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When you hear “Costco,” chances are the first thing that comes to mind is the big-box warehouse, a gigantic market where you can get wholesale prices on groceries, cheap home goods, affordable gifts, clothing and alcohol!
You need a membership to shop at Costco, but for families, small business owners, and others, the annual price of the membership easily pays for itself after just a few visits. They even have their own co-branded cards, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi as well as the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi.
A lesser-known service offered by Costco — one you may have noticed advertised in a store — is Costco Travel, an in-house travel agency designed to offer members good deals on vacation packages, hotel rooms, cruises, and more.
By taking advantage of the same bulk-purchasing power that it uses in retail, Costco can secure group rates when putting together vacation packages and bundles.
But can they compete with the bigger names in discounted travel booking, like Priceline? Keep reading to find out.
To use their travel services, you’ll need to have a Costco membership. The retailer offers 2 membership levels:
Because some Costco vacation packages offer extra benefits to Executive members, you may want to consider upgrading to that level — the perks on 1 vacation package or cruise could be worth more than the extra $60/year.
Hot Tip: Costco only accepts Visa cards, although it’s unclear if this extends to Costco Travel. To maximize rewards and travel benefits, use a Visa card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If you’re a small business owner, check out some of the best business credit cards for rewards when making purchases at Costco Travel.
Unlike many other travel agencies and booking portals, Costco Travel doesn’t let you book flights individually. Instead, you can only book them as part of a larger vacation package, which can include hotels, airport transportation, activities, tours, transportation between cities, or more.
On the home page, you can choose between a few different tabs depending on what you’re searching for. The default option is vacation packages, which include the hotel, transportation to and from airports, and flights if you need one.
To start a search, select your destination area from the drop-down menu. The service only offers these vacation packages to a few places, including Florida, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, and Fiji. You can also select a general “theme parks” search, fully-guided trips, or “Lion World Travel” (an African safari service).
After picking your destination, you can choose the specific city or region, travel dates, and whether or not you want to include flights; if so, select the departure city or airport.
For a sample trip, I searched for packages to Puerto Rico for a week in February 2018, including round-trip flights from New York for 2 adults.
The results page sorts vacation packages by price, based on the cheapest available flights on the days you selected (you can change your flight on the next screen, but that may add to the total price).
It shows a brief preview of each package including the name of the hotel, general things the package includes (like flight, hotel, and airport transfer), as well as room type and rating.
Some packages are marked with a little yellow flag that says “included extras.” Typically, these are benefits included for people with the higher-tier Executive Membership: usually a one-time hotel/resort credit or a Costco gift card.
Using tools on the left sidebar, you can filter results by hotel star rating, specific area, price, and certain features (like beach-front or family-friendly).
To pick your hotel, click the red button on the search page labeled “continue.”
For our example booking, I chose the least expensive package, which included 7 nights at the Sheraton Puerto Rico in San Juan and cost $2,551 total. For Executive Members, this included a one-time $65 credit to use toward food and drinks at the resort.
Next, choose a flight. Although Costco picks a suggested flight, you can scroll down to view other options. Some flights may cost more, but it’s possible that you’ll find a cheaper flight — usually, the reason these aren’t picked as the default is that they’re at less-than-ideal times.
For the Puerto Rico trip, there was a cheaper flight option available, but it meant arriving in San Juan a little after midnight. I stuck with the default, which was a much more conveniently-timed Delta flight.
If you have preferences for flight time, the number of stops, or airline, use the tools on the left side to filter your options.
Once you’ve picked the flight, click “Continue” to move to the hotel details screen.
Based on your chosen hotel’s availability, you can select a room type. The original package price shown on the results screen includes the basic-level room, which is selected by default. You can also view cancellation policies, rate details, and included extras. Click “Continue” when you’re ready.
Next, you can view details of transportation from your destination airport to the hotel and back to the airport at the end of the trip. Click the text for each trip to see details. In this search, airport transportation was shared, but other packages in different places offered private transportation instead.
