Costco Travel has become a quiet favorite among savvy travelers who are already loyal to the warehouse giant for groceries and household goods. By bundling hotel nights, flights, cruises and rental cars into member-only offers, Costco Travel aims to simplify trip planning while often adding extra value like onboard credits or free breakfasts. This article focuses on how Costco Travel works step by step in practice. For a broader overview of what the platform offers, how it compares to other booking options and when it makes sense to use it, see our complete Costco Travel guide for travelers.

What Costco Travel Is and Who Can Use It

Costco Travel is a full-service travel agency owned and operated by Costco Wholesale. It sells vacation packages, cruises, standalone hotel stays and rental cars to eligible Costco members. The service is available primarily online through the Costco Travel website and by phone through a dedicated call center staffed by travel agents who specialize in Costco’s partner products.

Eligibility is the first point to understand. In the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, you must be an active Costco member to book with Costco Travel. Both standard Gold Star members and Executive members can use the program, but Executive members earn a 2 percent annual reward on many Costco Travel purchases after travel is completed, separate from any credit card rewards. Membership must be active at the time travel begins for that reward to apply, and certain fees and taxes are excluded from the calculation according to Costco Travel’s published terms.

Costco Travel does not try to be all things to all travelers. Instead, it focuses on large, mainstream vacation experiences at competitive prices. That means you will find brand-name hotels and cruise lines, popular resort destinations, guided vacations and major rental car brands. You will not typically find ultra-boutique properties or highly customized independent itineraries. The tradeoff is that Costco leverages its buying power to negotiate package inclusions that individual travelers might not be able to secure on their own.

Another defining feature is that Costco Travel is packaged for ease of use. The website is organized around big trip types such as Vacation Packages, Cruises, Rental Cars and Hotels. Within those, Costco highlights featured deals and “Top Picks” that meet its internal value standards. For travelers who prefer a more guided experience, the call center can build and adjust itineraries, explain terms and help with changes if things go off track.

The Main Types of Trips You Can Book

Before looking at how Costco Travel works step by step, it helps to know the major categories it sells. For many Costco members, rental cars are the first entry point. Costco partners with Alamo, Avis, Budget and Enterprise, offering members rates that are often discounted and typically include one free additional driver in select countries. Executive members earn a 2 percent reward on these rentals, and you do not pay anything at the time of online reservation; payment happens at the rental counter subject to the rental company’s policies.

Vacation packages are another major pillar. These bundles usually combine a hotel stay with flights, and in some cases extras such as airport transfers, daily breakfast, resort credits or included activities. Destinations range from Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean to Europe, theme-park getaways and select U.S. cities. Booking a package can simplify logistics because flights and hotel are processed together, but it also means that change and cancellation rules are tied to multiple suppliers. Costco’s terms emphasize that airlines, hotels and tour operators each have their own policies, and any penalties they charge will flow through to you.

Cruises are a strong specialty for Costco Travel. The agency partners with most major cruise lines and often includes added-value items like onboard credit, specialty dining or Costco Shop Cards that are issued after travel. Cruise bookings can be for ocean or river itineraries, with options ranging from short Bahamas sailings to longer European or Alaska voyages. As with packages, each cruise line sets its own payment schedule and penalty windows, and some fares become fully nonrefundable once final payment is made.

Finally, there are hotel-only bookings. These allow you to book a standalone hotel room without bundling flights or rental cars. Costco highlights select properties that meet its criteria for quality and value. Depending on the rate you choose, you may be able to cancel up to a certain deadline without penalty, although some lower-priced or promotional rates may have stricter rules. Costco’s help center notes that many hotel-only reservations can be canceled online through your Costco Travel account up to 24 hours before arrival, with closer changes requiring a phone call.

How Costco Travel Pricing and Value Add-Ons Work

At the core of Costco Travel’s appeal is the idea that members get access to negotiated rates and extras that are not widely available to the general public. Costco aggregates demand across its large membership base, then works with airlines, hotels, cruise lines and car rental companies to secure inventory at favorable terms. Those savings can show up as lower cash prices, bonus amenities or Costco Shop Cards delivered after travel.

Even so, pricing is not static. Rental car rates, for example, fluctuate based on demand, location and seasonality. Costco Travel notes that car rental pricing generally falls into daily, weekend, weekly and monthly buckets rather than a strict 24-hour clock. Changing your pickup or drop-off times by a few hours, or adjusting your travel dates by a day, can alter the rate significantly. The same is true for vacation packages and hotel stays, where prices move with airline inventory, special events, holidays and local occupancy.

