Can you shop at Costco without a membership? Yes! Here's how the keys to Costco kingdom can be yours, even if you're not a member.
8 Things You Can Do at Costco Without a Membership
Updated on Feb. 18, 2025
Receive an eye exam
The opticians employed by Costco Optical work independently of the store, which means your bill goes to them, not to Costco. Translation: Anyone can visit Costco’s optical center, membership or not! Eye exam prices vary from store to store, but they typically cost anywhere between $75 and $175 (depending on whether you also need a contact lens exam), and Costco Optical accepts a number of popular vision insurance plans.
That said, “if you want Costco’s discount eyeglasses and contacts, you’ll have to have a membership,” says shopping expert Jeanel Alvarado, founder of Retail Boss. Costco offers a serious discount on high-quality frames from a variety of brands, and its own Kirkland brand options start around just $60. According to one Costco Optical employee on Reddit, the discount warehouse marks up frames, lenses and contacts only a tiny 1% over cost, which explains why you can find such a good deal on Costco’s in-house brands.
Pick up prescriptions
According to federal law, Costco must allow anyone to use its pharmacies, regardless of whether or not they are a Costco member. But there’s a glitch: Not all stores have to allow nonmembers in the actual pharmacy. In those situations, nonmembers can fill their prescriptions on Costco’s website and either have them shipped directly to their homes or pick them up in the store.
Will you be saving a bundle on prescription meds here? Not necessarily. Costco’s pharmacy prices are competitive with other pharmacies, so this is more a matter of convenience. But if you’re a member, it’s a different story. Costco members can rack up additional savings through the Costco Member Prescription Program, getting up to 80% off on medications, vaccines and pet medications.
Use a gift card
There’s one pretty ingenious loophole that allows nonmembers to go on a Costco shopping trip just like members do: “Nonmembers are able to shop using the Costco gift cards, also known as shop cards,” says Alvarado. Costco limits the use of purchasing gift cards to $10,000 per day, but that’s a pretty high limit that most of us won’t have to worry about hitting.
However, there’s one small catch: The gift card must be purchased by a Costco member. “If you know someone who has a membership, you can get them to buy a shop card for you, and then you can buy whatever you like in-store,” Alvarado explains. Just remember that nonmembers can’t reload the card or purchase new gift cards. But you do not need to bring a member along with you to be able to use them.
It’s easy to spend more than you intended when you take a trip to Costco, so if your total exceeds the balance of your shop card, don’t fret. You can pay the balance with cash or a debit card. Costco does accept credit card payments, but only from members.
Buy alcohol
Several states have laws in place to prevent membership clubs, like Costco, from restricting the sale of alcohol exclusively to members. Therefore, customers in those states can buy alcohol at Costco even if they aren’t members. Those states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Vermont. When you go, just note that, to be let in without a membership card, you will need to tell the employee at the door that you are there to buy alcohol, says Alvarado.
And sorry to disappoint you, but just because you’ve been let loose in Costco, it doesn’t mean you can sneak in a few other purchases. Yes, the alcohol section is mixed in with the other sections in most stores (though some locations do have an entirely separate liquor store) and you can freely roam the aisles, but your other discount dreams will be dashed when you get to the checkout. Cashiers won’t let you purchase anything aside from alcohol without a membership card.
Eat at the food court
Perhaps the best deals of all can be found at Costco’s food court, and you don’t need a Costco membership to take advantage of perfectly priced snacks and sweets. Well, not exactly. While the food court is technically supposed to be for members only, you can still visit without a membership if you do so carefully. “Costco has two entrances, so you would have to use Costco’s customer-service entrance to access the food court without having to show your membership,” says Alvarado. Some locations are stricter about enforcing this policy than others.
Costco’s food court is beloved for its delicious food at insanely low prices, like the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, $1.99 pizza slices and $1.99 soft serve. You’d be hard-pressed to find prices this low—for food this good—anywhere else.
Shop online
Even without a Costco membership you can still shop for many Costco products online. Costco does not offer its entire in-store lineup online, but it does offer thousands of excellent options that nonmembers can order. This works out well if you have an affinity for Costco’s exclusive line of Kirkland products that you can’t get anywhere else or if you want to buy in bulk.
But if you go this route, it’s important to know that the prices are a little bit inflated compared with the ones you’d get in stores with a membership. “Costco clearly states on its website that prices differ on the website and in store,” says Alvarado. Plus, nonmembers have to pay a 5% surcharge at checkout on their entire order (with the exception of prescription medications).
If you plan to place a large order or several orders over time, it’s definitely a better deal to get a membership. But the ability to shop online without a membership is great for one-off purchases.
Order from Uber Eats
Breaking news! Late last year, Costco and Uber Eats announced a partnership whereby people without Costco memberships could use Uber Eats to shop at Costco. Though it’s available only in select cities right now, it will become more widely available in the future.
“Any customer can shop the entire online catalog [this way] without ever stepping foot in a store. Therefore, there’s no need for a Costco membership,” says Alvarado. “However, if you are a loyalty member, on the Uber app, you can link your Costco membership to receive up to 20% off your entire order and earn rewards.”
That said, it’s important to know that Costco prices are not only more expensive on its website, as noted above, but also on third-party apps like Uber Eats. So if you want those Kirkland products, bulk items for occasional purchases or something you can’t seem to get anywhere else, this option is a godsend. But if you want serious savings or the option to shop at Costco more regularly and effectively, you’d be better off signing up for a membership.
Get a flu shot or other vaccine
In the same way that Costco has to make prescription medications available to everyone by law, it also has to make vaccinations available to everyone, regardless of whether or not they are members. Fill out a signed immunization form before you visit your nearest Costco location, and you’ll be able to get your shots pronto.
Pro tip: Costco accepts most insurance, but you may want to call ahead of time to confirm that yours is on the list of approved plans.
How can you shop at Costco without a membership card?
If you’re not a Costco member and decide to head to Costco without a membership card, don’t break into a cold sweat—as long as you’re doing one of the things above, you aren’t doing anything wrong, so there’s no need to sneak around! However, you do need to let someone know upon entering the store, since Costco locations often have employees stationed at the door to check membership cards. Simply tell them you are there to take advantage of whichever allowable service you’re there for, and you’ll be able to go in. Easy peasy!
About the expert
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on whether you can shop at Costco without a membership, Nina Derwin tapped her experience as a reporter for Reader’s Digest who often covers trends and shopping news. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Jeanel Alvarado, founder of Retail Boss; interviewed, February 2025