On the next screen, you’ll find details of included activities. For non-guided trips, this might be a credit to use with a tour company, admission to a site, or a special event.
The Puerto Rico package came with a $100 credit to use with a tour company called Elegant Steering. Options included an ATV tour, a rainforest tour, a Bacardi-themed tour of Old San Juan, or a tour on horseback.
Note that the credit is per booking, not per person, which means you only get 1 credit regardless of how many people go on the trip. While the Costco site suggested that those tours were $50-$125/person, prices aren’t shown on Elegant Steering’s website.
The next page shows a summary of the total vacation package. Make sure to review all details; you can still go back to change anything. Once you’re happy with the details, continue to the next page, where you’ll be prompted for your Costco account login before entering traveler and payment details.
So how do prices stack up compared to other services like Amex Travel or Priceline, or booking each component of a trip individually?
It turns out that Costco can win on price, with a major caveat; Costco doesn’t offer flights on certain low-cost carriers such as JetBlue or Norwegian Air Shuttle. If you compare a vacation package including flights across several different online travel agencies, you may find cheaper packages if those airlines are offering lower prices.
Hot Tip: When using an online travel agency, make sure it includes flights on all possible airlines. Some, like Costco Travel, don’t include every airline.
However, in several comparisons on routes not serviced by those carriers (or on packages and hotels without the flight), Costco offered significantly better prices and deals. Take a look below to see what I could find at other services.
Priceline only includes flights and hotels in its vacation packages (and a rental car, if you choose).
When you search for a vacation package, Priceline defaults to sorting results by a “recommended” algorithm, although you can change it to show results in order of price. While there were options that were less expensive than anything Costco offered, most of these were hotels in suburban neighborhoods, or 1- and 2-star hotels without many amenities or services.
I found the same Sheraton hotel that Costco listed for $842 per person, including flight and hotel — that’s $1,684 total, a significant savings over the Costco package.
However, while that price included taxes and most fees, it left out a $19.85/day resort charge. It also involved a terrible flight, landing in San Juan at 4:45 a.m.
When I narrowed the flights down to nonstops and eliminated anything arriving later than 8 p.m. or earlier than 9 a.m., the price went up to $923/person, or $1,846 plus about $140 total for the resort fee.
Including everything, Priceline offered flights on JetBlue and the Sheraton Puerto Rico San Juan for $1,986. That’s a lot lower than $2,551 through Costco Travel. Even factoring in hotel transportation (let’s estimate $50 each way, for $100 total), $65 resort credit, and $100 tour credit, you still come out ahead with Priceline. Those additions bring the total to $2,251 — a savings of $300 over the Costco package.
When I did the same searches but excluded the flight from the Costco vacation, Costco offered a much better rate — a total of $1,776 at the Sheraton including the extras, compared to $2,077 at Priceline. Both rates were cancelable — if you were willing to pay a non-refundable rate, Priceline would have been about $2,010.
However, when I priced the packages with identical flight itineraries (taking the same Delta flight), Priceline was still less expensive — $2,157 compared to $2,551. Worth noting, the Costco booking allowed hotel cancellations and refunds, while the Priceline rate didn’t — this may account for the extra price.
Hot Tip: When booking vacation packages, make sure to price compare! Prices for the same exact thing can vary between booking providers, and prices can change depending on which options you select.
To check again using a different scenario, I searched for a vacation package in Madrid on the same dates. Costco Travel offered a number of multi-region packages, with train tickets and hotels included for other cities like Barcelona. However, you can also specify “single-region,” which I did for the sake of this comparison.
I selected a package at the Westin Palace Madrid with the default nonstop flights on Iberia. Priceline offered a slightly less-expensive flight on TAP Portugal, but this required some extensive and poorly-timed layovers. On Priceline, the least expensive nonstop option was United.
While the Costco option offered private airport transportation (let’s value at $75 each way), the Priceline option was slightly cheaper — $2,813 ($2,963 if we include the cost of airport transportation) vs. $3,083.