Costco is transparent that published prices typically exclude certain costs. Its terms highlight that unless otherwise stated, package prices do not include airfare when you are looking at land-only options, nor do they cover gratuities, gasoline, optional insurance, underage or additional driver fees beyond the one included driver, resort charges, or personal expenses like meals not specified, phone calls and incidentals. Cruise quotes usually do not include port expenses, taxes, administrative fees or gratuities unless the specific promotion says otherwise.

Additional value can come from rewards. Executive Members receive an annual 2 percent reward on qualifying Costco Travel purchases, calculated after the trip is completed. Separately, members who use the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi earn 3 percent cash back on Costco Travel transactions worldwide, including airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises. These rewards do not reduce the upfront price but can effectively lower your net cost once the rewards are issued, as long as you are comfortable using Costco’s ecosystem.

Step-by-Step: Booking a Rental Car With Costco Travel

For many travelers, the simplest way to experience Costco Travel is to book a rental car. The process is straightforward and illustrates how the platform works in practice. After signing in with your Costco membership, you navigate to the Rental Cars section. The booking form asks for your pickup and drop-off location, dates and times, and whether the primary driver will be at least 25 years old. Once you submit those details, Costco’s system searches partner companies for available vehicles and displays results side by side.

Search results show options from Alamo, Avis, Budget and Enterprise, often with different car classes and price points. The display typically notes key inclusions such as the free additional driver for Costco members, any estimated taxes and fees, and the rental company’s logo. You can filter results by car type, rental company or price range to narrow down the choices. Because Costco works only with a limited set of partners, the list is usually concise rather than overwhelming.

Once you select a vehicle, the next screen provides more detail about the rental terms. You will see pickup and drop-off locations, what is included in the rate and any important restrictions such as geographic limitations or age surcharges. Costco Travel emphasizes that optional items like insurance, GPS units, child seats and other add-ons are handled directly with the rental company, and that rules for debit cards, deposits and holds are set by the rental brand, not Costco.

To confirm the reservation, you enter the driver’s information and contact details. A key convenience is that Costco Travel does not require you to enter payment details to reserve the car online. You pay the rental company at pickup, following its own payment policy. After confirming, Costco sends you a confirmation email that includes both a Costco Travel confirmation number and the rental company’s own confirmation code. You can use that latter code to pull up your reservation on the rental company’s website if you want to add loyalty numbers or adjust certain details.

Step-by-Step: Booking a Vacation Package or Hotel Stay

Booking a full vacation package through Costco Travel follows a similar pattern but with a few extra steps. After logging in, you select the Vacation Packages section and choose your general destination, such as Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean or Europe. Within each destination, Costco curates a list of featured resorts or package themes. You select your preferred property or package and then enter your travel dates, departure airport if flights are included, number of travelers and room configuration.

Once you submit this information, Costco’s system checks live airline and hotel inventory and displays package options. These may include different room categories, flight times, airlines and sometimes choices between nonstop and connecting itineraries. Package details typically specify which meals are included, whether ground transfers are part of the price, any resort credits or extras and the total cost including estimated taxes and fees. The site will flag if additional charges like resort fees are payable directly to the hotel on arrival.

Hotel-only bookings work in almost the same way, minus the flight selection. You navigate to the Hotels section, input your destination, dates and number of travelers, then browse properties that meet your criteria. Costco often highlights included perks such as complimentary breakfast, parking or late checkout at certain hotels. Before you finalize, you will see the rate type and cancellation terms, including how far in advance you can cancel without penalty for that specific booking. Costco’s help content notes that many hotel-only reservations may be canceled online through your account up to 24 hours before check-in, but some deals carry stricter rules, so it is crucial to read the terms for your exact rate.

For both packages and hotels, you then enter traveler details and payment information. Unlike rental cars, these bookings normally require full or partial payment at the time of reservation, subject to supplier rules. Flights booked as part of a package are ticketed under airline fare rules, which can include change fees, deadline-driven penalties and in some cases no changes at all. Costco Travel’s terms emphasize that airlines may change flight times, aircraft and routing at their discretion, and that it is your responsibility to reconfirm details with the airline before departure.

Step-by-Step: Booking a Cruise With Costco Travel

Cruise bookings bring another layer of options, and Costco Travel aims to streamline them. On the Cruises section of the site, you can search by destination, departure month, cruise line, departure port or length of sailing. Search results display specific sailings, ship names, itineraries and starting prices. Costco often labels certain sailings as featured or special value, calling out added perks such as onboard credit, specialty dining or Costco Shop Cards that you receive after you travel.

