about $100 back on cancelling, and someone who earned $130 or more would get nothing.
If you'd still like to shop at Costco, downgrading to Gold Star may suit you better: you get the $65 upgrade fee back, minus the reward, and keep your membership. The downgrade calculator shows whether that beats keeping Executive.
Stop auto-renewal instead
If you just don't want to pay again next year, turn off auto-renewal. Costco says to remove it at least two business days before the first day of your renewal month; by chat or phone, at least 72 hours before. Sign in to Costco.com, open your account and go to Renew Membership to remove the card.
Already renewed and didn't mean to? Costco has a refund request link on its auto-renewal page, and says refunds take about 5 to 7 business days.
Common questions
Can I cancel my Costco membership online?
Costco's page lists the membership counter and Member Services by phone. Online you can turn off auto-renewal, or request a refund for a renewal you didn't want.
Can I cancel any time and still get a refund?
Yes. Costco's guarantee lets you cancel and get your membership fee back at any time if you're not satisfied. Executive members have the 2% reward taken off the refund.
Does Costco refund the Executive membership?
Yes, minus any 2% reward you've earned. The reward is issued about three months before renewal, so cancelling soon after that usually means a small refund or none.
What happens to my Costco credit card if I cancel?
The Costco Anywhere Visa needs an active, paid Costco membership for its no-annual-fee terms and to get your yearly reward certificate. Check with Citi before you cancel, especially if you have cash back waiting for February. See the Costco credit card calculator.
What is the Costco auto-renewal lawsuit?
A proposed class action filed in 2026 in federal court in Northern California (George II v. Costco). The plaintiff alleges Costco's auto-renewal emails arrived too early under California's Automatic Renewal Law and left out required details, such as how to cancel. It's an allegation, not a finding, and the case hadn't been certified as a class action in the reports we found. Either way, you can turn off auto-renewal or cancel as described above.
What about household cards?
The Primary Member cancels the whole membership, so any household card on it stops working too.
Not sure you want to cancel?
Run your numbers first: is a Costco membership worth it? If you'd join a different club instead, see Costco vs Sam's Club vs BJ's.
Sources: Costco's how to cancel and auto-renewal pages, and Executive reward terms (refund minus the 2% reward), checked October 18, 2026. The calculator is an estimate; the membership counter can tell you your exact refund before you decide.