A Costco Cash Card Is Your Ticket To Entry Without A Membership

Costco is one of the best places for snagging great deals on items in bulk. The large wholesaler is able to keep its prices lower than most other retailers, partially because it charges a yearly membership fee to its shoppers. Starting at $65, the annual fee is not astronomical, but it might not be worth it for everyone — especially since the membership price recently increased for the first time since 2017. In theory, people without a membership can't shop at Costco ... but in practice, there are a few loopholes. One of them is using a cash card called Costco Shop Card. It can be purchased by a member and given to a non-member, who can then use it to shop freely at Costco.

Even though the Shop Card is not technically a gift card (because members can use it in place of cash or credit cards), it can double as such. Any Costco member can buy the cash card and gift it to a non-member, if they so choose. The card can also be refilled by the member. The non-member can use the card to shop in physical Costco stores as well as online. It's a great solution for those who want to take advantage of certain seasonal Costco deals or purchase only particular discounted items without having to commit to a yearly membership. 

Another way to get access to the Costco goods is to join your membership-carrying friend when they shop at the store. Every person with a Costco membership is allowed to bring two guests, but keep in mind that only the person with the membership will be able to purchase the items. However, if you're shopping for alcohol or prescription drugs, you're allowed to purchase them as a non-member in certain states. Some items are also available to non-members online, but you'll be paying 5% more than members do. And speaking of online shopping, you can actually find a number of Kirkland Signature products on Amazon, including the House Blend coffee beans that came out on top in our ranking of Kirkland Signature whole-bean coffees.

You might be wondering whether all this jumping through hoops couldn't simply be avoided by borrowing someone else's membership card before strolling through Costco. Unfortunately, Costco's memberships are non-transferrable, and the store is pretty serious about enforcing that policy by checking the cards at the entrance. That said, each membership does come with one extra card called the Household Card. The primary member can give it to any person that's over 16 years old, as long as the two live at the same residential address.