The #1 Costco Shopping Mistake That's Costing You Money
Anyone with a Costco membership is well aware of the many deals and bargains available in store and online, but there's one money-saving hack even the most seasoned shoppers may be sleeping on. The warehouse giant offers gift cards at far less than they're worth, essentially making the purchase a way of getting "free money", as one Redditor says.
Costco offers gift cards for practically anything you could possibly want—plane tickets, restaurants, movie theaters, theme parks and attractions, video games, and so much more.
"In my area, Alamo Drafthouse cards are $75 for four $25 cards!" one person shared online. "If you travel, can't beat the $500 Southwest card for $420. The usual price is $450 but they go for $420 from time to time," said another.
Savvy shoppers know how to make the gift cards even more of a bargain. "The trick is to wait until the cards go on sale, though we are not talking life changing savings. The Peet's coffee cards are $80 for $100 product. The sale price is $75. If you have the credit card you get 2% or 4% as the case may be. So you get a maximum 28% discount. I put the card on the app and get an additional bonus worth 6%," one smart Redditor said. "We stop by Costco before heading to a local restaurant. 20% savings!" another said.
Buying the gift cards (and even just looking up the price for some) is strictly for Costco members only (which I am, so let's do a little deep dive). Costco is offering an inKind $100 gift card for $69.99, which is a 30% value for the customer, plus 20% inKind cash back on your bill after using your gift card balance. Another amazing deal is the Universal Studios Hollywood Season Pass for $169.99. Compare that to 1-Day general admission to the park which starts at $109. You can get two $50 UberEats cards for $79.99, and a $400 Invisalign bundle card for just $99.99.
Overall, people seem to love the restaurant gift cards the most. "Snagged the Domino's e-gift cards from Super Bowl weekend, $100 for $70, saving them for the next few months while I'm on maternity leave. I've had to go without pizza most of my pregnancy thanks to gestational diabetes so I'm looking forward to indulging occasionally," one Redditor said. "My Costco has several local restaurants. I recently bought $100 for one of my favorite BBQ places for $75. It's a pretty sweet deal!" another agreed.
Check out the full Costco gift card inventory here.
Sign up for our newsletter!
