11 Weird Little Hacks Costco Shoppers Should Know

Last updated Dec. 25, 2025 | By FinanceBuzz Editors

Do you shop at Costco? If so, you already understand the joy of saving money and finding a great deal. But you're probably overlooking some other simple ways to be smart with your money.

Don't worry, though. We compiled a list of genius money hacks that could help your hard-earned dollars go even further. It might not be as good as a $1.50 hot dog meal, but we're sure you'll find something helpful.

Member-Only Benefits You Might Not Know About

  1. Costco has updated its hours to give Executive members early access on select days. You can now start shopping an hour before other members — Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
  2. Love going to the movies? You can buy movie tickets at select Costco locations and at Costco.com, where you can enjoy a member-only price.
  3. You could score big savings on your next vacation with Costco. Costco Travel offers vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, hotel stays, and more to members at a great price. Plus, you could find gift cards for a variety of activities to save even more, from theme park tickets to city exploration passes.
  4. Buying and installing new tires at Costco has long-term benefits. The installation package includes lifetime maintenance services, including pressure checks, tire balancing and rotations, and flat repairs. Costco also uses nitrogen instead of compressed air for inflation, which retains better tire pressure over time.
  5. Your membership could qualify you for discounts with various Costco partners. For example, you could get 25% off a Budget Truck rental.
  6. With Costco Next, members can shop for products directly from third-party suppliers while enjoying Costco-level discounts.

Amazon Prime members: get a $250 Amazon Gift Card!

If you're an Amazon Prime member, apply for the Prime Visa(Rates and fees) credit card here and you can get a $250 Amazon Gift Card instantly loaded into your Amazon account's Gift Card Balance upon approval (get an instant decision within 15 seconds).1

There is no extra work or spending requirement and no annual fee! 

The Prime Visa credit card also lets you earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership, unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and unlimited 1% on all other purchases.

If you spend a good amount on Amazon this card could be worth $100s in cash back every year.  Don't delay — apply today! 

Good or excellent credit (typically 670 or higher) is recommended.

Click here to apply for the Prime Visa credit card today and get an instant decision in 15 seconds

Cancel your car insurance

Driving without car insurance is illegal, but if you do this, you’re not actually breaking the law.

This tool can help you see if you’re overpaying for car insurance in just a few clicks. You’d be shocked by the difference. $159 per month is what they wanted to charge me. I thought that was the best price, don’t even look anywhere else. Right? Wrong.

I used Insurify and now I’m able to pay just $51 a month for two cars.2Too many insurance companies do this. They push up our rates and make us pay even more. But if you want to try this tool and compare and potentially score same-day savings, here’s what to do:

  1. Click the link below and enter your zip code, date of birth, and phone number.
  2. Answer a few questions about your car’s make and model to get matched with top offers.
  3. Choose the best quote for you and lock it in before rates go up.

Compare rates now and see if you could score same-day savings today!

I can hardly believe I waited so long to do this, but I’m glad I finally did. It only took me two minutes. Super fast. You have to trust me on this. Just try it out.

Earn a limited-time $300 bonus with this incredible cash back card

Limited Time Offer: For a limited time, the Chase Freedom Unlimited®(Rates and fees) is offering a powerful welcome offer: earn a $300 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (limited-time offer). This is an incredible offer from Chase — do not miss it.

In addition to the welcome offer, this card lets you earn cash back on everything you buy. Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 

And it gets better (really): This card also gives you 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. That means you could finance large purchases or pay down high-interest debt for over a year. After the intro period, the APR is 18.49% - 27.99% Variable. Oh, and the annual fee is $0. It's almost a no-brainer to apply. Click below to get started. 

Click here to Apply Now to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Pay no interest into 2027

Imagine getting an introductory 15 months with 0% intro APR on a big purchase or balance transfer (APR then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025). Sounds great — right? You could dramatically change your financial picture with one of the industry-leading low-interest cards — the Discover it® Cash Back(Rates and fees).

Cardholders get a generous intro APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases (APR then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025) — that means you can cover bills, large purchases, or whatever you need to charge and not pay interest into 2027! 

If you want to kick high-interest credit card debt to the curb, this is one of the leading get-out-of-debt cards available. Transfer your high interest debt to this card with a 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (APR then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025). Your payments can go directly to paying down your balance without incurring a pile of additional charges. That could save you hundreds of dollars in interest!

The best part? The Discover it® Cash Back card is accepted by 99% of merchants (according to the February 2025 issue of the Nilson Report), boasts an exceptional cash back rewards rate, and there's no annual fee.

Click here to Apply Now

Make Sure You’re Always Getting The Best Deals at Costco

  1. If you see an asterisk on a price sign at a Costco warehouse, that typically means the item will not be replenished once it’s sold out. If the item caught your eye, you’ll probably want to snag it now while you can.
  2. Each Costco warehouse carries around 4,000 items, allowing them to buy in large quantities and passing the savings down to you. But you can find even more items at Costco.com, which also offers online-only savings.
  3. All members have access to the Costco Savings booklet, which contains savings on a large variety of items. The best part? There is no coupon clipping required — savings are applied directly at checkout.
  4. Pay attention to prices! Prices ending in .79 typically have been marked down from regular-priced items, which end in .99. Odd pricing, such as .79, .49, or .89 could indicate items Costco got a deal on from the manufacturer. Prices ending in .88 or .00 typically mean managers have reduced the price to clear out inventory. This could also mean the item is discontinued or won’t be restocked.