However, excluding the flight and searching only for hotels changed things just like with Puerto Rico. Costco was only $75 more expensive than Priceline, but it included far more: airport transportation, breakfast each day, and the refundable rate.
If I changed the Priceline room to a rate that allowed cancellations, the price jumped up to $2,442; Costco was lower at $2,415 including transportation and breakfast.
Something to consider is the fact that Costco offered much more enticing packages. Some included extensive tours, and some multi-city trips included all inter-city transportation.
Bottom Line: If you include flights, Priceline offered better prices for packages, though with fewer perks and less flexibility. If you book flights separately and just focus on hotels and activities, Costco sometimes came out ahead. Costco also offered more interesting packages.
I checked American Express Travel to see what the price would be for the same hotel and flights in San Juan.
As with the Priceline comparison, Amex Travel offered JetBlue flights, which automatically meant the rate was lower. When looking at the same exact flights, prices seemed about the same. Due to some bugs in the Amex Travel website, I wasn’t able to calculate the final price including all taxes and fees.
Comparing hotels only, Costco was significantly less expensive — $1,776 vs. $1,952 at American Express Travel. That isn’t even factoring the items included with the Costco package, like the tour credit and airport transportation.
Bottom Line: While Amex Travel offered more — and cheaper — flight options, the hotel only was much cheaper at Costco Travel, and included some nice perks!
A real key is to see whether Costco can beat or match the price of booking flights and rooms directly with the airlines and hotels.
For our Puerto Rico example, I had chosen a room at the Sheraton and a flight on Delta Air Lines, so I went to the respective companies’ websites.
Direct flights on Delta for the days I picked were available for around $454 each, or $908 total for both travelers in economy.
Then, I searched for the hotel on the Sheraton website for the rates at the same Sheraton. Prepaid rates started at $270/night including taxes and fees with rates allowing cancellation starting at $282/night.
The totals for those hotel rates were $1,887 for the prepaid rate, or $1,972 for the flexible one.
Hot Tip: Rates for packages and hotels can be complicated. When comparison shopping, always read the terms closely to make sure you’re comparing the same things (instead of comparing a non-refundable rate with a fully refundable one, for example).
Depending on whether you’re willing to forgo the ability to get a full refund if you have to cancel the hotel, the cost of booking flight and hotel directly was $2,795 or $2,880. The price through Costco, including a refundable hotel rate, airport transportation, and the tour credit was $2,551.
That’s a sizable discount, especially considering the included perks. Even excluding the flights, Costco wins: $1,776 vs. a minimum of $1,887 booking directly through the hotel.
But just to keep things complicated: Delta also offers vacation packages. The same flights, hotel room (non-refundable), and shared airport transportation cost $2,250, which was far and away the winner. This only included the flight and hotel room.
Bottom Line: Costco Travel vacation packages can be less expensive than booking directly with the airlines or hotels. However, travel packages offered by airlines like Delta might be even cheaper.
Like many online travel agencies, Costco offers deals, perks, and specials when booking cruises. In some cases these can be quite valuable, but as always it pays to shop around.
If you know more or less what you want, it’s easy to search for cruises on Costco Travel. Just go to the home page, click the “cruise” tab and enter your destination, departure month, specific cruise line (if you have a preference), and duration.
You can also select an option to search for Alaska cruise tours, which is a combination of a cruise voyage and a guided land tour either before or after the voyage.
The results page lists every matching and available cruise, with options to filter the results. Each result shows the available room types and any included extras, such as a Costco Cash Card (gift card), onboard credit, or discount.
Hot Tip: Some cruise lines offer their own credit cards with cruise rewards, but a more general travel rewards card like The Platinum Card® from American Express almost always offers a better value.
When you find the right cruise, you can select your room type, the number of people joining, and the specific room (based on a floorplan). You can also choose to add flights and pre- or post-cruise hotels to a package.
Alternatively, if you aren’t set on a specific cruise, date, or region, you can browse available deals, packages, and popular options.
