What To Do If You Accidentally Forgot Your Costco Membership Card At Home

There are a lot of plastic cards you probably carry in your wallet, but for Costco fans, it's fair to say that no card is more critical to your shopping experience than the warehouse retailer's membership card. While leaving your card in a coat pocket or handbag from last week is a rookie mistake, it's important to remember that life happens and there's no reason to cry over milk you can't even get to. So, while trying to get past Costco employees asking to see your membership card at the entrance is a lot like trying to get past a bouncer at New York City's hottest club Oak, the good news is that those same Costco employees can help you out.

As long as you have your driver's license you can go to your Costco's membership desk — which is generally located near the returns area — where the nice folks behind the desk can look up your card number. The goods is that they can either give you a temporary card or get you a brand new one altogether if you find that yours is permanently lost. While this process sounds pretty simple, you might be surprised to learn there's actually an even easier way for you to get into the store.

While true fans know to avoid breaking Costco membership rules, more casual shoppers might need a little extra help and this is where the Costco app can come in handy. If you have a smartphone and, according to the Pew Institute about 91% of Americans do, you can download the Costco mobile App from wherever you access your app downloads. From the app, you can easily access the digital version of your membership card anytime you need to. 

The app is also convenient for other reasons. You can easily take care of renewing your membership and even use the app and even monitor your 2% reward balance. In fact, if you have other people added to your Costco membership, like your parent or child, they can also download the app in order to have access to their Costco card. And when you don't have to worry about forgetting your Costco membership card, you can enjoy more time trying out the best food court items – including their savory chicken bake or one of the store's beloved hot dogs.