Costco is one of those stores that tends to have an extremely loyal fan base. And there’s a reason for that.

Costco’s customer-first attitude has helped the company solidify its reputation as a store worth shopping at. And the store’s almost unbelievably low prices are what keep members from renewing year to year, as opposed to taking their business to stores that don’t charge a fee to walk in the door.

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Costco also does a fantastic job of keeping its inventory fresh and exciting. It achieves this by being in tune with customer needs and paying attention to trends.

And as a result, Costco is the type of store that members can actually get excited to shop at.

“That’s the kind of environment we want to create, as people walk in and see something that is like ‘wow, they’ve done it again,'” Costco CEO Ron Vachris said in an April 2025 Wall Street Journal interview.

One thing Costco usually won’t budge on is membership fees

Costco’s management team has long made it clear that the company is committed to quality — so much so that if a product doesn’t live up to its standards, it gets pulled.

Recently, Costco made the decision not to sell the Kirkland mayo it had been developing because, after trial and error, the company came to the conclusion that it couldn’t offer enough value to put the item on shelves.

But as steadfast as Costco is in its commitment to quality and value, there’s another area of the business where it won’t compromise — membership fees.

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Membership fees are the backbone of Costco’s success. There were 79.6 million paying Costco members as of 2025’s third quarter, and the company’s goal is to grow that base even more.

As important as memberships are to Costco’s bottom line, though, the company is not in the habit of offering them up at a discount.

The way Costco sees it, membership fees are a primary source of revenue. So the company would rather charge customers full price to join and help them make back their fees in the form of savings on the items they buy.

That’s very different from rival Sam’s Club, which routinely offers discounts on memberships.

New offers some Costco members big savings

A lot of people would join Costco if it weren’t for the membership fees. Not only does Costco not offer membership fee discounts, but its fees are higher than competitors.

At Costco, a basic Gold Star membership costs $65 a year, while the Executive membership costs $130.

By comparison:

• A basic Sam’s Club membership costs $50 a year, and a Plus membership costs $110
• A BJ’s Wholesale membership costs $60 a year, and a Club+ membership costs $120

Still, many consumers would argue that Costco’s lineup of products is superior to Sam’s Club and BJ’s. So if the price is right on membership, Costco could potentially get more people to join.

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To that end, one specific group of consumers could benefit from a limited-time offer that’s almost too good to be true.

UNiDAYS is partnering with Costco to offer a major discount for college students who sign up for a new membership. Customers who sign up for the basic Gold Star membership can get a $20 Costco Shop Card as a thank you, while those who sign up for an Executive membership can get a $40 Shop Card.

This effectively takes the cost of a Gold Star membership down from $65 to $45, and the cost of an Executive membership from $130 to $90.

Because Shop Cards can be used to buy almost anything Costco sells, from groceries to apparel to gasoline, they’re as good as cash. And given that many college students are on a budget, this deal is a great way to get more younger customers in the door.

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Of course, Costco is still technically sticking to its policy to not discount its memberships with this offer. But if this promotion attracts a huge number of new members, then perhaps Costco will be motivated to rethink its strategy in the future.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.

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