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Costco is well-known for offering great prices on groceries and household items. The ability to buy in bulk means you can end up spending less on a wide variety of products from toilet paper to ground beef — which is great for your checking account balance.
But there’s actually a lot more to Costco than just industrial-sized jars of pickles or cases of ketchup. In fact, there are four perks that superfans know about, but others may not. They can provide much more savings than you might expect and more opportunities to improve your personal finances with your Costco membership.
1. Affordable custom printing
Costco has a partnership with Shutterfly, which is a photo printing service that allows you to print everything from your standard 4×6 photo print to a fancy photobook or a mug with your kid’s face on it (fitting, since they are probably the reason you drink so much coffee in the first place).
Costco promises 51% off all regularly priced orders at Shutterfly, as well as free shipping on any order over $49. With the standard price of a photobook starting at $29.98, you could save $15.29 or more just on that order alone thanks to your Costco membership. You can add your membership to your Shutterfly account and the discount will apply automatically whenever you place an order.
2. Discounts on vehicle purchases
Costco has arranged special discounted member pricing with more than 3,000 dealerships across the United States. The savings you’ll get when you buy your car through Costco can vary depending on which vehicle you’re interested in. As of January 2024, for example, you can get a $1,000 member-only incentive if you buy a brand-new Cadillac.
You can also get discounts on used vehicles if they meet eligibility requirements, and even save 15% off vehicle parts and accessories with a maximum of $500 per visit in discounts.
3. Affordable travel
Costco offers vacation packages, hotels, cruises, and rental cars. It also routinely runs special deals through its travel service. Whether you want a theme park vacation or a stay at a relaxing all-inclusive, you can most likely book through Costco’s travel service.
While it may seem odd to book a trip through your warehouse club, most who have done it have nothing but positive feedback. Reddit users indicate they saved a lot of money by booking through Costco, and received responsive service when they needed it (including a quick refund and solid protections from Costco when they had to cancel during COVID-19).
4. Low-priced floral delivery
If you want to make someone’s day special without charging a fortune on your credit cards, Costco floral delivery is another feature that you should take advantage of.
Costco offers a great selection of floral arrangements, including bouquets for birthdays as well as wedding flowers. Its prices are very competitive, too. You can pay $49.99 for 50-stem white roses, compared to $81.99 from GlobalRose.
Now you know that there is more to Costco than meets the eye. And these are just some of the unexpected Costco benefits you may encounter when you begin shopping there. Be sure to learn about all that Costco has to offer, so you can truly make the most of your warehouse club membership.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
