Costco card is a personal/ business membership card that allows the holder to purchase products from any Costco wholesale franchise worldwide. With the card, you can shop in-store or online at www.costco.com. With more than 800 stores and an estimate of 111.9 million card holders, Costco card gives you the privilege to purchase in gas stations, pharmacies, food courts and optical departments among others. However, note that Costco membership is expensive and comes with an estimated price of $60 to $120 per year. As a result, you might be tempted to use someone else’s Costco card to avoid paying such a huge membership fee. Although this sounds like a great deal, be prepared to face a number of challenges.
Therefore, if you are wondering: can you use someone else’s Costco card to buy things? Are there repercussions? The truth is, it’s not possible to use someone else’s Costco card to buy things. This is because Costco policy clearly states that its card membership is non-transferrable. However, there are some few exceptional cases where you are allowed to shop when the holder is present. In this page, we’ll cover how to use a Costco card, whether you can use someone else’s Costco card, alongside other related ideas.
How to use a Costco card
Using a Costco card is an excellent means of shopping and a great alternative to carrying credit cards or cash around. However, to purchase and use a Costco card, you need to be a Costco member. To become a member, visit any Costco warehouse or their official website and enroll for membership. Once a member, you can now order for a Costco card. With card, you can buy Costco products on their digital platform or in any of their physical shop within the United States, Puerto Rico or Canada.
To use Costco card in a physical warehouse, just show your membership card while paying at the checkout desk. However, note that photos, copies or bar codes are not acceptable. Also, your membership card must have a recognizable card number, a valid and unobstructed photo of your full face for a successful transaction. In case there is no photo of your full face on the card, you can use your passport or a government issues photo identification to prove your identity.
To use Costco card online, visit Costco official website and navigate through to the Costco shop card section. During the checkout, tap on “add” and enter your unique Costco shop card number. This number is normally on the back of your Costco card. Next, enter your four digit PIN that is normally found on the emailed receipt to complete the process.
Can you use someone else’s Costco card?
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to use someone else’s Costco card. Although some have tried and gotten away with it, the process of using someone else Costco card is so risky. In fact, it can lead to the card’s confiscation. This is because Costco’s policy clearly states that their membership cards are not transferrable. However, the card owner is always permitted to bring in utmost two guests to shop at Costco. If you are one of these guests, you can use someone else’s cards to purchase items in a Costco warehouse. Nevertheless, the purchasing power is on the card holder and should exclusively make the payment at the counter. In fact, payment at the checkout counter needs Costco card membership proof making it very hard to use someone else’s Costco card.
Although the process is hard, it’s not completely impossible to use someone else’s Costco card. Here, you can use loopholes like using someone else’s card at the gas station or buying others. Note that using such loopholes is so tedious, inconveniencing and risky. Weigh all the cons associated with this action before taking the plunge.
Can you use someone else’s Costco card at self-checkout?
Using Costco card at the self-checkout is another possible loophole to use someone else’s card. Since self-checkout services are less supervised, you might manage to use someone else card without being noticed. However, the process is still risky. Why? In most cases, self-checkout services have at least one staff to supervise and assist customers in their transactions. If the supervisor notices that you are using someone else’s card or you don’t resemble the image on the card, your transaction will be cancelled.
Can I shop at Costco without being a member?
Not everyone is a shopping fanatic. Some folks are so laid back when it comes to shopping making them reluctant to pay Costco membership annual fee. Sometimes, one might need to grab one or two items in a Costco warehouse without membership. As a Costco non-member, there are special loopholes that can get you through. Below are ways to shop at Costco without being a member.
- Use of Costco gift card : Also known as Costco shop cards, non-members are allowed to use Costco gift cards to shop at any warehouse or online. With the card, you can shop anywhere in Canada, Puerto Rico or in the US. According to Costco policy, only members are allowed to buy and fund Costco gift cards. Once you get the card, you can shop at Costco even as a non-member. These cards have no expiry date and comes with an amount limit of $25 to $2000.
- Shopping as a guest : As we mentioned earlier, Costco card holders are allowed to go shopping with two extra guests. If you are one of the guests, then you can shop at Costco without being a member. However, only the card holder will be allowed to make the payment at the checkout desk.
- Shop using a household card : If you are privileged to live in the same household with a Castro card holder, you might be lucky to shop as a non-member. Once you become a Costco member, you get two cards. One of them is Costco membership card while the other is a household card. The household card can be assigned to any of your household member on condition that he is above 18 years. With this card, you can shop at any Costco warehouse without being a member.
- Shop with Costco delivery service : If you want to shop with Costco and get your goods delivered at home, the company has made this easy for you. Once you shop, you can use a third party delivery service to bring the goods in home at a cost. The good thing is that using delivery services don’t require you to stay in line to prove Costco membership before paying at the checkout desk. This makes it easy to shop at Costco without being a member.
