Over the years, Costco has become recognized for offering items in bulk at prices that most other retailers fail to match. Costco is a giant with almost 100 million loyal members paying annually to enjoy exclusive club prices.
Even so, shoppers might still wonder if they are able to apply coupons to make those prices go any lower. Read on below to find out if Costco accepts coupons!
Does Costco Accept Coupons?
Unfortunately, Costco does not accept typical manufacturer coupons found on the internet or in newspapers. Despite not accepting manufacturer coupons, Costco has its own coupon savings that it offers to its members via in-store booklets and coupons sent in the mail.
Often, these coupons have more valuable savings as compared to coupons offered by manufacturers. It may seem frustrating to some shoppers that they don’t have the option to use manufacturer coupons, but in reality, those coupons are really unnecessary in getting the lowest prices when shopping at Costco. Keep reading on to find out more!
Why Costco Declines Manufacturer Coupons
The reason why Costco declines manufacturer coupons is so that it can have greater control over how its items are priced. Manufacturers who are offering coupons would tend to include the price of the coupon into the price of the item when supplying retailers.
For instance, a paper towel company would charge retailers $0.50 more per unit of paper towels on its wholesale price for the $0.50 coupons it plans to offer customers.
While the retailer is able to still make the same margin, this profits the manufacturer more during a coupon campaign as those buying paper towels without coupons pay $0.50 more. Hence, to resolve this issue, Costco avoids these manufacturer coupon programs to ensure shoppers get the lowest price possible.
How to Get The Best Out Of Shopping with Costco
Despite not accepting manufacturer coupons, shoppers at Costco can still get the best out of their shopping with Costco with better deals! Below are some of the ways you can make the most out of your shopping experience with Costco!
Read: Can You Use Someone Else’s Costco Card?
Special Offers and Member Coupon Savings at Costco
Costco members will get special offers which usually provide savings from $2 to $4 per unit. This is definitely much higher than the savings you would get on manufacturer coupons which are only between $0.50 to $0.70. Occasionally, Costco also offers ‘buy one, get one’ coupons or special combo deals.
For example, buying one item at full price while saving on the next related item. As new offers are made available, Costco store coupons are mailed to members regularly. Otherwise, a coupon booklet can be requested from the in-store customer service center. Coupons can also be downloaded on the Costco app.
However, to add an extra layer of convenience, most store locations search for store coupons in a member’s account when a shopper’s membership card is scanned since 2014.
Be sure to read the fine print, though! Most Costco store coupons are only available in-store and are not applicable to online orders.
No Membership? No Problem! Use a Shop Card Instead!
If you’re the type to shop at Costco every once in a while and you don’t have a Costco membership, there is still a way for you to enjoy Costco’s low prices without having to subscribe to it.
A Costco membership at its most basic plan costs $60 a year, but to those who aren’t regulars at the store, it may seem like a hefty sum. One might think to use a Costco shop card instead!
Those using a Costco Shop Card do not need a membership to enjoy the low prices Costco has to offer. A Costco Shop Card is basically a gift card that can be used at Costco stores, available from $25 up to $2000 in value.
A Costco member still has to purchase the gift card for you, though. However, once you have the Costco Shop Card in your hands, you can shop in any Costco location and even use the store coupons which you will have to clip and present at checkout since you’re a non-member.
Read: Costco Gas vs Chevron: Is Chevron Really Better?
Look for Items On Sale at Costco
Shoppers at Costco ought to know which items are on sale, which can help them stack up savings when using store coupons and cash-back apps. Below is a guide to the pricing of Costco items:
- Items that end in .99 are normal priced.
- Items that end in .97 are on national markdown, meaning that this item is offered at discount at all Costco locations across the nation.
- Items that end in .00 or .88 are clearance items, a discount that is specific to store location. This is typically a major buying opportunity if you have a Costco coupon or cashback rebate to go with it, giving you more savings!
Making Use of Cash Back Apps with Costco
Cash-back applications have started to become the norm when it comes to shopping with extra savings in mind. Cash-back apps can be used at Costco too! Cash-back apps offer rebates that do the job of coupons but only after the purchase. Unlike coupons that apply discounts before checkout, cash-back apps give shoppers cash for their purchases after their final receipts are verified on the app.
Below is a guide on how Costco shoppers can use a cash-back app for more savings:
- Look through the app for offers – there are offers for specific items, and also offers for “any item”, like $.20 cash-back when buying any brand of peanut butter.
- Choose and load the wanted offers on the app.
- Make your purchase of the item at Costco, and make sure that the correct item size and quantity have been purchased as on the app. Do note that some situations require two or more of the same item to be purchased to have savings realized.
- Take a picture of the Costco receipt using the app.
- To have cash uploaded to your account, scan the barcodes of the matched items.
Unlike typical coupons which are only single-use per item, cash-back apps allow you to apply the offer up to 5 times. This is a major benefit to Costco shoppers who typically buy in bulk.
Wondering which cash-back apps to use? Below are a few suggestions:
Ibotta
Checkout 51
Fetch Rewards
There’s Cashback IRL with Costco too!
Cash-back apps aside, there’s also another way for you to get cash back after you paid for a purchase in-store at Costco. One of the deals of shopping with Costco is that you will get a refund if the price on an item you purchased drops within 14 days of you buying it.
For example, if you purchased a pair of Kirkland jeans at $29.99 on April 1st and on April 12th it drops to $25.00, you could receive $4.99 in cash just by bringing your receipt to the Costco store you bought those jeans from.
How to Become a Member with Costco
Reading this, you’re probably wondering about signing up as a member with Costco to enjoy their coupon savings and other deals and offers that they could have. Below are a few ways you can sign up for a Costco membership:
- Visit their membership desk at any Costco location,
- Sign up via their website, or
- Call them at 1-800-774-2678 to speak to a Member Services representative over the phone.
There are different types of memberships to choose from, so read more about them here to see which membership option suits you best.
Want to learn more about Costco? Check out these related posts to learn when does Costco restock and does Costco take EBT?
Conclusion…
In conclusion, Costco does not accept manufacturer coupons, but they do offer members coupon savings which provide more savings than manufacturers can ever give. Costco opts out of manufacturer coupons to avoid extra charges when it comes to coupon campaigns, ensuring the best prices possible for shoppers.
Members will have store coupons mailed to them or provided in-store to be used. There are also other ways to make the most out of your shopping with Costco besides a membership, such as using a Costco Shop Card, using cash-back apps, and making use of discounted items during and even after you have purchased them.
So, how’s shopping at Costco been like for you? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!