Costco membership deals right now
Costco doesn't discount the membership fee itself. The deal is a Shop Card for joining: $20 with Gold Star or $40 with Executive when you join online with auto-renewal, or $65 when you join as Executive and are approved for the Costco Anywhere Visa.
From Costco.com's Join Costco page and its partner verification pages, checked October 18, 2026. Offers change often.
Current offers
| Offer | You get | How |
|---|---|---|
| Join as Gold Star online | $20 Digital Shop Card | Enroll in auto-renewal at sign-up |
| Join as Executive online | $40 Digital Shop Card | Enroll in auto-renewal at sign-up |
| New Executive + Costco Anywhere Visa | $65 Digital Shop Card | Apply and be approved for the card with your new Executive membership |
| Students, teachers, health workers, first responders, government employees, military | Same Shop Card as above | Verify through Costco's partner (UNiDAYS or SheerID), then join |
The Shop Card offers are for new members only: Costco says that means anyone who hasn't been a member in any role (primary, household or affiliate) in the last 18 months. Auto-renewal has to be set up on a Visa credit or debit card or a Mastercard debit card. Costco doesn't say whether the Costco Visa offer can be combined with the auto-renewal Shop Card, so check the terms on the join page before you count on both.
Your first-year cost
| Membership | Fee | Shop Card | Net first year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Star, online | $65 | $20 | $45 |
| Executive, online | $130 | $40 | $90 |
| Executive + Costco Visa | $130 | $65 | $65 |
Before sales tax. Executive members also earn the 2% reward, so Executive can end up cheaper than Gold Star; the Executive calculator works it out.
What isn't a deal
- Senior or military discounts on the fee: Costco has none. The military offer is the same Shop Card everyone gets. See senior and military discounts.
- A free trial: there isn't one, but Costco refunds the membership fee at any time if you're not satisfied. See how to cancel and get a refund.
- Offers for renewing members: the Shop Card offers on the join page are for new members only.
In Canada or Mexico?
Costco Canada has its own offers, including $65 back for new Executive members approved for a CIBC Costco Mastercard, and group offers verified through Student Beans. See Costco membership cost in Canada. For Mexico, see membresía Costco México.
Common questions
Is there a Costco membership promo code?
Costco's join page doesn't list a promo code. Its offers are applied when you join online with auto-renewal, or after you verify through the partner link for your group.
What's the best Costco membership deal?
By Shop Card value, the $65 offer for joining as Executive with an approved Costco Visa. Without the card, it's $40 for Executive or $20 for Gold Star when you join online.
Do students get a Costco discount?
College students can verify through UNiDAYS, which showed the $20 Digital Shop Card for new Gold Star members. It's the same amount as the general online offer, not a lower fee.
Can I get the deal if I was a member before?
Only if you haven't been a Costco member in any role for 18 months.
Where can I use the Shop Card?
Costco Shop Cards work at Costco warehouses and on Costco.com. See how Costco Shop Cards work.
Sources: Costco.com: Join Costco (offers, terms and group links) and the UNiDAYS and SheerID pages it links to, checked October 18, 2026. Run Don't Walk is independent and isn't paid by Costco or Citi.