Learn 7 ways to generate income with a $1,000,000 portfolio

If you have $1,000,000 saved up, this guide is for you. The last thing you want in retirement is to run out of money. Instead, you want your money to generate a real income while you enjoy your life.

Now you can learn the strategies wealthy retirees use to fund their retirement with $1,000,000 — and how you can, too — with this new guide: The 7 Secrets of High Net Worth Investors from Fisher Investments.

Fisher Investments has helped tens of thousands of investors retire comfortably since 1979. With over $332 billion under management, they provide tailored money management to help achieve long-term goals. Download the guide today!

Get your guide here

Save potentially $1,000 or more on home insurance in Columbus

We have some unfortunate news: You might be throwing away $1,000s on expensive home insurance for no reason.

If you want better or more affordable home insurance, there is ONE thing you should never skip in the process of finding a policy: Getting multiple options from a variety of home insurance providers with our new home savings tool. 

Too many homeowners skip this step — not realizing that they could save potentially $1,000s over the lifetime of owning their house just by switching. And yes, you can switch your home insurance at any time starting today. 

The best part is it's free to check!  Just answer a few questions and enter your zip, email, and phone number to see if a lower rate is in your future. 

Enter your zip code to see if paying too much

See if your credit card debt is eligible for this debt relief program

If you have a lot of credit card debt, getting out of it can feel stressful (and nearly impossible). Here’s the problem: the longer you put off tackling it, the harder it gets to fix. If you don’t take control of it early on, it can add undue stress to your life for years. But what if there was a way to resolve your debt once and for all?

ClearOne Advantage can help.3 If you have more than $30,000 in debt from credit cards, medical bills, collections, or personal loans, their representatives may be able to help you resolve your debt for less than you owe — with one low monthly program payment.

Best of all? There are zero upfront fees, and you could be debt-free in 24-48 months. To get started, just answer a few simple questions and get connected with a caring representative. The consultation is completely free and only takes a few minutes to see if you qualify!

See if your $30k+ in credit card debt is eligible for ClearOne Advantage

Earn a $400 bonus with this checking account

We hate to tell you this, really. But if you aren’t banking with Truist Bank, you’re missing out on extra cash. Don’t worry though … it’s easy to fix.

New checking clients can earn a $400 bonus when you open a new Truist One Checking account online between October 30, 2025 and March 25, 2026 using promo code AFL400TR1Q425.4

To earn the $400 bonus, your account needs to receive at least 2 qualifying direct deposits totaling $2,000 or more and complete 20 qualifying debit card purchase transactions within 120 days of account opening. Terms apply.

This is a great way to supercharge your earnings.

Plus, you can enjoy other benefits like no overdraft fee, a Balance Buffer for eligible clients,5 and automatic upgrades for access to growing perks.

Open your new Truist One Checking account here

Get your personalized financial health score 100% free (see where you stack up)

Do you know where you stack up financially? Turns out the majority of Americans do not actively track their financial health. But getting a baseline pulse on your financial health is one of the best ways to accelerate your life and money.

Our new tool gives you a fast, 100% free financial health score that could help grow your net worth. You get instant access to unique insights and exclusive offers that could help you grow financially.

Here’s how to get started:

  1. Click the link below.
  2. You will be asked a few questions — enter your email, employment status, and phone number.
  3. Verify your identity through Plaid (name, age, social security, etc).

From there answer a few questions related to your investable assets, retirement accounts, debts, and more to help customize your plan. This service is 100% free and it even tells you how much you can expect to see your net worth grow — down to the dollar — by implementing the suggestions.

Click here and enter your info to get your 100% free financial health score

Limited-Time Offer: Amazon Prime members get a $250 Amazon Gift Card + up to 5% back! 

If you regularly shop at Amazon or Whole Foods, this is one of the best offers you're going to see all year. Apply for the Prime Visa(Rates and fees) credit card here — you can get a $250 Amazon Gift Card loaded directly onto your Amazon account's Gift Card Balance upon approval.

There's no annual fee for this card, no extra work or spending requirement to get the $250 bonus, and you could get an approval decision extremely fast. Get an instant decision within 15 seconds1 and you could use this gift card immediately if approved.

Plus, earn up to 5% back on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership Recommended credit: Good or excellent (typically 670 or higher). 

Click here to apply for the Prime Visa credit card today and get an instant decision within 15 seconds

SmarterAuto - O&O Auto Insurance
  • They work with 90+ partners and are trusted by over 2 million drivers to shop for auto insurance
  • It takes less than two minutes and the tool is free to use
  • There is no catch and no hidden fees to get matched