Everything you need to know about Costco Travel and why I love it

Table Of Content

• Digital Costco Shop Cards
• Get a Sam's Club membership for just $14 - the lowest price yet
• Learn About Reward Programs
• Things You Didn't Know About Booking a Costco Cruise
• Kroger backtracks: It now plans to sell most Albertsons stores in Arizona in $25B merger
• Costco Cruises Can Be a Great Deal
• Get a Costco membership for just $20 right now

Even without including the additional benefits, you're already saving more than $400 via the Costco deal. Add in the value you get from the card, daily breakfast and resort credit (which is more than $1,000 in value if you maximize all benefits), and you're looking at $1,442.45 in savings by booking through Costco Travel versus directly. Trips booked through Costco Travel are often discounted and/or include perks and benefits you may not get by booking directly or through other booking portals. Usually, a trip booked through Costco Travel will also include a Digital Costco Shop Card (essentially a type of Costco gift card) of varying value. First-time cruisers who need a little more handholding to understand cabin and dining options might benefit by working with a traditional travel agent.

Digital Costco Shop Cards

And the answer might be a resounding yes, depending on what you plan to use your membership for. After booking our fantastic stay at TRS Coral just north of Cancun through Costco, I looked at booking through Costco again in 2023 when planning our annual beach vacation. If you're on the hunt for a long weekend getaway, you may not be able to take advantage of some Costco Travel deals. "We had already decided on where we were going, but we were flexible on the travel date and ship," said Ostrander. But the FTC contends that C&S, with just 23 supermarkets and one pharmacy currently, could be overwhelmed by adding so many more stores to its lineup.

Get a Sam's Club membership for just $14 - the lowest price yet

The total cost when booking each part (hotel, tickets and airfare) individually came to $2,701.35, while booking it as a package via Costco saved just over $300. Please note, cruise prices do not include any additional government taxes or fees, administrative fees, gratuities, or fuel surcharges. The cruise lines reserve the right to collect any tax or fuel surcharge increases up until the time of sailing, even if the fare has been paid in full. For all travel, any government-imposed increases in fees or taxes are the passenger’s responsibility to pay, even if the reservation is paid in full. "Costco is usually the best deal," says KirkNC, who is careful to compare multiple outlets before locking in a fare. "We get around 8 percent back in onboard credits, which are refundable, so if we don't use them we get a credit back on our credit card."

Learn About Reward Programs

I personally love perusing the limited-time deals when I know I want to plan a getaway but don't have a specific destination in mind. If you're curious about how to use Costco Travel to find deals, here's everything you need to know about Costco Travel — and why I love it for saving money on travel. However, comparing the prices and benefits at a few of the resorts proved my initial reaction wrong. When we checked, a Costco "savor and spa" cruise aboard Anthem of the Seas offered similar value.

Buy a Costco membership and get a free $20 gift card right now

You'll also have to use Costco customer service if you run into any issues rather than going directly to the brand. This is especially important when considering booking a vacation package that includes flights, given the higher potential for delays or cancellations. I've found that the Costco Travel deals alone are worth paying the $60 Gold Star annual membership fee, even though I don't regularly use Costco for my grocery store runs.

Things You Didn't Know About Booking a Costco Cruise

I've personally had a lot of success booking friends getaways to popular destinations like Mexico through Costco. Using the service has helped me save on other expenses with the Digital Costco Shop Card I've gotten with my bookings. I admittedly don't use Costco for groceries often (buying in bulk doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who lives alone), but I have used shop cards to help pay for Christmas presents and future Costco Travel trips. I've actually been looking into using my most recent Digital Costco Shop Card on a new pair of AirPods and a new TV mount for my living room. Here's another example — this time for a Universal Orlando theme park trip from June 4-6 for one adult and two children from Houston.

Kroger backtracks: It now plans to sell most Albertsons stores in Arizona in $25B merger

But the savings on a typical cruise booking for two will usually cover that annual fee. Meanwhile, discounts on more expensive cruises or multiple cabins can amount to hundreds of dollars. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

There's no hard sell (phone reps are not on commission), cruise cancellations are handled efficiently and without hassle, and the invoicing is clear and easy to read. McMullen also vowed the merger will result in lower prices and more choices for supermarket customers and secure the long-term future of unionized grocery jobs. All told, including divested supermarket stores announced previously, Washington state would have the most Albertsons and Kroger stores, 124, going to C&S, with Arizona next at 101, followed by Colorado at 91, California at 63 and Oregon at 62. The new proposed changes would affect Arizona more than any other state, with an additional 77 Albertsons and Safeway stores now going to C&S, under the tentative agreement. Kroger earlier said it intended to sell 24 Albertsons or Safeway stores in Arizona, fewer than one-fifth of the roughly 130 locations here that Albertsons Cos. But under a new announcement on April 22, a total of 101 Albertsons and Safeway stores in Arizona would be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

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Get a Costco membership for just $20 right now

For instance, sailings marked "Buyer's Choice" or "Kirkland Signature" come with extra perks and amenities, exclusive to Costco members. Your membership purchase must be redeemed by June 16, 2024 to qualify for this promotion. Kroger hasn't identified which Albertsons or Safeway supermarkets in Arizona could be sold to C&S, and details on rewards programs and many other issues haven't been announced.

And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. If you walk around a Costco warehouse, you'll see everything from a clothing aisle to a toy aisle to a beauty aisle. Costco also carries a wide variety of electronics, household appliances, and more. So all told, even if you don't buy a single grocery item at Costco, a membership could still very much end up being worth it. But the ability to bring home bulk items from Costco hinges on having a place to store them.

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But booking through Costco Travel — just like booking through most other third-party services such as Expedia — means you likely won't earn loyalty rewards, elite night credits or have any elite night benefits honored. Costco Travel vacation packages offer a way for all of us to save money, and it makes narrowing down potential destinations and hotels easier. Costco isn't just the place where you can buy toilet paper in bulk, inexpensive gas, cheap hot dogs and gift cards. You can also book great trips via the company's online travel agency, Costco Travel. When I'm looking at booking a hotel stay at a brand like Hyatt or Marriott, I generally choose to book directly in order to earn elite night credits and points.

Costco Travel has its pros and cons, but there are definitely times when it's worth it.

Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. All told, Kroger would sell an additional 166 stores nationally to C&S, including the 77 in Arizona, and receive $2.9 billion in cash. All told, C&S now would take 579 stores nationally, up from 413 announced previously.