Skip to content

Seattle Culture

Costco Hikes Membership Fees

The company last raised the price in 2017

By Rob Smith July 11, 2024

Sign at Costco showing membership levels and current fees.
Sign at Costco showing membership levels and current fees.
Photo by ARTYOORAN / Shutterstock

I love shopping at Costco. Sure, our household doesn’t always need 18 tubes of toothpaste at once, but that’s a small price to pay for the savings. Even just one purchase — a computer, for instance — can recoup a basic membership fee.

Rumors have been swirling for years that the company would raise its annual membership fees, and now it has. Starting Sept. 1, Costco will charge $65 for individual and business memberships — $5 more than it currently charges — and $130 for executive memberships, a $10 hike. The company last raised fees seven years ago.

The Issaquah-based warehouse retailer says 93% of shoppers in the United States and Canada typically renew their memberships. The move is expected to generate $350 million in sales and profit the next two years, one analyst told industry website Retail Dive.

The fees generated $1.123 billion in Costco’s fiscal third quarter, a 7.6% increase year over year. Costco has 74.5 million paid household members, and 34.5 million paid executive memberships.

Costco also offers a lot more than just food, rotisserie chickens, and $1.50 hot dogs. Did you know you can book travel through Costco? Get new tires? Schedule an eye exam? Those are just a few of the unique services the company offers.

Costco operates 882 warehouses, including 609 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Follow Us

The Holly Jolly Hustle

The Holly Jolly Hustle

Seattle mag’s last-minute holiday travel gift guide

The holidays sped in on a supersonic sleigh this year! It’s not too late to find an out-of-this-world gift for those who love to wander this earth. Whether you’re shopping for Christmas, Hanukkah, Sagittarians, or yourself — these gifts will fuel wanderlust, inspire adventure, and make traveling more enjoyable.  Hydrating Facial Airplane travel plus cold…

Amazon Now Sells Cars. What’s Next?

Amazon Now Sells Cars. What’s Next?

The Seattle retail giant is seemingly on a quest to sell virtually everything

You can now buy a car on Amazon. But it must be a Hyundai (at least for now), and it’s only available in major metros in 48 states, Seattle included. Amazon Autos also allows buyers to trade in their existing cars and secure financing. It sounds odd, but consumers have bought cars online for years…

Shop Small, Give Big

Shop Small, Give Big

The Gates Foundation’s holiday market offers gifts that give back

Save some of that Black Friday budget for gifts that matter. Shop the Giving Marketplace next weekend at the Gates Foundation Discovery Center and support meaningful causes. #BlackFriday #HolidayGiving #SeattleMag

Deck the Halls with Flowers

Deck the Halls with Flowers

Floral art comes to Pacific Place for the holidays

Downtown Seattle is about to bloom again.  Pacific Place is hosting Fleurs de Villes NOËL for the fourth year, turning its five-story shopping center into a floral wonderland from Dec. 6–15. This year’s theme, “Songs of the Season,” imagines classic holiday songs as 15 floral installations created by some of Seattle’s best florists. Expect everything…