On the homepage, scroll down to see a few featured cruises. To see more, click the link either below or to the upper-right that says “explore all cruises.”
This brings you to a helpful screen with a few options. In the upper-left corner, you can search for a cruise. There are more options as you scroll down — you can use a map to browse cruises by region, browse by cruise line, or pick one of the available “hot deals.”
One section I love is right under the search field at the top-left: an FAQ section for cruising newbies. Clicking the link takes you to a dedicated page that answers some common first-timer questions. I’ve never been on a cruise myself, so I found this page really interesting and helpful!
Hot Tip: Booked that cruise and finally ready to head out on that adventure? Print this ultimate cruise packing list and ensure you won’t leave a thing behind.
Costco Travel did well with hotels as part of vacation packages, but it wasn’t the best when it came to flights. How does it do with cruises?
To compare a few different booking services, I built a particular itinerary and priced it out on each online travel agency or portal. The specific cruise was on Royal Caribbean, sailing on the ship Rhapsody of the Seas, departing from Tampa, Florida on March 18 and sailing for 7 nights.
These prices reflect a standard interior room (“inside stateroom”) for 2 adults.
| Service | Price | Included Extras |
| Costco Travel | $1,233 |
|
| Orbitz | $1,233 | None |
| Amex Travel | $1,233 | None |
| Orbitz | $1,233 |
|
| Royal Caribbean (direct) | $1,233 |
|
As you can see, prices were identical across services, with Costco, Orbitz, and Royal Caribbean offering a few extras.
The same was true for searches with other cruise lines in other areas, such as a voyage on Norwegian Cruise Lines departing from Barcelona.
Costco offers the option to book pre- and post-voyage hotels and flights when planning a cruise. These tend to price out similarly to vacation packages and can help you save money on your entire trip.
In one sample search featuring a 10-day cruise in Barcelona, the Costco Travel package added a flight for 2 booked through British Airways (but operated by partners) and a night at the hotel Le Méridien Barcelona for $4,181 total.
If I booked each aspect of that trip individually, rather than as a package through Costco, the price breakdown was as follows:
| Travel | Price |
| Cruise | $2,793 |
| Flight | $1,109 |
| Hotel | $523 |
| Total | $4,425 |
That means Costco offered savings a saving of nearly $250!
Bottom Line: It can be worth booking your flights and a pre- or post-cruise hotel as part of a cruise package. Make sure to price it out and see what you could save.
Costco Travel also includes a standalone car rental booking feature. In some cases, you can rent a car in conjunction with a vacation package, although that option isn’t always available.
Unlike some other online travel agencies that offer just about every option under the sun, Costco sticks with 4 big car rental agencies: Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Enterprise.
If you would prefer to get your rental from another company like Hertz or Dollar Rent A Car, you should book directly or use a more inclusive portal like Amex Travel or Orbitz. If you’re not sure where to book, check out our list of best websites to book cheap car rentals.
Hot Tip: When renting a car, remember that your credit card may provide damage/loss insurance if you decline the rental company’s collision or loss damage waiver (CDW/LDW). This includes cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card.
You can search for a rental car right from the home page — just click the “rental cars” tab in the search area.
If you have a preference for one of the 4 available brands, you can also hover over the rental car link at the very top of the page and then click that company. You’ll also find available deals and coupons on the following page (when searching normally, these are automatically applied).
In the search window, enter the city, airport, address, or zip code where you want to pick up the car. If you want to drop-off at a different location, click the link shown. Next, enter the pickup and drop-off dates/times and hit “search.”
Results are shown in a grid, with the 4 companies as the columns and the various classes of car available as the rows. Taxes and fees are included in the price shown, which is for the entire rental period.
