--- title: 6 Ways to Make Costco’s Executive Membership Pay for Itself description: The Costco executive membership costs $130 annually. Here are six ways you can make the most of it so it pays for itself. authors: - name: Marc Guberti url: https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/ bio: Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations. at_money_since: 2024 articles: 469 covers: - Shopping - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Taxes published: '2026-11-10T16:00:35.000Z' section: Shopping word_count: 565 canonical: https://money.com/costco-executive-member-savings-tips/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** Money may earn a commission when you click on the products and services below. Opinions are our own, but compensation and in-depth research determine where and how they appear. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/) about how we make money. ![Costco Wholesale store exterior view showcasing large red and blue signage, with parked cars and a winter landscape in the foreground, located in North America](https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-Costco-Executive.jpg) An executive membership at Costco may cost you $130 per year, but if you maximize the perks, it can pay for itself. The retailer is known for its discounts and bulk buying opportunities, but there may be items and services available that you’re not as familiar with — and that could help you make the most of your membership. Here are six ways to use an executive membership to help it cover its own cost. ## 1\. Do the break-even math Executive members receive an extra 2% back on purchases in addition to any cash back you would receive from a regular credit card. The program is capped at $1,250 in cash back every year, which means you can get 2% cash back on up to $62,500 in annual purchases. To break even on the $130 annual membership, you have to spend around $6,500 per year. That comes to roughly $542 per month, but some purchases like gas are excluded from the 2% cash-back rule. The executive membership typically pays off the most for heavy spenders, especially people who have big travel plans. The math naturally will not work for everyone, so the standard membership that costs $65 monthly may be a better fit for some shoppers. It still includes entry to all the warehouses and lets you save money on everyday items. ## 2\. Count travel Any trips you book with Costco Travel also count toward the 2% cash back rule, making it easier to hit the yearly cap of $1,250 in cash back. A single trip may cover the $542 monthly target. You would have to average around $5,210 in monthly spending to earn the maximum cash back (but it’s not necessarily wise to spend that money just for the sake of receiving $1,250 cash back). ## 3\. Plan around a big-ticket year The extra 2% cash back can become a lot more valuable for big-ticket years. If you know you are going on a cruise or planning an extended stay at a hotel, that may be a good time to get an executive membership if you’ve been thinking about it. A big-ticket year can also include buying appliances or a new television, which may be able to push you beyond that break-even point in a single purchase. ## 4\. Use the early hour Executive members get to enter a Costco warehouse one hour before other members. They can typically get into the store at 9 a.m., giving them plenty of time to shop for their essentials before it gets busier. While you won’t make extra money by going to your local Costco at 9 a.m., it’s a valuable perk for executive members that can save a lot of time. ## 5\. Check for monthly delivery credits Executive members can get up to $10 in monthly credits same-day delivery at Costco. You must spend $150 on a single order each month to receive the $10 credit. You’ll receive a new $10 credit on the first of the following month, and you must use it by the end of the month or end up losing it. ## 6\. Look for extra partner discounts Costco works with several companies to provide additional discounts on popular products and services. Executive members may be able save enough on some of these deals to recoup the entire membership fee. There are perks related to pet telehealth, the store’s auto program, junk removal and more. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/costco-executive-member-savings-tips/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Shopping", "item": "https://money.com/shopping/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Retail", "item": "https://money.com/retail/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "6 Ways to Make Costco’s Executive Membership Pay for Itself" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/costco-executive-member-savings-tips/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/costco-executive-member-savings-tips/", "name": "6 Ways to Make Costco’s Executive Membership Pay for Itself", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-11-10T16:00:35.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/costco-executive-member-savings-tips/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/costco-executive-member-savings-tips/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "6 Ways to Make Costco’s Executive Membership Pay for Itself", "articleSection": "Shopping", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-Costco-Executive.jpg", "width": 2309, "height": 1299, "caption": "Explainer-Costco-Executive" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marc Guberti", "url": "https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/#author", "description": "Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations.", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2026-11-10T16:00:35.000Z", "description": "The Costco executive membership costs $130 annually. 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