David’s been a traveler since early childhood and has learned how to leverage points and miles programs to travel more frequently and more comfortably. David is currently Senior Aviation Business Repo...
Edited by: Keri Stooksbury
With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now Editor-in-Chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
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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