Prices were a little better than other portals, even when booking directly with the rental agencies. For this sample, I searched for a midsize rental from Alamo for 3 days, picking up and returning to Los Angeles-LAX at noon on identical dates:
| Booking Site | Price |
| Costco Travel | $84 |
| Alamo (direct) | $89 |
| Orbitz | $89 |
| Priceline | $88 |
| Expedia | $89 |
Costco offered a slightly lower price, and this was the same across other searches — one reason is that Costco automatically applies any available coupons or discounts.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for the absolute cheapest rental option, you may want to check another portal that offers more rental companies. If you want to rent from Alamo, Avis, Budget or Enterprise, Costco Travel can offer better prices than the competition.
The service also offers standalone, room-only hotel booking after recently launching a new program — previously, the only options for non-package hotels were properties with Best Western or Hyatt.
Unlike vacation packages, these don’t come with airport transportation, activities, or other items bundled, and you’ll have to book flights or other transportation separately.
Even without the packages, Costco Hotels can still represent a good deal. As always, be sure to shop around to compare prices and read all the terms carefully before making a reservation.
Searching is straightforward: enter the city, dates, number of people, and the number of rooms.
Results appear on the next screen, with the option to filter the results by a specific hotel or hotel chain. Unfortunately, prices are only shown if you enter your Costco number — you can sort results by price, starting with either the highest or lowest, but you won’t see the actual price unless you use your number.
As always, it’s best to compare booking portals with booking directly. Costco Travel sometimes offers discounts, which are usually about equal to a hotel’s AAA rate. The price could also be slightly lower than competitors, but sometimes it’s similar to other online travel agency and direct booking rates.
One thing you should remember is that when you book through the portal, you won’t be eligible to earn hotel loyalty points or elite benefits. Consider whether any savings through Costco Travel outweigh the loss of those perks.
Bottom Line: Costco’s hotel booking can offer savings, but you should always compare prices with the hotel directly.
There are a few other specialty options that Costco offers, including packages at Disney or Universal theme parks, guided safaris, or guided tour packages.
Costco offers special member rates and packages at several theme parks and resorts, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Orlando Resort.
To browse available packages, click the “theme parks & specialty” link at the top of the home page.
Take a look at the available destinations, then click the one you’re interested in. There are a lot of different deals available at each resort, so just scroll through and find the hotel, deal, or package that piques your interest!
Packages vary, but they generally include the hotel(s), transportation to and from parks, and sometimes other extras.
Using Costco Travel, you can book some incredible safari packages and tours in a few countries in Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, and Tanzania.
Packages generally include airfare, accommodations, meals, guides, tours, and game drives. Each package is different, and when you click on one of them you can read a detailed sample itinerary.
To get prices and book, you’ll have to call them directly at 1-866-921-7925.
In addition to safaris, you can also book guided vacations through Costco. Available tour companies include Adventures By Disney and Trafalgar Worldwide Guided Vacations.
There are packages and destinations available throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. For details, click on the specific package you’re interested in. To book, Costco will either direct you to Trafalgar’s website, or prompt you to call for Disney’s tours.
For Costco members, using the retailer’s travel service can present an opportunity to save some cash on an incredible vacation. Through negotiated rates with hotels, tour providers, and more, Costco can sometimes offer generous discounts or great added perks.
As always, just make sure to price compare and read all terms. While Costco may offer a price advantage for one service, another portal might win for something else, while direct booking may be the best option for yet another aspect of your travel.
Lastly, if you plan to book a vacation package through Costco and have a Gold Star membership, you might want to consider upgrading to an Executive Membership for an extra $60 a year. Check your vacation package — the extras may be worth more than that $60!
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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
It is a travel booking service Costco offers for members. It offers great deals on vacation packages, hotels, cruises, rental cars, and guided tours.
The platform can offer competitive prices the same way it offers deals on retail products, and the same way that organizations like AAA can offer lower rates. By leveraging the size of its membership, Costco can ask travel service providers to offer lower prices for its members that drive business toward them in exchange.
That depends — it’s always smart to compare prices on your own to see. In some cases, Costco does offer a better rate on hotels or rental cars than other travel booking services, or even compared to booking directly.
