SOME Costco customers are furious over an aspect of their membership agreement.
It’s become so much of an issue for some that they’ve begun manually removing their payment methods.
2
2
Costco notably offers annual memberships through two tiers, per its website.
The base is Gold Star, with a $65 per year fee for two membership cards per household to shop in-store and online.
For more perks and benefits like an annual two percent reward and discounts on Costco Services, there’s also the Executive Membership for a $130 annual cost.
Prices for Costco memberships increased most recently on September 1, 2024.
Gold Star was previously $5 cheaper at $60 per year, and Executive was only $120 instead of $130.
The cost uptick unsurprisingly caused some blowback from Costco members.
GOODBYE HAULTED
Some even threatened to take their business elsewhere and cancel their membership.
Those who have attempted to cancel recently, however, have claimed that Costco makes it particularly challenging to do so.
“@Costco is one of those places that makes it incredibly difficult to cancel your account,” fumed a member, Andrew, in a post on X this month.
“No online option and when I called the number, it puts you through a series of prompts.”
Left unsure what to do next, Andrew decided the only way to prevent the membership from continuing or renewing was to remove all of the payment methods associated with it.
“I never found where to cancel, so I removed payment methods and cancelled my Costco Visa.”
NOT ALONE
Andrew wasn’t alone in his struggle either, as a fellow customer shared a similar experience and advised those who want to cancel to head to their local Costco store to get it done.
“To cancel your Costco membership you have to go into the store or call,” the customer, Brad, wrote in a separate X post.
Costco membership sharing guidelines
Costco has strict rules for membership use that shoppers must follow and they’ve been cracking down on offenders in recent years.
- Primary Member Use: Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. Sharing it for purchases is not allowed as the photo on the card must match the person using it.
- Household Card: Each primary member can add one free household cardholder who lives at the same address. This person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently.
- Guest Policy: Members can bring up to two guests per visit to Costco. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by the member.
- Authorized Cardholder: For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who doesn’t reside at your address. They will receive their own card and can shop independently.
Credit: Costco
Brad also criticized the more complicated process to cancel when renewing was seemingly simple.
“Even though they will happily use a digital platform to renew and upsell you,” he added.
Costco’s customer service page does confirm that the only way to cancel is by phone call or through an in-person interaction with a staff member.
“To cancel a membership the Primary Member can speak with a team member at any warehouse membership counter and receive an immediate refund or call our Member Services Center at 1-800-774-2678,” it reads.
Costco’s self-checkout area has also been causing some controversy in recent months.
Members have blasted a crucial feature of the kiosks while even some workers have said the machines “aren’t good.”
A particularly frustrated customer said they faced “interruptions” in the self-service area and threatened to boycott for Sam’s Club.
