Have you considered using Costco Travel for your next vacation? Before you do, you should Check this Comparison Travel Guide.
CostcoTravel.com provides a dedicated travel agent service, offering live assistance for seamless bookings and support throughout your journey.
The Costco Travel website appears simple yet effective. You’re welcomed with options to build your vacation packages, ranging from destinations like Tahiti to California. They collaborate with various hotel partners, cruise lines, and rental car services. The website showcases diverse vacation packages—ranging from full-fledged custom vacations to simple hotel bookings.
they offer enticing deals and inspiration for travel. To test this out, I selected three different trips—a rental car, a hotel stay, and a complete vacation package.
Comparing prices between Costco Travel, and other travel companies, and even utilizing Chase credit card points, the results varied.
For instance, the rental car was cheapest at Costco Travel in cash value, yet points were more advantageous.
Moving to hotel bookings, while points triumphed, the cash value sided with the hotel’s site.
Lastly, examining full vacation packages, while Costco Travel offered a package inclusive of a Costco Travel card, points still emerged as the winner.
Costco Travel’s website proved user-friendly, providing a seamless experience akin to a travel agent. Costco Travel provides a Reserve now, pay later feature.
It’s evident that Costco Travel’s pricing may sometimes align closely with cash prices, but the value in points often outweighs these savings.
In essence, Costco Travel can be a valuable option, particularly for those who prefer a travel agent-like experience.
5 Ways to Save Money With Costco Travel
Costco Travel offers discounts on a number of things; that’s probably a way you shop there if you do. if you actually save money when booking with Costco Travel. priced up a few different options across five different areas: vacation packages, hotels only, cruises, rental cars, and a Disney vacation.
Let’s dive into the results we found by comparing the prices offered when booking directly through hotel, airline, and car rental websites.
Somewhat surprisingly, we found that in all five cases, you can save money when booking through Costco Travel. However, the outcomes do vary across those five categories. For example, on hotels, Costco Travel’s best price often wasn’t any lower than if booked directly through the hotel chain themselves.
However, in addition to the potential direct savings that Costco Travel offers, they often also throw in a number of value-added benefits, including prepaid Costco Travel cards, sometimes worth up to ten percent of the cost of your trip, credits with tour operators which may be worth hundreds of dollars, and even free rental cars.
We pretty surprised about all of these outcomes honestly. So, let’s walk you through some of those details.
Vacation Package
In this case, it includes a combination of airfare and a hotel booking. we priced out three different options. First up, Dallas to Cabo for four nights, where Costco Travel’s price beat the direct booking option by two hundred thirty-four dollars. Costco Travel also included a shared airport transfer, so they won both on the raw cost and also included extra value.
Next was a seven-night trip from New York to London. This is a pretty pricey trip, but Costco’s price was lower by over $1100 and included a $400 credit with a local tour operator as well as a private Airport transfer.
The last thing we priced out was a seven-night trip to Hawaii from Seattle where Costco Travel’s price beat the direct booking alternative by only twenty-five dollars.
However, Costco Travel’s price included a full-size rental car from Alamo for the duration of the trip. So, we think it’s safe to say that vacation packages, which, again, is an air booking and hotel booking, are a safe bet for potential savings when using Costco to travel.
Hotels
This is the most questionable area that we found where savings are to be had, but they were pretty hit-and-miss.
Additionally, when booking the hotel only, it appears that you only have access to Hyatt, Hilton, Fairmont, Swiss Hotel, and Raffles properties.
It’s only two or three of those that actually have a big presence in the US. we also found it interesting that when booking vacations only, you’re presented with a different set of hotels than if booking a package vacation.
The other thing potentially making the savings more difficult here is the efforts of hotel chains and operators to incentivize bookings on their own sites and platforms.
More recently, many hotels have been working hard to ensure that the lowest price available was found on their own site, either by offering member-exclusive rates for anyone enrolled in their rewards program, offering prepaid non-refundable rates at a significant discount, or by running a promo that basically discounts the rate after booking a minimum number of nights.
As a result, we only saw one opportunity here for direct savings in the hotel scenarios that we ran through, which was at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica.
Cruises
We checked cruise packages and found several opportunities to save money, particularly when considering what else Costco bakes into their pricing.
On the seven-day Caribbean sailing with Royal Caribbean, the Costco Travel price beat the direct booking option on Royal’s site by $336. Both options included a little bit of extra value though they weren’t remarkably different.
Royal’s rate included an onboard credit of $175, and Costco’s rate included a $1040 Costco Travel card. we saw identical prices on the Costco and Norwegian or NCL websites for a seven-day Alaska sailing.
However, Costco Travel is throwing in a $500 Costco Travel card here, basically giving you as much as seven percent back on the cost of your trip. In case you’re wondering, Costco Travel’s bookings on Norwegian do include the free extras benefits that Norwegian has become known for.
And finally, on the seven-day transatlantic on Cunard’s Queen Mary, Costco’s price was four $120 cheaper than the price on Cunard’s website and also includes an additional onboard credit.
In all three cases, there are significant savings possible when booking a cruise with Costco Travel.
Rental Cars
In Cleveland, we priced a one-week intermediate or mid-sized car via Alamo, and the Costco Travel pricing beat the pricing on Alamo’s website by $65.
We saw similar results when pricing a full-size car via Avis in Houston and a full-size SUV in Reno when renting through Enterprise.
In all three cases, Costco’s pricing was better. In addition, though we hope no one out there actually pays the fee for this, Costco claims to cover the cost of adding one additional driver to your reservation.
