For many U.S. travelers, Costco is as familiar as their hometown airport. Over the past decade, the warehouse giant has quietly built Costco Travel into a sizable agency handling cruises, resort packages, car rentals and theme park vacations. With airfare and hotel prices continuing to seesaw, frequent travelers in particular are asking whether funneling their trips through Costco actually delivers better value than booking directly or using online travel agencies. The answer is nuanced.

Costco Travel can be a powerful money-saver and perk machine in specific scenarios, but it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Understanding how it works, who stands to benefit and when to look elsewhere is key to deciding whether it deserves a permanent place in your travel planning toolkit.

For a full overview of how Costco Travel is structured, including pricing, rewards and booking mechanics, see our complete Costco Travel guide for travelers.

How Costco Travel Works Today

Costco Travel functions as an in‑house travel agency that is only available to active Costco members. Rather than competing on a dizzying array of options, the platform focuses on curated deals in a few categories: cruises, vacation packages that bundle hotels and flights, rental cars, theme park and family‑focused packages, and some standalone hotels. Costs are generally displayed as package totals, often with taxes and fees included, and many offers layer in extras such as resort credits or digital Costco Shop Cards funded by Costco’s margins on the sale.

A crucial point for frequent travelers is that Costco Travel is not a separate membership product. All Costco members can access the same base travel pricing. Where your membership level starts to matter is in the extra rewards and perks tied to Executive status. Executive Members, who pay a higher annual fee, earn a 2 percent annual reward on qualifying Costco and Costco Travel purchases, up to a cap, and are frequently targeted for additional bonuses on select trips. For frequent travelers, these layered incentives can shift the math significantly when comparing Costco offers with those from other sellers.

Costco has also put real weight behind its travel arm. Company executives have highlighted during earnings calls that Costco Travel customers tend to be among the chain’s highest‑spending members and that the platform now handles enormous volumes of cruise cabins and rental cars each year. In other words, this is not a side hobby for Costco. The scale of its buying power is one of the main reasons it can negotiate extras such as shipboard credits or outsized gift cards that may be difficult to replicate on your own, especially if you are booking standard cabins or mid‑range hotel rooms instead of ultra‑luxury suites.

For all the benefits, it is important to recognize the limitations. Costco Travel does not cover every airline, hotel or destination. The emphasis is on popular leisure routes and major resort areas, not obscure business destinations or complicated multi‑city itineraries. That makes it best suited to frequent travelers whose trips lean toward leisure and who can tolerate a somewhat more curated, less customizable booking environment than what you might find on an open‑ended search engine.

Membership Costs, Rewards and the Executive Question

Any evaluation of Costco Travel’s value starts with the membership fees that unlock it. As of late 2025, a standard Gold Star membership in the United States costs $65 per year, while the higher‑tier Executive Membership adds another $65 annually, for a total of $130. Both levels include a free household card. The core distinction for travelers is that Executive Members earn an annual 2 percent reward on eligible Costco purchases, including most Costco Travel bookings, up to a maximum of $1,250 in rewards during a 12‑month period.

That 2 percent reward does not guarantee that an Executive upgrade will pay for itself. Costco explicitly notes that your annual reward may be less than the extra fee you paid to upgrade your membership. However, Executive status comes with additional travel‑related advantages. On select packages, Costco Travel layers on special extras such as resort credits, shipboard credits or larger Costco Shop Cards exclusively for Executive Members. These perks do not show up as line‑item discounts but can translate into hundreds of dollars in effective value on a longer cruise or higher‑end resort stay.

From a frequent traveler’s standpoint, the break‑even point on Executive membership is relatively straightforward to calculate. Ignoring non‑travel purchases, you would need to spend at least $3,250 annually on qualifying travel and warehouse purchases to generate $65 in rewards and effectively cover the cost of the upgrade. Many frequent flyers and families who use Costco for everyday shopping as well as trips can cross that threshold without trying. The more of your routine spending and travel bookings you route through Costco, the more compelling the Executive tier becomes, especially when you layer in early shopping hours and other service discounts that were rolled out or expanded in 2025.

It is also worth noting that your 2 percent Executive Reward is issued once a year, typically a few months before your membership renewal date, rather than immediately after each trip. For travelers who value short‑term cash flow or who prefer instant rebates, the delayed nature of this reward may feel less attractive than upfront discounts from other booking channels. At the same time, the certificate can be converted into a Costco Shop Card in certain circumstances or used directly toward membership renewal, which can be a simple way to turn your travel habit into tangible savings.

