Is Costco Travel a Good Deal?
Vacation packages for Costco members — hotels, cruises, rental cars
Membership required ($65-130/yr)
Quick Verdict: Is Costco Travel Worth It?
Fair — Deal Score: 7.2/10
| Price | Membership required ($65-130/yr) |
| Free Tier | No |
| Best For | You're already a Costco member and booking vacation packages or cruises |
| Skip If | You don't have a Costco membership — the savings rarely justify the membership cost alone |
✓ Pros
- Genuinely competitive prices on vacation packages and rental cars
- Costco shop cards included as bonus on many packages
- Simple booking process with Costco's customer service backing
✗ Cons
- Requires Costco membership ($65-130/yr)
- Limited selection compared to Expedia or Booking.com
- No price matching — take it or leave it
Our Analysis
Costco Travel leverages Costco's massive buying power to offer vacation packages, rental cars, cruises, and hotel bundles at prices that consistently undercut major booking platforms. You need a Costco membership ($65/year Gold Star or $130/year Executive) to access the deals. The real value often isn't in the base price itself but in the bundled extras: Costco Shop Cards, resort credits, airport transfers, and room upgrades that are included at no additional cost.
Reddit's travel communities are enthusiastically pro-Costco Travel, which is notable given how critical Reddit tends to be about most services. Users regularly report saving hundreds to thousands on rental cars, all-inclusive resorts, and cruises compared to booking directly or through Expedia/Booking.com. The rental car deals are particularly praised — one Reddit user documented saving "hundreds" on a two-week rental compared to every major booking site. Cruise packages frequently match the cruise line's direct pricing while adding $200–$500 in Costco Shop Cards.
The limitations are real but manageable. Costco Travel's interface is basic, search functionality is limited, and you can't earn hotel loyalty points on most bookings. Customer service, while helpful, can be slow — especially for cancellations and refunds, which Trustpilot and Yelp reviewers flag as a pain point. The selection is curated rather than comprehensive, so you won't find every hotel or destination. But for the categories where Costco Travel competes — rental cars, all-inclusive vacations, cruises, and Disney packages — the value is consistently among the best available. If you already have a Costco membership, not checking Costco Travel before booking a trip is leaving money on the table.
Cost Breakdown
Consistently saves 10–30% on vacation packages and rental cars — a single trip often recoups the annual Costco membership cost.
What Real Users Report
Booked a Hawaii all-inclusive through Costco Travel. Same resort was $400 more on Expedia, and Costco included a $200 shop card and airport transfer.
Rental cars through Costco Travel are a cheat code. they've never found a cheaper option anywhere else, and they check religiously.
Great prices, terrible cancellation process. Took 3 weeks to get their refund after a trip change. Fine when things go as planned, stressful when they don't.
Worth it if
You're already a Costco member and booking vacation packages or cruises
Skip if
You don't have a Costco membership — the savings rarely justify the membership cost alone
