How Costco Travel Packages Can Actually Save You Some Money

Whether you’re zig-zagging the streets of a foreign metropolis in search of authentic street food or cruising between tropical islands with a colorful cocktail in your hand, you’ll be doing it with some extra cash in your pocket once you read how Costco travel packages can actually save you some money.

Even more than the photos on gorgeous wilderness hikes or stories of rapid river rafting, people love sharing how great of a deal their vacation package was. In a way it’s the ultimate brag, not only are your friends or family exploring all the world has to offer, but they’re doing it on a budget, too.

Well, now’s your time to brag right back with the help of Costco. Yes, the big box store that also saves you money on everything from trail mix to toilet paper and tires to tents also has incredible travel deals. In fact, they have their own travel agency that’s exclusive to Costco members. Much like with their retail location, Costco’s buyers work directly with hotels, rental car agencies, cruise lines, and airlines to find the best deal for customers.

To participate in Costco’s travel deals, you have to be part of their membership programs. They currently offer two levels of membership. For $60, you can become a Gold Star member for a year. This is their basic membership level, allowing you access to their stores and their travel deals (as well as other benefits). For $120 a year, you’ll join their Gold Star Executive group. On top of the bonuses and access you get from a basic membership, you’ll also get a 2 percent reward on all eligible Costco purchases, including Costco travel packages.

Once you have your Costco membership, you’ll need to head to Costco Travel’s website. Then peruse their deals, which include anything from theme park packages, cruise lines trips, and rental car deals. Prices include all fees and taxes, meaning there are no surprises once you get to the checkout page.

With the world awash in potential travel deals and websites, do your due diligence in researching the best deal. While Costco has great deals across the board, it’s possible you may find a cheaper deal on another website or by utilizing already received rewards points from your credit card or other memberships.

A cruise is a great way to see the sights and meet new people. A cruise is also one of the best ways to get a lot of value from Costco Travel.

Most cruise deals will include a Costco Cash Card, essentially rewards money to be spent aboard the ship. The more expensive a room you book, the more rewards you’ll receive on your card. For example, you can book a three-night cruise from Miami, Florida, to Nassau that departs in August. An inside stateroom would set you back $269 total, and you would receive $25 on your card. If you booked a suite stateroom, though, for $559, you’d get between $70 and $120 to spend aboard the ship. So, depending on your room, your rewards would be somewhere between 9 and 21 percent, and that’s before you calculate any additional bonuses if you’re a Gold Club Executive member.

These prices also compare favorably to what you’d find if you were to book directly through the cruise line. In this case, the same cruise route would cost between $366 and $768, depending on the booked room. Booking directly also means no Costco Cash Card.

As with most of their offerings, Costco uses its Kirkland Signature private label to highlight great deals that are exclusive to members. On their Royal Caribbean cruise line plan, for example, they add several amenities that aren’t included elsewhere:

While Costco only offers airfare through its vacation packages, you can book hotels at discount rates through their travel website. Even if you’re looking for luxury hotels, you’ll be able to find some pretty steep discounts of anywhere from 10 to 30 percent.

For instance, if you’re looking to spend some time in Beverly Hills, soaking up rays near the rich and famous, the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills is like staying in the lap of luxury. Costco, more than either Expedia or Priceline, has the best deal for a one-night stay, coming in five percent cheaper than even booking directly through the hotel.

Costco works with a variety of hotel brands, from Hilton and Hyatt to Fairmont and Swissôtel. If those high-end brands don’t work for you, there are 21 others to choose from worldwide. Even if you’re looking to stay somewhere domestically, and whether the purpose is business or a kid’s sports event, Costco will be able to offer a significant deal that competes with other travel websites.

If you’re looking to maximize your savings, Costco also allows you to still receive hotel loyalty points through either Hyatt or Hilton, as well as using already received hotel loyalty points to pay for the stay. If you’re also using your Costco Executive membership, that’s like stacking rewards on rewards on rewards.

Costco only partners with four rental car companies - Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Enterprise - so it’s possible you may find a better deal through a different rental car company. However, renting a car through Costco comes with bonuses you won’t see when booking directly through a rental car agency or a third-party rental service, whether they are a Costco partner or not.

If you’re traveling with someone else of driving age, Costco will usually waive any additional driver fees, so you’re not stuck driving your family around without being able to sit in the passenger seat and take in the sights. This fee usually lies somewhere around ten dollars per night, so, naturally, you’ll receive the most significant discount from this bonus on longer rentals.

When looking up a rental car in Seattle for five nights in July, Costco Travel offers for $611.52 for an economy-class vehicle, while booking directly through that rental company will cost $706.16. Renting directly also means you’ll have to pay the additional driver fee, an extra $50. In this instance, booking through Costco Travel results in about a 20 percent discount.

Costco Travel vacation packages tend to be a bit more hit or miss than the rest of their travel packages. While you can typically find the best deals on trips to Hawaii or theme park packages, Costco’s travel website should stay in your arsenal of deal-finding websites.

In looking at packages to Kauai, Hawaii, Costco offers a vacation package, which includes flights, hotel, and rental car, for $1839 per person, plus a $36 rewards card. A rival third party vacation package website offers the same package for $1985 and without additional amenities. That’s a difference of about $150, and it should be noted that while it was straightforward to see the total price including fees and taxes when browsing on Costco’s website, the final price was hidden on their competitor’s site until you get to their checkout page. This made several of the competitor’s packages seem cheaper than Costco, but in reality, they ended up being at least a hundred dollars more expensive.

When booking a vacation package, Costco also allows you to book the airline separately from the package.  This enables you to redeem any other credit card or airline loyalty points to make the final price as inexpensive as possible.

Another way that Costco Travel separates itself from its competitors is with its theme park and specialty trip packages. Whether you want to go on an African safari or watch the daily Disney parade, Costco comes out ahead of its competitors when it comes to both price and included extras.

A trip to Orlando this September to visit one of their famous theme parks comes to $2318 and includes everything you could need for the trip:

Booking a trip can be an overwhelming experience, especially when you’re trying to book everything separately. If you’re a Costco member, though, you can book entire Costco travel packages or just hotel rooms and rental cars at a discount that includes amenities you won’t be able to get anywhere else.