- See optometrist or buy drugs : Although non-members can’t buy optical products using a Costco card, they can easily consult an optometrist without a membership. Also, you don’t need membership to purchase prescribed drugs from any Costco pharmacy.
Can I Use Someone Else’s Costco Card Online?
Both members and non-members are given the privilege to shop on Costco online platform. However, if you shop online as a non-member, you will pay 5% more on a product than what a member pays.
Can Someone Else Use My Costco Card For Gas?
According to Costco, its fuel station is open to serve members only. This policy can make the process of using someone else Costco card for gas hectic. However, there might be an exception where you can use Costco shop card/ gift card to buy fuel at the gas station.
Can I Use My Moms, Dads Or Friends Costco Card Without Her?
Whether your mom, your dad, siblings or friends, you can’t use anyone else’s Costco card without her. However, you can shop indirectly with your mom’s, dad’s or friend’s authorization through receiving a gift card from them. Also, you can use a household card on condition that you live the same address with your mom, dad or friend.
Can I Use Someone Else’s Costco Card Without Permission?
Although you might use someone else Costco card without permission and get away with it, the process is illegal and risky. This is against Costco policy. To work around this, you need to ask permission from the holder, ask him to allow you go for shopping as a guest or buy you a Costco gift card.
Benefits Of Using A Costco Card
Have you ever asked why Costco has worn its heart to millions of card holders? Although every holder has his own reasons, most holders prefer to use a Costco card because of its impressive benefits. These benefits are:
- Cash back reward : Using a Costco card does not only allow you to save but also gives members some rewards. With a Costco card, you can earn cash back rewards like 3% on eligible vacation destinations, 2% on purchase made from costco.com and 4% on eligible gas services.
- Generous return policy : One of the greatest advantage of using Costco card is its 100% satisfaction guarantee. Once dissatisfied with their products, you can cancel the service and get your annual fee refund. Alternatively, you can return the goods and get a refund on the price you bought them. Note that they are few exceptions on Costco return policy. For instance, electronics are given up to 90 days return period with no return on items like cigarettes, alcohol or batteries.
- Free health screening services : With a Costco card, you can get examined at Costco healthcare unit for free. Here, you get screening on diabetes, osteoporosis and healthy heart among others. Another benefit is that once diagnosed in the clinic, Costco card allows you to get your prescribed drugs from the pharmacy instantly.
- Free technical help : When you buy electronics using Costco card, you get to enjoy the benefits of free technical support. For instance, if your electronic stopped working, a technical will fix it for free. All you need is call Costco technical support with relevant details like the item’s model and serial number, your name, membership number and product purchase date.
- Enjoy travel deals : If you love traveling, Costco card has favorable benefits for you. Once a member, Costco intervenes with destination owners to lower their cost to members. With a Costco card, you can buy a holiday traveling package and leave Costco to negotiate the prices for you.
- No foreign extra fee : If you get a travelling discount and travel to any foreign county that accepts Costco services, you will not incur any additional charges. Therefore, with your Costco card, you can purchase high quality products with no foreign transaction or extra charges.
How To Get A Costco Card
The process of getting a Costco card is so easy and straight forward. However, this process depends with the type of membership that you want: personal or business membership. To get a Costco card, visit any warehouse and get the help you need at the membership desk. Alternatively, you can sign up for Costco membership online and get the card shipped to you or make a call on 1-800-774-2678 and get help from member services on the phone.
What documents do I need for Costco membership?
When Appling for Costco membership, there is an application form for fill. While signing the form, you need to present a number of document at the membership desk for you to pick up your card. These documents are:
- A printed email from Costco with a clear and visible membership number.
- Any applicable resale certificate
- A valid government photo identification to prove identity
- your business license
- any applicable tobacco certificate
- Documents with residency proof. This applies to household card holders to prove that they reside the same household with the primary card holder.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do they check ID at Costco?
Yes. If you intend to impersonate at Costco, the process won’t be smooth for you. This is because when entering at any Costco warehouse, they check your card both at the entrance and at the paying register. If your card doesn’t have your full face and a recognizable card number, they will check your ID instead.
How much is it to add a third person to Costco membership?
When you enroll for Costco membership, you are allowed to add one more household member to your membership. Whether your spouse, father, mother or sibling, Costco leaves that decision to you. However, the member must be 18 years onwards. If you enrolled for Costco business membership, you can add more than one household member. To add the third person to Costco membership, you will pay an annual cost of $60 per every person added.
Does Costco look at picture on the card?
Yes. If you have a Costco card, you know that it has a full face picture printed on its back side. To prove identity, Costco employees standing at the entrance of the warehouse will look at that picture before allowing you in. If the picture doesn’t match you, you will be denied entrance. In an event you manage to slip in at the entrance, the cashier will look at the picture for the second time before paying for your products.