10 Little-Known Costco Membership Perks You Need To Take Advantage Of

When you get a Costco membership, it comes with far more membership perks than you probably realized, including several we think you'll want to know about. Costco doesn't necessarily advertise all its perks when it lists membership benefits on its website or brochures. So, you have to do a little digging to uncover exactly what services and discounts you might be missing. And for most of the perks, it doesn't matter what type of Costco membership you have.

Costco membership perks typically bring to mind discounts on gas and bulk groceries, as well as for different departments like the tire center, food court, pharmacy, optical center, or hearing aid center. However, a lot of the membership perks don't even require you to live near a Costco. Indeed, Costco has partnered with many different companies to pass those savings on to its members, which may help you decide between a Costco membership and other places like BJ's or Sam's.

We've found some lesser-known Costco membership perks related to food and large-item purchases that aren't in the store, including home improvement, entertainment, travel, moving, vehicles, health, and more. So, next time you're planning on spending money on practically anything, it's worthwhile to look to see if Costco has a partnership that its members can take advantage of. Ours is by no means an exhaustive list, but you're likely to be surprised by the 10 lesser-known membership perks we've uncovered.

The Costco products most of us think about are those it carries in stores and that feature on the main portion of its website. However, you have access to other products through Costco Next. If you go to the Costco Next website, you'll find a whole array of products and services that members can purchase at Costco-level discounts. If you're planning on a large purchase, the discounts you find here may make the membership even more worthwhile.

The items fall in a variety of categories: lawn and garden, electronics, sports and outdoors, beauty, home improvement, bags and luggage, home and kitchen, clothing and accessories, pet products, groceries, baby and toys, and appliances. Clicking through some of the products you can get discounts on with your Costco membership, you'll find a lot of large-ticket items, like outdoor sheds, mountain bikes and other exercise equipment, jacuzzis, fine china, and luxury kitchen appliances. However, you'll also find lower-ticket items like phone cases and health supplements.

In the service section, you'll find a partnership with a digitization service and even a casket company. End-of-life services probably aren't among the Costco services you were expecting to ever use, but there they are there, just in case.

You might have heard that Costco membership includes travel discounts, but did you know that rental cars are included? Not only that, but this perk extends further than merely booking vacation packages in some far-off place. Seasoned Costco shoppers know that you can even get discounts on renting a car for when yours is in the shop, or indeed any for other travel purposes, and not just vacations.

Next time you need to rent a car, we challenge you to compare prices with the discounts you can find through Costco Travel versus other rental car companies. In addition to great prices, you can add an extra driver for no extra cost, you don't have to pay for the rental until you arrive to pick up the car, and there aren't any financial penalties if you decide to cancel. In fact, some people on Reddit say they cancel and rebook multiple times when looking for the best price. Furthermore, if you're an executive member, you can get a 2% annual reward from your rental.

When considering renting a car over a long period of time, you likely see a lot of dollar signs in your head. Interestingly, people who have booked through the Costco Travel service have found it to be as much as three times more expensive through non-Costco avenues. With the non-Costco cost being possibly hundreds more for a long-term rental, getting a Costco membership before renting a car could quickly pay for itself.

Some of the biggest purchases we make are ones that also require professional installation, and the latter may be included with your Costco membership. If you go to the Costco Shop section of the Costco website, you'll find a wide variety of products with service installations. The discounts are provided via a Costco Shop Card — a form of gift card — to cover 10 to 15% of the cost.

Products with discounted installations include heating and air conditioning systems, flooring, window treatments, bath remodels, water softening and purification, windows, and doors. Discounts also extend to generators, garage doors, countertops, home organization systems, cabinetry, fire safety products, outdoor power equipment, and even safes and home security systems. You can also get installation of large appliances that you purchase through Costco. If the installation is a replacement for an item, your area might also have a Costco-provided Haul Away service to get rid of the old item.

Redditors report that Costco tends to pair up with local contractors to do the installation. So, the service is only as good as the contractors the company chooses. Therefore, it might be worthwhile to get a quote from a local reputable contractor first to see which is the better deal.

Entertainment tickets are something most of us don't turn to Costco for, but it's definitely a thing. Granted, you're not going to find ticket discounts for everything you want to attend or everywhere you want to go, but it's worth a look to see if the tickets you want are cheaper through Costco than where you normally buy your tickets.

Costco partners with teams and venues to help bring you better prices on digital tickets. Sometimes you get to choose your own seats, but not always, and there may be restrictions on how many you can purchase with your membership. Also, they're not something you're able to resell, so you can't really make selling these discounted tickets a side gig. Sorry.

Just perusing what's available, we found tickets for music festivals like the Riot Fest in Chicago, live performances like Cirque du Soleil Auana, and sports like Atlanta Falcons games. When it comes to movie tickets, you'll basically be buying a gift card for theater chains like Regal, Cinemark, AMC, or Alamo for less than the dollar amount on the card. For example, a $50 gift card may only cost you $40. We also found tickets for entertainment venues like Dave & Buster's, as well as for theme parks and attractions such as zoos, Universal Studios, Topgolf, and Legoland. While everything you want to attend may not have tickets available, it's certainly worth looking before you buy elsewhere.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant past, Costco had its own photo printing service, but now it outsources to Shutterfly. Some customers on Reddit say that they used to use Costco instead of Shutterfly because Costco was far cheaper. However, with Costco members' 51% discount and free shipping on some orders, it's not as expensive as it once was.