Where Costco Travel Shines for Frequent Travelers

Costco Travel’s strongest selling points cluster in a few key areas: cruises, resort packages, and certain family‑focused or theme park trips. For cruise fans especially, Costco often leverages its volume to secure extras that independent travelers might struggle to obtain. Publicly discussed examples have included high‑end world cruises packaged with massive Costco Shop Cards and substantial shipboard credits. Even at more modest price points, frequent cruisers routinely encounter Costco promotions that bundle digital Costco Shop Cards worth a few hundred dollars with mainstream Caribbean or Alaska sailings.

Vacation packages are another area where Costco can shine. Packages to destinations such as Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean and Orlando frequently include valuable inclusions like daily breakfast, resort fee coverage, food and beverage credits, or transfers that might otherwise inflate your bill if pieced together separately. For Executive Members, those same packages sometimes carry an extra layer of perks, such as additional resort credits or larger Shop Cards compared with what standard members receive, effectively boosting the return on your membership upgrade.

Frequent travelers who favor full‑service hotels in major resort areas are often well‑positioned to benefit from this structure. Instead of spending hours hunting for marginally cheaper nightly rates, they can opt for Costco’s bundled pricing, secure in the knowledge that many extras are already baked in. When you revisit the numbers after accounting for resort credits, included meals and the 2 percent Executive reward, Costco’s net value can be quite competitive against both direct booking and major online travel agencies, especially on multi‑night stays or high‑season dates.

For families, Costco’s focus on mainstream destinations can also be a meaningful advantage. Theme park packages to places like Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando may fold in park tickets, on‑site hotels and early park admission or transportation perks. Because these trips often form the backbone of family travel calendars and repeat every few years, streamlining them through Costco can reduce stress while securing consistent value. When combined with the everyday savings many families already achieve in Costco warehouses, this can tilt the overall travel‑and‑lifestyle equation firmly in Costco’s favor.

Rental Cars, Flights and the Weak Spots

If Costco Travel has clear strengths, it also has genuine weak spots that frequent travelers should recognize. Rental cars are a prime example. Historically, many members turned to Costco as a reliable source of low car rental rates, often beating both direct booking and online agencies, with free cancellation baked in and coverage from several major rental brands. In recent years, though, anecdotal reports and user experiences suggest that Costco is no longer universally the cheapest option, especially in certain markets or during periods of tight vehicle supply.

Travelers who have used Costco Travel for rental cars over a decade or more increasingly report that their searches now sometimes surface significantly higher rates than competing platforms for the same dates and locations. It is not unusual to see a Costco rental quote that is double a promotional rate found directly with a rental company or through a large third‑party agency. While this is not universal and there are still many routes where Costco’s rental pricing is highly competitive, it underscores a key truth for frequent travelers: Costco Travel is a strong benchmark, but it should not be your only source of quotes.

Flights represent another limitation. Costco Travel primarily sells airfare as part of vacation packages or cruises rather than as standalone, customizable flight bookings. The selection of airlines and routings can be narrower than what a savvy traveler might piece together on their own using airline websites or advanced search tools. For business travelers or points enthusiasts who value specific alliances, fare classes or complex multi‑city itineraries, Costco’s flight offerings may feel blunt and restrictive, and in those cases, booking flights separately is often the better path.

There is also the question of flexibility and elite benefits. Booking through Costco can sometimes complicate the application of hotel loyalty benefits or elite status perks, depending on how a specific chain treats third‑party bookings. Some properties honor elite benefits regardless, while others are more rigid. Frequent guests who prioritize room upgrades, late checkout or points accrual may find more consistent treatment when booking directly with the brand, even if the upfront cash cost is slightly higher than a Costco package that routes through a wholesale channel.

Real‑World Value: How to Compare Costco With Other Options

For frequent travelers, the core question is not whether Costco Travel ever offers good deals. It clearly does. The more relevant question is whether it reliably beats or matches your other options once you factor in rewards, perks and the value of your time. The only rigorous way to answer that is by building the habit of comparison shopping each major trip across at least three channels: Costco Travel, direct booking with airlines and hotels, and one or two large travel agencies or metasearch engines.

