I also save money on car rentals through Costco Travel. Plus free additional driver is nice. Prior to the current rental situation, Costco Travel was always cheaper than my corporate code.
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I think the answer from before still holds. Pay the membership once and let it lapse if you don’t use it, when a lease special comes up, just reinstate your account. This seems like the best way if you don’t use Costco.
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Costco tends to have good GM product incentives Nov-Dec of every year. You’d have to have an active membership prior to October I believe to qualify. So anybody looking for a GM lease should make sure to have an active Costco membership before October if you want to bet on them doing it again this year. Also, the higher tier membership get you a much bigger Costco gift card so that’s also something to consider.
Besides the auto program, one of the bigger Costco benefits many overlook that if you have the Costco Visa credit card, you get an additional 2 years of extended warranty in addition to the 2 years you already get form Costco on certain products, this includes Apple computers. So if you buy an Apple computer from Costco with the Costco credit card you get 4 years of protection for no additional charge which is a huge benefit in my eyes compared to the cost of buying AppleCare.
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At least near me you don’t need a Costco membership to get gas from Costco. I think this applies nationwide.
I’ve been turned away from getting gas in CA because I forgot my costco card.
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NJ? Everywhere else I’ve been I’ve needed my card/membership.
Prescriptions at Costco OTOH don’t require membership.
Yes, maybe just in NJ then.
every Costco I’ve even been to require you to swipe the membership card at the pump
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Nor does purchasing alcohol, at least in most states.
In the states where they can even sell it 
Special Lease Programs, Car Wash, Gas (except NJ), and Tire Shop all require it afaik
No need to get the higher one right away. You can always upgrade on the spot before you lease.
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Tire Shop doesn’t have many good deals anymore.
Only time it is worthwhile is when they have the Michelin tire rebate. Otherwise the local tire shop that will let me send online tire orders directly to them is my go-to.
Actually, the Costco card will add 2 years to your warranty for purchases made anywhere, not just at Costco.
https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Costco-Extended-Warranty
Fair point but unfortunately there isn’t one close enough to make it worth while (not to mention needing to fill with 150 gallons to break even, so 13 fill ups, say 6 months?).
I will need to think about the appliances and warranty to see if it would be useful for me.
I didn’t know that, most cards are 1 year - aside from Citi that i think has 2 years.
This is the kind of info that is really what I am looking for. We are considering a suburban but need it sooner than November ideally. Are suburban / full size SUVs from GM typically included or excluded from the rebate/ gift card?
I didn’t know they had apple products, we are getting an I-Mac soon, and possibly a new TV so it might be worth the membership for just these purchases, especially if a gift card is given instead of discount off the vehicle.
I guess if i don’t use it for a lease this year, I will be getting another lease next year so could let it lapse as suggested and reinstate it later if all the stars align.
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It usually starts October. Suburban/ Tahoe/ Yukon were included this past year.
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As it was mentioned in the Costco post last month, typically Groupon & I believe T-Mobile have $10 off the standard membership. Also if you work for a decent size company they have it as a Work Perk type thing. Makes it $50 instead of $60.
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I go there for the rotisserie chicken alone. That in itself is worth the membership.
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When I went plant-based, transitioned to cheap organic vegetables and fruit ($1.99 for 3 lbs organic bananas,etc). When on Keto, huge packs of prime beef, lamb, etc. Costco has somehow figured out how to feed folks on weird and diverse dietary needs, with top label products. All my future homes need to be a short run from a Costco.
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