Photo printing is just one of the many services Shutterfly offers. You can also get photo books, cards, stationery, various gifts with photos printed on them, and personalized calendars. Plus, there are non-photo services such as invitation or menu printing. For those who used to depend on Costco for making their holiday greeting cards, Shutterfly not only makes holiday cards, but you can also provide an address list and have Shutterfly do all the mailing for you.

The great thing about Shutterly's photo printing service is that it can be used any time and any day from home. There's even an app and free designer services. However, some customers on Reddit who have used Shutterfly don't always like the print quality or turnaround time. So, you might shop around and weigh the discounted cost against reports of the quality from different services.

Another Costco membership perk is ordering personal or business checks, which are provided through the Harland Clarke company. Sure, checks are almost obsolete dinosaurs in the financial world these days. However, it's always good to have some around in case you encounter a home repair person who doesn't take cards, or for other purposes like paying utility services or vendors who charge more for card payments.

Costco's checks also come with all sorts of fun themes if you'd prefer not to get plain ones, including those with a Costco storefront on them if you roll that way. And while Costco doesn't accept any type of credit card other than Visa, it will accept these checks (with or without a Costco picture). Luckily, there are hundreds of other options, such as Disney characters, superheroes, puppies, and much more. They also include security features to help authenticate the checks and prevent counterfeiting, like foil holograms, thermochromic ink, and a security weave. Costco members on Reddit who have purchased checks this way have found that they're about a third of the cost when buying through Costco, rather than buying directly from Harland Clarke. Plus, they get free shipping.

While you're at it, you can also order some check-related products, also through Harland Clarke, including checkbook covers, return labels, inked stamps, and check deposit tickets. The company even offers tax forms and envelopes.

You should be taking advantage of your Costco Membership (or buying one for the first time) if you are in the process of moving, need to move large items, or need modular storage containers. Not only can you get discounts on Pods moving and storage containers, but you can also get discounts on renting Budget moving trucks with your Costco Membership.

Pods allow you to move and/or store your belongings on your own time schedule and come in three sizes, from 8 to 16 feet long. With your Costco membership, you don't have to pay anything for having the company deliver Pods to you, and you get the first 30 days free to pack your Pod. You can also get discounts on monthly rental if you need more than 30 days, for transporting Pods when they're ready to go to your new home or a Pod storage facility, and pickup is free.

If you want to drive your own vehicle to move homes or to transport large items, you can use your membership for discounts on a Budget moving truck. Your discount not only covers a variety of truck rental sizes, but also the cost of boxes, moving supplies, and towing equipment. You won't have to pay extra to add an extra person to the rental contract, and roadside assistance is also available.

If you've never thought of using your Costco membership for buying cars, it's time you considered it as an option. Costco partners with approved car dealers to offer you lower predetermined prices, which makes the buying process much easier than the usual price-haggling ordeal. Your savings apply to both new, pre-owned, and even electric vehicles. Granted, we noticed that not every location has deals on pre-owned cars.

If you're in the market for a car, you might want to keep an eye on Costco's Auto website, which sometimes has incentives for buying certain brands, although the best incentive may only be available to executive members. The website also has research tools to help you choose a vehicle that meets your criteria, such as high gas mileage or certain technology features.

Members also get a lot of incentives when buying electric vehicles through Costco. So, if you have an electric vehicle in mind, it's worth seeing if the Costco deals beat what you can find at your local dealership.

When getting a Costco membership for the first time, you likely learned that it has pharmacy discounts for its members. However, you may not have noticed that Costco has partnered with Sesame for discounts on in-person and virtual doctor visits, as well as for other health services and even prescriptions. The best part, aside from the low prices, is that the company doesn't bill your insurance, which means you're not going to get any surprise bills. In fact, you don't even have to have insurance to access the services.

Virtual services include primary care visits and therapy with licensed doctors, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare providers. There's also an option for a health checkup that includes health panels and a follow-up consultation. You're not limited to just seeing doctors for small complaints, either, as Sesame has deals with over 40 types of health specialists, including dermatologists, dentists, cardiologists, and weight-loss specialists. You'll also find that it has subscription services for medication related to mental health, skincare, and women's health.

So, how does it work? You pay for the service when you book your appointment or service. Then, you'll either get a link for an online appointment or an appointment time for in-person visits. As for medication, Sesame can either deliver your medication to you or you can pick it up at a local pharmacy, including, of course, the one inside your Costco.

One final service that you likely had no idea existed as a membership perk at Costco is the ability to get a custom-made closet or other home storage systems. So, if you've been waiting all your life for the closet of your dreams, Costco might be able to help you make it a reality through its partnerships with Serenity Closets and Closet Factory. The difference between the two is that you design and install everything yourself with one, while the other includes consultants, designers, and installation in the price.

The service where everything is done for you is provided by Closet Factory, for which you'll get a Costco Shop Card to go toward 10% of the cost of a custom closet. The process starts with an in-person or virtual visit from a consultant to get an idea of what you want. After the designer takes measurements, you'll have a chance to see a 3D software mockup of what the designer envisions for your space. The good news is that you can provide plenty of input for materials, colors, and accessories before the final installation.

Serenity Closets is the DIY solution. You basically use the online tool to design it yourself, order it, and install it yourself, just as you would with a product from IKEA. However, it's still a high-quality custom closet; one Redditor said that going through Costco saved them about $700 on the cost of a similar closet through a similar service, and some companies charge twice as much or more.