Costco Travel Review [2024]: Are The Deals Actually Good?

When booking your future adventures, you want to be sure you use a reputable site and get the best possible deal. Booking with Costco Travel seems like a great way to get a reliable flight, hotel, cruise, or car rental, but does this booking option live up to its brand name?

Travel agencies and websites make booking flights a breeze and often help you find some of the best deals. They make it simple to find the cheapest hotel, flight, or car rental with the click of a mouse.

We've previously reviewed travel agencies and booking sites like Travelocity and Momondo. Still, with Costco coming out with their deals on Travel, I had to find out whether it's worth the money.

Costco is known for its incredible deals, but will you still get them on your travels? Find you all the info I've gathered in my in-depth review of Costco Travel so you're confident when you spend your money!

What Is Costco Travel?

Costco is a wholesale giant that first opened in 1976. Its best known for its incredible deals on furniture, cleaning products, and whole-roasted chicken.

What the average Joe doesn't realize is that since 2000 Costco has been offering the same bulk deals on hotels, flights, cruises, vacation packages, and car rentals.

On the Costco Travel website, you can easily book vacation packages. Costco vacation packages can include flights, car rentals, cruises, and all-inclusive vacations at a fraction of the cost.

Some customers have reported buying separate flights, although Costco Travel is known for offering incredible travel bundles and deals. But booking the rest of the trip with Costco Travel might be cheaper.

What Services Does Costco Travel Offer?

• Vacation Packages: Costco offers bundles for travel such as hotels and flights, hotels and car rentals, or all three.
• Hotels: A wide range of hotels and resorts.
• Cruises: Many different cruise line options with a variety of destinations.
• Car Rentals: Rental cars with the same or different drop-off locations.
• All-Inclusive Resorts: All kinds of resorts in popular destinations.
• Theme Parks: Popular theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal.

What Are the Benefits of Using Costco Travel?

The teams of buyers who hunt and negotiate to get great deals on peanut butter also get you some incredible deals on travel.

Costco's buying teams have the buying authority to talk to travel vendors and get lower prices on hotel rooms, car rentals, and flights. Then they pass those savings on to you!

• Flexible payment options: Flexibility is always a perk, and with Costco Travel you can pay your way by selecting the recurring payment option to cover the cost of your trip.
• Kirkland Signature Vacations: If you didn't love the Kirkland brand already, I'm giving you a reason to... You can use this option to find the best value vacations.
• Cashback: Executive-level members earn 2% cash back on their Costco travel purchases.
• Perks: Executive-level members also get food and beverage/spa credits, room upgrades, and more!

How Does Costco Travel Work?

On the Costco Travel home page, select the travel service you are looking for. Add your dates, departure location, and destination, and find your vacation! After you choose the package, flight, or car rental you want, review the details and finalize your trip.

You can make a reservation without having to create a Costco Travel account. However, creating an account is recommended to manage or cancel your reservations, make payments, and view, print, or email your itinerary.

How Safe is Costco Travel?

Costco is a reputable company, and its travel booking site is as safe as they come. If you have questions about your booking, its customer service is always there to assist you.

Is Costco Travel for Members Only?

Yes, Costco Travel is a service for Costco members only. You can book travel deals with any membership level, although the Costco executive membership gets you those sweet extras.

A Costco membership is anywhere between 60$ to 120$ annually.

What Airlines Does Costco Travel Use for Their Trips?

Although you can't individually book flights through Costco Travel, its all-inclusive trips, and bundles often include airfare, unless you choose a bundle without airfare. Costco Travel has deals that use multiple airlines, such as:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air France
• Air New Zealand
• Air Tahiti
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Air Transat
• British Airways
• Delta Airlines
• Fiji Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• United Airlines
• West Jet

Costco Travel also offers deals from the following car rental companies:

• Alamo
• Avis
• Budget
• Enterprise

Popular Offering: Cruises

From my research, a lot of people enjoy booking cruises through the Costco Travel platform. If this sounds like you, you can expect to find cruises from the following lines:

• Azamara
• Cunard
• Norwegian Cruise Lines
• Royal Caribbean International
• Carnival
• Disney Cruise Line
• Princess
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
• Celebrity Cruises
• Holland America Line
• Regent

When you browse cruise options with Costco Travel, you'll find it super easy, so I understand why people enjoy booking cruises here. You'll be able to search by cruise line, deals, destination, or even category.

Costco Travel's Cancellation Policy

Since Costco Travel works with many different airlines and travel partners, so the cancellation policy can vary.

For instance, depending on the airline and type of fare you purchase, you may need to pay change or cancellation fees if you're unable to keep your original plans.

Costco Travel's terms and conditions also mention that if you need to cancel your Costco vacations package, you'd likely pay a supplier fee. This also doesn't cover the flight portion, which would again depend on the airline.

What I Liked About Costco Travel

The Exclusive Deals

Costco Travel deals are some of the best deals you can get. They are exclusive to Costco members, a great incentive if you're on the fence about purchasing a membership.

Costco offers fun and unique deals like their Kirkland Signature deals and Buyers Choice Vacations, which are only provided for a limited time.

Convenience

Booking through Costco Travel is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Its website lacks a little sparkle but is straightforward enough for anyone to use. Costco's help center and phone number are also at the top of the page!

Excellent Customer Service

Reviews of Costco Travel say its customer service agents are top-notch and always accessible by phone or email if you have an issue with your booking.

Flexible Payment Options

Who doesn't love the buy now, pay later mentality? With Costco Travel's flexible payment options, avoid paying high credit card interest rates.

What I Don't Like About Costco Travel

For Members Only

Costco Travel deals are only for Costco Members, so they wouldn't be the best site to book through if you don't want a Costco membership.

Flights

Unlike other travel booking sites, you can't search for fights only. Instead, they come as part of a hotel or car rental package.

Is Costco Travel Worth It?

After doing all the research, I think Costco Travel deserves the hype!

Nowadays, it's hard to find a platform that's convenient and with an array of travel options. Yes, Costco travel can only be enjoyed by Costco members. But, if you think about it, it's definitely worth getting a Costco membership for the discounts you get in return!

A disadvantage is that you can't only book flights, you have to get it as a package, but hey! You're obviously booking a flight to a destination, and you might as well get a packaged deal with a hotel or a car rental.

You don't have to look elsewhere—Costco Travel will save money and time!

My Rating: 4.6/5

Pros:

• Exclusive deals
• Convenience in booking
• Excellent customer service
• Flexible payment options

Cons:

• Annual membership
• Cant book flights separately

Get Flying With Pilot!

Whether you're ready to book with Costco Travel or you're thinking of another site, you can't go anywhere without a plan! Check out Pilot for all your trip planning and organizing needs!