However, in other cases, Costco is more expensive or offers fewer options. For example, you can’t book flights on JetBlue through Costco Travel, so if that carrier has the lowest price for a route, a trip may be cheaper if booked somewhere else.
Sometimes. Just like with any other travel service (or booking directly with a hotel or airline), each reservation can have different terms and conditions. Make sure to read the terms carefully every time you book to see if something is cancellable/refundable or not.
No; you’ll need to sign up for a Costco membership in order to book services through their travel portal. Memberships cost $60-$120 per year.
Yes, as long as you hold a Costco membership. Just enter the other person’s name when prompted for traveler information.
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Born and raised in New York, David still remembers his first flight when he was only four years old: a U.S. Airways trip from New York-La Guardia to Palm Beach, Florida. He formed his love of travel around that and other family vacations, including to England at age eight and Namibia when he was 13. During college, a four-country trip around Europe with a friend cemented his passion for seeing the world.
David is currently Senior Aviation Business Reporter and a photographer at The Points Guy.
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34 comments
BBR
June 14, 2018
Do purchases at Costco code as grocery? Does the travel?
Alex Miller
June 16, 2018
Costco is coded as a “wholesale” club, certainly as far as Chase goes. So, if you have the Chase Freedom® Card you can get 5x points when that bonus category is running. I’m 99% certain that Costco Travel is not coded as “travel”, so I’d only use Costco Travel to book if you can save $’s vs booking with an airline, hotel, car rental company directly.
LeRoy Weigel
September 15, 2020
I am an executive member at Costco and looking for medical insurance only for going to mexico
Christine Krzyszton
September 15, 2020
Hello LeRoy. If you are booking your trip via Costco Travel, you will be offered trip insurance at the time of purchase which can include medical coverage. If you are not booking a trip via Costco Travel, please check out our articles for tips on purchasing travel insurance. /best-travel-insurance-companies/, /travel-insurance-introduction-guide
Airport Parking
January 08, 2019
Does Costco offer any deals on Airport parking reservations?
Alex Miller
January 09, 2019
My understanding is that they don’t offers deals on parking at the airport. Sorry!
asn
March 13, 2019
Do Costco Travel purchases qualify for 3% on Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Christine Krzyszton
March 13, 2019
Thanks for your question. When I look up Costco Travel’s visa merchant code it shows as “4722 Travel Agencies and Tour Operations” so it should count as travel on the CSR.
Rob Burke
March 14, 2019
Thank you for your extensive review. Honestly, I am quite sceptical about all kinds of “special offers”—as you said, it might save money on one service but then you’re likely to lose elsewhere. That’s why I prefer to book directly. However, my colleague encourages me to try Costco Travel. He holds a Costco membership, so maybe I’ll give it a try when I’m in the mood to price compare.
TMH
June 03, 2020
I usually book all my vacations myself. I did a Costco package to Bora Bora at The Four Seasons and The Hilton on Moorea. It was fantastic and a much much better price than I could have booked myself, It included transfers from the airport which in Bora Bora was $150 RT from the BB airport to the resort. Interisland airfare as well which is a set price. Around $400 if i recall correctly. The added on meal packages were a must to, considering that a basic meal per person without alcohol is a minimum $50. They could change your package to your needs as well. I highly recommend! I still do my research for any hotel resort though since Im picky I always use them to rent cars as well.
Shiela Lusicic
April 05, 2019
Don’t make the mistake of believing the advertisement/description of a resort just because it’s represented by Costco. We just returned from Jamaica, the Jewel Runaway bay all inclusive. It was rated a 4.2 on their site. It was a 1.5 at best. The aging Motel 6 of Jamaica. Never again will I trust their site!
Brooke
February 11, 2020
I agree! I just stayed in Jamaica for 7 nights. Costco website said it’s an ocean view room and I had to pay more for it. So I spoiled myself…..I thought. There was no ocean nearby. The hotel only had 20 lounge chairs and they were all reserved. Every morning we tried to find a chair and they were all reserved by a butler. The room numbers were on top of chairs. They were hardly used. I spent $6000 for the worst vacation of my life. Costco offered me $200. They obviously don’t care. Maybe they get more vacations than us at a super cheap rate.
