Is a Costco Membership Worth It if You Only Go 3 Times a Year?

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A Costco membership may or may not be worth paying for if you shop there infrequently. Take a look at how you can decide for yourself. 

For some people, getting a Costco membership is an easy call. If you live near a warehouse club store and have a lot of people in your family to feed, your savings on groceries might more than cover the cost of your annual membership fee.

But what if you don’t have a Costco nearby, and therefore don’t expect to shop there very often? Or what if you do have a nearby Costco, but due to other constraints, like not having your own car, you don’t expect to get there more than three times a year?

In many cases, it won’t be worth it to join Costco if you’re only going to hit the store once every four months. But if you do a lot of shopping on each trip, then a membership may, in fact, be worth it.

It’s a matter of your personal savings

A basic Costco membership costs $60 a year, while an Executive membership costs $120. The Executive membership gives you 2% cash back on all Costco purchases, which is why it costs double.

To see if a Costco membership is worth paying for, you’ll need to figure out how much money you stand to save on the items you buy — even if you don’t shop there very often. It may be that it doesn’t pay to join Costco to only visit a few times a year. But if you leave with a carload of goods each time you visit, then the savings may be sufficient enough to cover the cost of your membership fee.

So, let’s say you opt for a basic Costco membership (which probably makes the most sense if you’re only going there three times a year). It may be that each time you shop there, you’re able to save $30 compared to what you’d spend at a regular supermarket or big-box store. So if you’re saving $30 three times, that’s $90 in total. Subtract the $60 membership fee you’re paying, and you’re ahead $30.

But if you’re only going to visit Costco three times a year, and you’re only going to purchase a few items each time you hit the store, then you may not make up your membership fee. Saving only $15 per visit, for example, will leave your personal finances $15 in the hole with a basic membership.

There may be a better option

A Costco membership could be worth it even if you only go three times a year if you spend (and save) enough to at least pay for your membership. But before you decide to join, ask yourself why it is that you think you’ll only get there once every four months.

If it’s a matter of distance, you may want to see if there’s a Sam’s Club closer to where you live. And if it’s a matter of not having a car, then you may want to consider an Amazon Prime or Walmart+ membership so you can have groceries and other goods delivered to your door when you need them.

Finally, if you don’t have a very large living space and your home sorely lacks storage, that alone is reason enough not to join Costco — regardless of how many times a year you think you might get there.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com, Costco Wholesale, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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