When comparing, it is important to go beyond the headline price. On a resort package, note whether Costco includes resort fees, transfers, breakfasts, or resort credits that your competing quote treats as add‑ons. Assign realistic cash values to those extras based on your likely usage, and subtract them from the total to get an apples‑to‑apples net cost. For cruises, weigh shipboard credits and Costco Shop Cards against the onboard spending you expect to do anyway. A $400 Costco Shop Card thrown in on a cruise you were going to book regardless can be nearly as good as a $400 discount.

You should also factor in the Executive 2 percent reward where relevant. For example, a $6,000 family resort package that is price‑matched between Costco and a rival agency may tilt in Costco’s favor once you account for $120 in Executive rewards plus any incremental Costco‑only extras. On the other hand, a rental car that is $300 cheaper elsewhere is unlikely to be saved by a 2 percent reward on the more expensive Costco rate. In those scenarios, flexibility matters. There is no penalty for mixing and matching, using Costco for cruises and packages while booking cars and flights elsewhere when it makes more financial sense.

Frequent travelers should also consider non‑monetary factors such as customer service, cancellation policies and the ease of making changes. Costco’s travel call centers generally receive favorable marks for responsiveness and straightforward policies, and the company’s reputation for member advocacy can offer peace of mind when a supplier dispute arises. Yet Costco is an intermediary, not the travel provider itself. In complex disruptions, you may find yourself bouncing between the airline, the hotel and Costco’s agents, which can add friction compared with booking directly with one entity that fully controls your reservation.

Who Benefits Most From Costco Travel

Costco Travel is not equally useful to all frequent travelers. The frequent flyer who spends most of the year on short‑notice business trips, hopping between secondary cities and focusing on airline and hotel elite status, is less likely to extract maximum value from Costco’s more package‑oriented approach. In contrast, a family that takes two sizable vacations a year to popular resort areas, cruises once every year or two and does the bulk of their household shopping at Costco is well‑positioned to benefit from the program’s structure and incentives.

Retirees and remote workers with flexible schedules can also find Costco Travel especially attractive. Many of Costco’s best packages shine on off‑peak dates where its negotiated rates and credits can be particularly generous. If you can travel in shoulder seasons, avoid major holidays and accept pre‑selected hotel or cruise options rather than hunting for boutique properties, you may find that Costco delivers a consistently strong ratio of comfort, convenience and value. Adding an Executive Membership on top of that pattern can compound the benefit over time.

Another segment that tends to win with Costco Travel is the time‑poor but value‑conscious traveler. These are people who may not enjoy or prioritize the art of obsessive deal‑hunting but still want to feel reasonably confident they are not leaving large sums of money on the table. Costco’s curated packages and reputation for member‑friendly pricing enable such travelers to select from a manageable menu of options and trust that, even if a lower price might exist somewhere on the internet, the combination of included extras and annual rewards keeps them in good territory overall.

On the flip side, highly specialized travelers who routinely seek niche destinations, small independent lodges, or ultra‑customized itineraries will find Costco Travel of limited use. For them, the most Costco can offer is the occasional cruise or mainstream package when their interests overlap with the mass‑market leisure world. In between, the value of any membership‑linked travel perks is more likely to come from warehouse savings and card rewards than from the travel arm itself.

The Takeaway

Is Costco Travel worth it for frequent travelers? For many, the answer is conditionally yes. Costco Travel can be an excellent tool in the arsenal of anyone who travels often for leisure, particularly to mainstream destinations, and who is willing to do some basic comparison shopping. Cruises, family resort packages and certain theme park vacations are where Costco most consistently delivers outsized value, especially for Executive Members who also benefit from the 2 percent annual reward and targeted credits or gift cards.

At the same time, Costco Travel is not a universal best‑price engine. Rental car rates, in particular, have become more erratic relative to other platforms, and the program’s flight options lack the depth and flexibility that business travelers and aviation enthusiasts often demand. Loyalty purists who want to maximize airline and hotel elite benefits may also find better alignment by booking directly at least some of the time.

For frequent travelers weighing whether to rely on Costco Travel, the smartest strategy is pragmatic rather than ideological. Use Costco where its strengths are clear and quantifiable, such as cruise bookings with generous Shop Cards, resort packages with included meals and credits, and family vacations where bundled convenience matters. Keep checking competitors for rental cars, complex air itineraries and niche lodgings, and do not hesitate to split your bookings across channels when another option clearly comes out ahead.

