10 money-saving secrets you don’t know about Costco

If you love to save a buck, then learning about new ways to save at Costco — or any other store — just never gets old!

We recently told you about some secret perks that make a membership to the warehouse club totally worth it — and now, we’ve got more tips and tricks to help you save even more!

Read more: 9 items that cover your Costco membership

10 money-saving secrets at Costco

1. Costco has a generous price adjustment policy.

If you buy something at Costco and then it goes on sale within 30 days, you can take your receipt back and get refunded the difference! If for some reason they won’t give you the price adjustment, just return the item and buy it at the cheaper price.

2. The store also has a very generous return policy.

For electronics it’s 90 days, but for everything else, it’s pretty much whenever you want to return the item.

3. You can get cash back on your purchases.

Costco’s Executive Membership is the more expensive option — $110 per year vs. the standard $55 per year — but it comes with some pretty great additional perks, including 2% cash back on purchases. You can get up to $750 back, so if you’re doing a lot of shopping for your home or business, then the upgraded membership is totally worth it.

Read more: 11 things you don’t want to buy at a warehouse club

4. You can get your membership fee refunded

If you want to try out a membership and then decide that the savings just don’t add up for you, Costco will refund your membership fee. But don’t try to get sneaky, they’ll take your card back from you when you cancel.

5. Know how the pricing works to get a better deal.

At Costco, look for anything with a price tag that ends in 97 cents, which means it’s being sold below cost (i.e., you won’t find it cheaper anywhere else). 

6. Price tag with an asterisk means the product is going away

Price tags with an asterisk mean an item will not be reordered. If you see the asterisk and there are a lot of the items in stock, wait until the price gets marked down to a 97 and then buy. (You’ll find most of the 97s and asterisks in the seasonal section — the back third of the middle of the store.)

Read more: Secret pricing hacks at all the warehouse clubs

7. Costco will soon accept any and all Visa cards

Costco Wholesale will begin taking the Costco Anywhere Visa Card starting June 20. Costco will also be accepting any and all Visa credit cards as of that date. American Express cards will no longer be accepted after the switch but will be accepted until then.

Plus, the new cash back rewards program will be even better than the current one! Get more details on the new credit card rewards program here.

8. Costco accepts any credit card online

If you’re doing your Costco shopping online, you can use any credit card to make those purchases. But just to note, if you aren’t a member, you may be charged an extra fee at checkout.

9. Kirkland Signature brand water is just as good as any other brand — and it’s cheaper

You can get a 40-pack of bottled water that comes out to about $.08 to $.09 per bottle!

Read more: Costco vs. Walmart: Who wins?

10. You can get Costco prices with a gift card

If you have a friend or family member who has a membership to Costco, ask them to buy you a gift card. You can then use it to try out the store and decide if you want to purchase your own membership!