Alison Trocchia
May 24, 2019
Regarding credit cards accepted on Costco Travel: I booked an all-inclusive vacation package to Mexico last evening and was given the option of using Visa or Mastercard.
Stephen Au
May 24, 2019
Hey Alison,
Thanks for the data point!
laura contreras
May 30, 2019
If I purchased a package to Cancun, did not get the insurance, and cannot use it due to finding out I am pregnant, can my travel package be transferable to a family member whom is also a Cosco member?
Christine Krzyszton
June 01, 2019
Hi Laura. Please be advised that we are not Costco Travel. We are Upgraded Points, a blog that specializes in providing travel and credit card resources. You should contact Costco Travel directly with your question. Their customer service number is 1-866-921-7925.
laurafshack
June 05, 2019
That rental car charge for LAX for three days seems super low.
Was that the price per day?
I’m trying to book something similar right now at LAX – and I can’t find anything close to that price if it’s a total.
Katie Seemann
June 10, 2019
Hi,
This search was for a 3 day rental. Keep in mind that prices can vary wildly depending on the date, so these prices won’t necessarily reflect what you can find for your specific dates.
Haris Govindasamy
October 02, 2019
I booked a cruise trip thru Costco Travel for my family(2 adults and 2 kids) which cost around $2000. After a couple of days the cruise line reduced the price to $1700. I checked with Costco Travel and they are not able to reduce or compensate the difference in price. I would advise to not book in advance or don’t go with Costco but book through the cruise line directly.
Paul Barton
June 17, 2020
You should use a local Travel Agency to get group rates, amenities, wholesale flights, all inclusive packages, cruises and personalized service. In a crisis the Agent is there to support you and also will offer price adjustments if the cruise line changes its fare. With Costco you may find yourself on hold for many hours and then taking to an anonymous voice.
dj bravo
January 06, 2020
Lately, I visited Mysore. At that time of hotel booking used the Akbar Travels and applied a coupon code from Saveplus. I got 25% cashback on that.
Mickymo
February 14, 2020
I am considering booking a Cruise for 3 adults with Costco. I have compared the price directly with the cruise line and the prices are identical. However Costco offer a shop card of around $700! Unless I am missing something here this seems a no brainer. Also I would opt for a full refund choice so if I see a major price reduction I could cancel and go for the cheaper option and I have about 8 months before I have to make a final payment.
Jim
February 28, 2020
During coronavirus condition, Costco still doesn’t let customers cancel the cruise trip or reschedule.
Christy Rodriguez
February 28, 2020
Hi Jim. Unfortunately, this is something most people with travel plans are encountering. Even if you purchased travel insurance, it doesn’t typically cover things like coronavirus. We would suggest reaching out directly to Costco to see if there are any options they might have for you. Sorry you’re experiencing this!
Tony
April 05, 2020
Take a minute to read the email Costco Travel sent me in regards to the trip they cancelled then think twice before using them in the future. Dear Costco Traveler, As you know, there have been many recent developments globally and travel advisories have been issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish to notify you that your booking has been affected by the travel advisory, therefore Costco Travel has cancelled your upcoming Europe vacation package. You have an airline credit in the amount of $2,276.86, and the remaining balance of $4,511.01 will be refunded to the credit card on file. You must call Costco Travel to redeem your air credit and your air must be ticketed, and travel must commence within one year of the original purchase date, or by December 31, 2020, whichever is sooner. We truly value your membership and would like to thank you for your ongoing patience and support during these unprecedented times. We look forward to assisting you in the future with your travel needs. Your Costco Travel Team\n
Reece Oslinker
January 02, 2021
Buy your Toilet paper at Costco. Use a Professional Travel Advisor when spending thousands of dollars on a vacation. Ask the people who booked with Costco how the customer service was during the pandemic. Waiting on hold for hours to get no help. There are still Travel Advisors out there to help you plan your vacation at little to no cost for their services. They are also able to get you the best prices & sometimes extra perks. Also, DO NOT book direct with cruise lines. Always use a Travel Advisor.