When you click into a specific sailing, you will see the day-by-day itinerary, port calls and time in each destination, along with cabin categories and prices. Interior, oceanview, balcony and suite options are typically available, subject to the ship and sailing date. Costco notes which promotional inclusions apply to which cabin categories, as some offers are limited to certain room types. Taxes, port fees and gratuities are usually listed separately from the base cruise fare so you can see a more accurate total.

The next step is selecting your cabin and entering passenger details. Cruise lines require full legal names, dates of birth, citizenship and often passport information ahead of sailing. You also choose your dining preference if the cruise line offers assigned dining times. Costco Travel collects the required deposit or full payment based on the cruise line’s schedule. Final payment dates and penalty windows are critical: after certain deadlines, canceling or changing a cruise can result in significant forfeitures, sometimes up to 100 percent of the fare. Costco’s terms underscore that cruise lines generally do not allow rate reductions after penalties begin or after the cruise is paid in full.

After booking, Costco Travel sends a confirmation that outlines your sailing, cabin, payment schedule and any special Costco-specific perks. You can then create or log in to an account with the cruise line directly to complete online check-in, choose shore excursions, make specialty dining reservations or purchase add-ons like beverage packages. If you prefer assistance at any point, Costco’s call center can review details, explain penalties or help adjust the booking where allowed by the cruise line’s rules.

Changes, Cancellations and Customer Support

Understanding how Costco Travel handles changes and cancellations is essential before you book. Costco functions as the travel agency linking you to airlines, hotels, cruise lines and car rental companies, and it is those suppliers’ rules that dominate. Costco’s general terms explain that any revisions or cancellations are subject to the policies of each supplier involved, and that no-shows are typically nonrefundable. That means failing to show up for your flight, cruise embarkation, hotel check-in or rental car pickup can result in a total loss of that portion of your trip cost.

For vacation packages, any change after your initial booking may trigger supplier fees. Changing flights, for example, can require you to cancel and rebook tickets entirely, paying any fare difference and airline change fees, if changes are allowed at all. Canceling a package can lead to penalties from the airline, hotel and any tour operators included. In some cases, the value of nonrefundable airline tickets may be converted into travel credits for future use on the same airline, subject to expiration dates and additional fees at rebooking.

Cruise cancellations involve another set of rules. Cruise lines publish penalty schedules that escalate as you approach the sailing date. Canceling far in advance might cost only a portion or all of your deposit, while canceling close to departure can result in full forfeiture of cruise fare. Costco Travel passes these penalties through to you; it does not typically add its own separate cancellation fee for cruises booked through its platform. Flight arrangements purchased through Costco in conjunction with a cruise are often nonrefundable, with possible credit options determined by the airline.

Hotel-only and rental-car-only bookings come with slightly more flexibility, although specific rules vary. Costco notes that many hotel-only reservations can be modified or canceled online through your Costco Travel account up to a certain cutoff, with closer-in changes requiring a phone call. Some hotels impose their own cancellation fees or require more than 24 hours’ notice. Rental cars tend to be the most flexible: because payment is usually taken at pickup, most reservations can be canceled without penalty, but you should always check the current terms on your booking confirmation.

If you need help, Costco Travel maintains a call center that handles planning, on-trip support and post-trip issues. Agents are available every day of the week during extended hours on Pacific Time for U.S. and Canadian customers. Separate phone numbers exist for assistance while traveling from various regions, and there is a post-trip inquiry process if you experience problems and need to open a claim. Travelers who purchase travel insurance through Costco’s partners have an additional contact channel for coverage questions and claims.

When Costco Travel Makes Sense (and When It Might Not)

Costco Travel can be an excellent fit for travelers who value simplicity, recognizable brands and added-value inclusions. Families headed to a beach resort, couples planning a Hawaii or Mexico vacation, or cruisers looking for extra onboard credit often find that Costco’s bundled offers provide solid value compared with piecing everything together independently. The extra 2 percent Executive Member reward and credit card cash back can further tilt the equation in Costco’s favor if you are already part of the Costco ecosystem.

It is also well-suited to travelers who like a bit of handholding. Because Costco Travel agents work with a relatively focused selection of suppliers, they tend to know those products well. If you want help understanding a resort’s layout, the pros and cons of a specific cruise itinerary or the implications of a particular fare rule, the call center can provide that guidance in plain language. For many members, having a single point of contact for a complex trip is more comfortable than managing multiple bookings with different companies.

On the other hand, Costco Travel may be less ideal if you are chasing niche experiences, ultra-luxury boutique properties or highly customized itineraries. Its selection, while broad in mainstream terms, does not attempt to cover every independent hotel or niche operator in the market. Travelers who are comfortable hunting for flash sales, stacking promotions and using multiple loyalty programs might sometimes beat Costco’s prices on a strictly cash basis, especially for simple trips that do not benefit from bundled extras.