Ultimately, Costco Travel is best seen not as a replacement for other booking tools but as a high‑leverage complement to them. If you already shop at Costco regularly, travel a few times a year and are open to the destinations and formats it emphasizes, the program can quietly add hundreds of dollars in value to your annual travel budget. That is enough to make it well worth a look for many frequent travelers, even if it never becomes your only way to see the world.

FAQ

Q1: Do I need an Executive Membership to get good deals with Costco Travel?
All Costco members can access the same base travel pricing, so you do not need an Executive Membership to find competitive deals. However, Executive Members earn a 2 percent annual reward on eligible Costco Travel purchases and may receive extra perks such as resort credits or larger Costco Shop Cards on select packages, which can increase overall value for frequent travelers.

Q2: How do Costco Travel prices compare to big online travel agencies?
In many cases, Costco Travel’s package and cruise prices are similar to or slightly better than those at major online agencies once you factor in included extras and any Executive rewards. That said, it is not always the cheapest. Frequent travelers are best served by using Costco as one of several comparison points rather than assuming it always offers the lowest rate.

Q3: Is Costco Travel good for business travelers?
Costco Travel is designed primarily for leisure rather than business travel. It focuses on cruises, resort packages and popular vacation destinations, and it offers limited options for complex multi‑city itineraries or highly specific fare classes. Business travelers with rigid schedules and loyalty goals will usually find greater flexibility and control by booking flights and hotels directly or through corporate tools.

Q4: Can I still earn hotel or airline points when I book through Costco Travel?
Policies vary. Many airlines will still credit miles and elite‑qualifying activity on flights included in Costco packages, as long as you add your frequent flyer number. Hotel loyalty treatment is more mixed. Some chains honor elite benefits and points on Costco bookings, while others treat them as wholesale or third‑party reservations that are not eligible. Frequent travelers who rely heavily on hotel status should check brand‑specific rules before committing.

Q5: Are Costco Travel rental car deals still as strong as they used to be?
Rental cars used to be a consistent standout for Costco Travel, but recent experiences suggest that pricing is now more hit or miss. In some markets Costco still offers strong rates and flexible cancellation, while in others direct booking or large agencies can undercut its prices significantly. For frequent travelers, it is wise to compare Costco’s rental quotes with at least one or two other sources every time.

Q6: Does Costco Travel offer good options for last‑minute trips?
Costco Travel can handle some last‑minute bookings, especially for mainstream resorts and cruises, but it is not optimized as a flash‑deal platform. Inventory may be limited close to departure, and the curated nature of its offerings means you will not see every possible hotel or flight combination. Travelers who frequently book at the last minute may find better availability and variety on broader search engines.

Q7: How does the 2 percent Executive reward work on travel purchases?
Executive Members earn a 2 percent reward on qualifying Costco Travel purchases, calculated after travel is completed and added to their annual reward balance. The total annual reward across all eligible Costco spending is capped at $1,250 and is issued once per year, typically a few months before your membership renewal. You can then redeem the reward in warehouses or convert it to a Costco Shop Card in limited circumstances.

Q8: What happens if I need to change or cancel a Costco Travel booking?
Change and cancellation policies depend on the airline, cruise line, hotel or rental car company involved, as well as the specific fare rules you selected. Costco Travel agents can help you navigate those policies and process changes, but they are bound by the underlying supplier rules. Frequent travelers should always review the cancellation terms on each Costco booking before paying and consider travel insurance for more complex or expensive trips.

Q9: Is Costco Travel a good choice for international trips?
Costco Travel can be a solid option for international vacations to well‑trodden destinations such as European capitals, Caribbean islands and popular Asian resort areas, especially when booking cruises or packages. It is less useful for off‑the‑beaten‑path locations or highly customized itineraries. Frequent international travelers who prioritize flexibility will often blend Costco‑booked components with independently arranged segments.

Q10: How should a frequent traveler decide when to use Costco Travel versus booking direct?
The most practical approach is to compare Costco’s total value, including extras and any Executive rewards, with direct and third‑party options for each major trip. Use Costco for cruises, resort and theme park packages or high‑value promotions where it clearly adds perks at no extra cost. Book directly with airlines, hotels or rental car companies when they offer meaningfully lower prices, better loyalty treatment or more flexible change policies that align with your travel habits.