Dianne H
June 15, 2021
One factor to add to the Costco value is Costco cash cards that are offered with many packages. One package that I’m currently considering offers a cash card of $580. Add that value to the 2% cash back with Executive members and 1% cash back for using the Costco Citi-bank credit card then the Costco package is the lowest price I’ve found (so far) for a Hotel Xcaret package. Still pricing it out since some airlines are not booking for next summer yet.
Room credits are great but I don’t see much value in tour credits.
Car rentals thru Costco are often the cheapest around (especially good savings for rentals in Maui) and often the savings realized on a one week or longer rental more than pays for the basic membership fee of $60/yr.
AmyC
July 02, 2021
Costco Travel will not be there for you if something goes wrong. Be very wary of using them. I purchased a vacation package and was not informed that the flight was canceled, even though I checked the Costco Travel website often in the weeks and months leading up to my trip. The airline had canceled a couple of months prior, Costco Travel knew it, and they did not notify me, leaving me in an utter panic 24 hours leading up to our flight. I paid for a 7-night trip, and had to pay for an additional night, due to Costco’s error, and they have not responded to my calls and pleas for help.
Kelly O
August 11, 2021
Another word of caution for using Costco Travel for Royal Caribbean cruises, specifically. I just learned that my 7 night Alaska cruise booking doesn’t qualify for the “Royal Caribbean Best Price Guarantee” because I booked through Costco Travel. If it did qualify, I would have been able to get a price reduction (if it was before final payment) or have the price difference issued as onboard credit (if it is after final payment, which is my case). My specific cruise dropped by $100 since I booked 13 days ago (the Costco cash card was smaller than the price difference). It would have been a bigger savings to book directly with Royal Caribbean. Also, it is worth mentioning that Costco Travel does NOT participate in the RoyalUp Upgrade Program offered by Royal Caribbean. This means you are unable to bid for cabin upgrades. Had I known all of this 13 days ago, I would have booked directly with Royal Caribbean. I have used Costco Travel for several cruises before without issues, however, I think this will be my last time using them. There are too many disadvantages now that it is no longer a savings and they have never provided any perks outside of a Costco cash card.
QC
February 17, 2022
Do not use Costco travel! It is so bad, they sell you travel bundle, but at the last minute, the airline gets downgraded from 1 stop to 2 stops. We needed to arrive at midnight instead of in the early afternoon. There was no refund or anything for this downgrade, the hotel and rental car in the bundle can not rebooked, so we had to waste one more day on the rental car.
Janet
June 19, 2022
5 friends booked trip from Portland, Oregon to Tahiti and Moorea in the French Polynesian Territory. Costco did a fabulous job booking flights, Bungalows over the water, ferries between islands, and land transportation. Package included 2 meals a day. Stayed 12 nights and our stay was amazing. The price was much cheaper then other travel sources. Very Happy to use Costco Travel again.
James D
July 26, 2022
I recently returned from a trip to Maui which was booked through Costco Travel. This company is a joke. We missed one full day of our vacation and Costco was no help on the phone nor did they answer any of my inquiries; they were absolutely no help. Save your money and shop elsewhere for travel. This was the first time using them and it is definitely the last. Real amateurs!
Katie Seemann
July 26, 2022
Hi James,
I’m sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with Costco Travel. I hope the rest of your trip was nice!
Barbara N
July 16, 2023
I have booked a cruise package to Alaska through Costco. Unfortunately we missed our flight because because of issues with my mom’s and son’s health. The plane left 15 minutes before departure time and even though the assistants at the gate tried everything to get us on another flight we were not able to leave that day and we missed the cruise. Costco did not refund the money or give us credit. Their policies protect them but not the travelers. Based on the comments, I see that many others are not satisfied as well. I know I’ll never use them again.
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