So, there you go, there’s some savings, but I imagine most of you, don’t really declare additional drivers nor pay for them.
Disney World
And finishing up with category five, we priced out one week at Disney World at Disney’s Boardwalk, which included air, hotel, and five days of park tickets.
Now, the properties and options available for Disney were pretty limited, but in this case, the Costco price did come out almost $200 better than booking air directly on the airline site and booking the hotel and park tickets directly on Disney’s site.
Additionally, Costco’s rate included a one-week rental of a full-sized car via Budget, so that adds to the direct savings of $200. So, it appears you do have a good chance of saving money on a Disney vacation when using Costco Travel.
Now, we know this was a pretty quick spin through five different travel options, but we think the outcomes here are pretty clear.
There certainly are opportunities for savings with booking travel through Costco. But with that said, we would suspect, though we cannot really prove it, that the volume or amount of your savings in terms of dollars or a percentage off are potentially not that remarkable when compared to other options, such as using AAA discounts or any other group discount that you may have access to and hunting down any major sales or taking advantage of prepaid rates.
However, if you are a Costco member and in the process of planning a vacation, you should certainly price out some options on a Costco Travel comp and see what you find. There’s really no reason not to give it a shot, given the potential for savings that might be out there.
Costco Travel: Pros and Cons – Is It Worth It? | Uncovering the Truth
Costco Travel: Pros
Let’s start with the pros of using Costco Travel for your next vacation. As a Costco member, you’ll have access to exclusive savings and discounts on cruises, vacation packages, rental cars, and more.
These discounts can be quite significant and save you time and money, making your next trip even more affordable.
We know that planning for a vacation – a lot of people save for months to have a week or two off – and then you blow through thousands of dollars, and it’s like you never even put that money aside.
It is important to make sure we’re getting the best price when we’re going on vacation because we work hard, we put money aside to enjoy a couple of weeks of vacation a year, and we don’t want to spend more than we have to for the vacation experience.
Costco Travel: Cons
Now, let’s discuss the cons of Costco Travel. While Costco Travel does offer a variety of vacation packages, their options can be limited. They are usually confined to a handful of very popular tourist destinations within the Caribbean, Mexico, and a few spots in Europe. If you’re an avid traveler who enjoys exploring less touristy or offbeat destinations, you might not find what you’re looking for on the Costco Travel website. Their options tend to be more straightforward and centered around the mainstream tourist spots.
Another downside is that the options cannot be personalized. The package deal bundles everything together to keep the rates competitive and low. So, if there are aspects of the package you aren’t interested in, like certain accommodations or specific airlines, attempting to customize might cause the price to rise. Ultimately, it won’t be as competitive as it would be if you used everything pre-packaged within the Costco Travel experience. This could be limiting if you prefer certain hotels or airlines due to loyalty programs or specific preferences that don’t align with the Costco package.
Furthermore, your Costco membership is required to even browse the Costco Travel website. It’s an exclusive service offered only to Costco members, which restricts access to a specific demographic. This exclusivity might not suit everyone, and if you’re not a Costco member, you won’t have access to these travel deals.
Lastly, there’s no price match guarantee. While the prices are competitive and you probably will get the best price at the time of your booking, there’s uncertainty with travel, especially international travel.
Hotel rates or destination popularity can change unexpectedly. Unfortunately, with Costco Travel, once you’ve paid for the package deal if you find a better deal elsewhere or notice a price drop, you won’t be able to request additional discounts or price matching. This lack of flexibility might be a concern for some travelers.
FAQ: Costco Travel Company Review
1. What is Costco Travel?
Costco Travel is a service provided by Costco, the popular wholesale retail store. It offers exclusive discounts and deals on vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, and more for Costco members.
2. How can I access Costco Travel?
You must be a Costco member to access Costco Travel. Once you’re a member, you can browse their travel offerings and book directly through their website or contact their customer service.
3. What kind of travel deals does Costco Travel offer?
Costco Travel provides discounted packages that often include flights, accommodations, car rentals, and additional perks like resort credits or excursion vouchers, depending on the package.
4. Are the prices competitive with Costco Travel?
Yes, Costco Travel Destinations offers competitive prices, often at discounted rates compared to booking each component separately. The bundled packages are designed to provide savings for members.
5. Can I personalize or customize my travel package with Costco Travel?
Generally, Costco Travel’s packages come as pre-packaged deals and customization options are limited. Attempting to customize might affect the overall package price.
6. What kind of destinations does Costco Travel cover?
Costco Travel primarily focuses on popular tourist destinations within the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and a few other regions. The options might be limited for travelers seeking offbeat or less touristy locations.
7. Is Costco Travel suitable for solo travelers or families?
While families might find Costco Travel beneficial due to its all-inclusive nature and convenience, solo travelers might have fewer options available that specifically cater to their preferences.
8. Does Costco Travel offer travel protection or insurance?
Yes, Costco Travel packages often include travel protection, offering coverage for certain incidents during your trip. It’s essential to review the terms and conditions to understand the extent of coverage.
9. Are there any drawbacks to using Costco Travel?
One potential drawback is the lack of flexibility in modifying packages once booked. Additionally, while prices are competitive at booking, there’s no price match guarantee if you find a better deal later.
10. How can I reach Costco Travel customer service?
You can contact Costco Travel’s customer service through their website or by calling the provided customer service number for assistance with bookings or inquiries about your travel package.