Another important consideration is flexibility. Because Costco Travel’s packages and cruises are governed by strict supplier rules, you may find that heavy planners who like to lock everything in months in advance do well, while travelers who often change plans at the last minute may be frustrated by penalties. Trip protection is available through Costco’s partners and can help mitigate financial risk for unexpected changes, but it adds to the upfront cost and comes with its own conditions and exclusions that you should review carefully.

The Takeaway

Costco Travel is an extension of the warehouse club’s core promise: curated value, delivered at scale. As a member-focused travel agency, it harnesses Costco’s purchasing power to create streamlined packages, competitive cruise offers, strong car rental deals and hotel rates that often bundle in practical perks. For travelers who like the idea of one-stop shopping, clear inclusions and familiar brands, it can be a powerful tool for planning everything from a quick weekend escape to a multi-week vacation.

Making the most of Costco Travel starts with understanding how it works step by step. Know what kind of membership you have, how Executive rewards and credit card benefits apply, and which trip types match your needs. Learn the booking flow for rental cars, packages, hotels and cruises so you can spot the key decision points, from rate types and cancellation terms to optional extras and on-board credits. Pay close attention to supplier rules around changes and cancellations, and consider travel insurance where appropriate.

Ultimately, Costco Travel is not the right solution for every traveler or every trip, but it occupies a valuable space between do-it-yourself booking and high-touch bespoke agencies. If you are already pushing a cart down Costco’s aisles, taking a few minutes to price your next vacation through Costco Travel, compare the inclusions and read the fine print can be well worth your time. In many cases, the combination of competitive pricing, included benefits and member rewards can turn a good trip into a great value.

FAQ

Q1: Do I need a Costco membership to use Costco Travel?
Yes. You must have an active Costco membership to book through Costco Travel. Both standard and Executive members are eligible, but Executive members earn a 2 percent reward on many qualifying Costco Travel purchases after travel is completed.

Q2: Is Costco Travel always cheaper than booking directly?
Not always. Costco Travel often negotiates strong rates and adds value with extras like onboard credit or breakfast, but pricing varies by trip and date. It is wise to compare similar options directly with airlines, hotels or cruise lines before you decide.

Q3: Can I book flights alone through Costco Travel?
In most cases, Costco Travel does not sell standalone flights. Airfare is typically bundled into vacation packages or cruise packages. If you only need flights, you will usually book those directly with airlines or through another booking channel.

Q4: How flexible are rental car bookings made through Costco Travel?
Rental car bookings are generally quite flexible because you usually pay at pickup rather than at the time of online reservation. Most can be canceled or modified without penalty, but specific rules are set by the rental companies, so always read your confirmation details.

Q5: What happens if I need to cancel a vacation package?
Cancelling a package triggers the policies of each supplier involved, such as airlines, hotels and activity providers. You may face penalties that increase as your travel date approaches. To cancel, you typically must call Costco Travel directly so an agent can explain the fees and any possible refunds or credits.

Q6: Does Costco Travel charge its own cancellation fees?
Costco Travel usually passes through the cancellation and change fees imposed by airlines, hotels, cruise lines and other suppliers rather than adding a separate agency fee. However, your total cost to cancel can still be significant because of those supplier penalties and any nonrefundable components.

Q7: Can I earn hotel or airline loyalty points on Costco Travel bookings?
Often you can, but it depends on the supplier and rate type. Many airlines and hotels will credit points or miles for eligible fares and room rates booked through Costco Travel, especially when you add your loyalty number, but some deeply discounted or packaged rates may earn reduced or no points.

Q8: How does payment work for Costco Travel reservations?
For rental cars, you generally do not pay at the time of booking; payment is taken by the rental company at pickup. For vacation packages, cruises and most hotel-only reservations, you pay Costco Travel at booking or by a specific final payment date, following each supplier’s schedule and rules.

Q9: Is travel insurance available through Costco Travel?
Yes. Costco Travel offers trip protection plans through partner insurers for many of its vacation packages and cruises. These plans can help cover certain costs if you need to cancel or if your trip is disrupted, but coverage details and exclusions vary, so review the policy carefully before purchasing.

Q10: Who do I contact if something goes wrong during my trip?
If you booked through Costco Travel and run into issues while traveling, you can contact the Costco Travel support line listed on your confirmation for assistance. For urgent operational issues like missed flights or hotel overbookings, you may also need to work directly with the airline, hotel or cruise line while keeping Costco informed.