Costco Travel is a good option if you are looking to travel on vacation. The main benefit of signing up for this plan is that you pay one fee upfront. This fee can in most situations be lower than the total price of your trip. However, you should note that Costco Travel requires you to have a Gold Star membership unless you book your trip seven days prior to departure.
The great thing about this program is that it caters to families, couples, and individuals (regardless of whether they are Costco members). Although Costco Travel does not cover every destination, it does provide availability in many parts of the world. It may be worthwhile considering this program if you are planning on visiting numerous destinations in any given year.
What is Costco Travel?
Costco Travel is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale and offers leisure travel to Costco members in the United States, Mexico, and the U.K..
Costco Travel offers everyday savings on top-quality, brand-name vacations, hotels, cruises, and rental cars, exclusively for Costco members.
In the U.S., Costco Travel offers vacation packages to Disney destinations and Universal Orlando Resort in Florida as well as Las Vegas, Hawaii (Oahu and Maui), Mexico (Cancún/Los Cabos/Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Maya), the Caribbean (Bermuda, Jamaica and Puerto Rico), Europe (England, France, Ireland and Spain) and Costa Rica. In addition to vacation packages, Costco Travel also offers cruise vacations aboard major cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International.
How Costco Travel Works
Costco has created a one-stop travel site that allows you to book rental cars, flights, cruises, and hotels. To get started with Costco Travel, you must be a member of the warehouse club. You can search for deals on the website or mobile app (Android and Apple) with or without signing in.
But when it comes time to book, you’ll have to log in to your account. To book flights, rental cars, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts right on Costco’s website, you need to be logged into your account before searching for deals. If you’re not signed in and try to book something anyway, you’ll be prompted to sign in first.
Does Costco travel have a Rewards Program?
Costco Travel offers everyday savings on top-quality, brand-name vacations, cruises, and rental cars, exclusively for Costco members.
All Costco members receive a free spouse or domestic partner Gold Star Executive Gold Star membership card. Each of these cards can be used to earn Rewards points.
To enroll in the program, visit www.costcotravel.com/membership/rewards and complete the enrollment process. Once enrolled, you will earn 1% back in Rewards on your purchases for all qualifying travel booked at www.costcotravel.com and at Costco Travel toll-free reservations numbers (1-877-849-2730).
Enrollment is limited to one account per member; however, only one member number per booking is necessary to receive Rewards points.
Fees and Policies
Costo has many fees, including a fee for withdrawing funds from your account. They also have fees for making purchases outside the United States and for making purchases in a currency other than U.S. dollars. Review their Fees page for a detailed listing of all applicable fees.
Most items are shipped within 24 hours of purchase, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The standard shipping provider is USPS Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery). They can, however, ship items via other providers (UPS, FedEx) upon request. If you need an item overnighted or expedited in any other way, contact Costco so they can make those arrangements for you. Note that additional charges may apply to special requests. Also, note that orders over $500 will require a signature confirmation upon delivery.
How to Book a Trip with Costco
- First, go to costcotravel.com and sign up Costco travel account if you don’t have one account already. (This is not the same as your Costco membership account.)
- Enter your destination and travel dates in the search field and hit “search” to see flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages available to you.
- Filter through the results by price, amenities, location, etc. You’ll also be able to see customer reviews for each option based on other people’s ratings of cleanliness, service quality, value for money, etc.
- When you find what you want click “select” and once you’ve made all your choices click “continue.”
- You’ll be asked to provide more information such as names of passengers and contact details before being taken.