Costco - primarily for the car rental. I’ve tried multiple times to get better rates through other memberships, and never found any better than Costco. Easy to re-book if the price drops (as mentioned above).
I used to use their photo services, and was quite pleased with both the cost and the quality of prints and books. Photo department also refilled printer ink for a substantial savings. However, Costco no longer offers a photo department, and either partnered with or sold to Shutterfly. Not the same.
Sams used to be closer, but they closed that store, so now both are equidistant. Too far to justify gas purchases unless I’m already there. Sometimes the gas prices are lower, but not always.
Agree, I love renting cars from costco.com website. Rarely have ever found any better rates plus you also get FREE spouse living with you as additional driver.
Also, if you have problems with rental agency, Costco will help you. In fact agency backs down when you show your Costco rental so you don’t have to bother calling Costco.
Totally agree re Costco car rentals. I don’t have a car so whenever I need one, like to see daughter and fiance, I rent. I really like that I can cancel at the last second, just in case plans change.
Costco for the win here! Ours is about 30 minutes away, but they have the best selection. They carry Semifreddi’s baguettes and ciabatta (a local bakery in the Bay Area - if you live here, you would understand why this is so awesome). Their avocados are consistently the best compared to any other grocery store we’ve tried. Can’t beat their $5 rotisserie chicken, but they also have other items like their ahi tuna poke (ready to eat and so good) or bulgogi beef (raw sliced seasoned beef with onions) in their prepared foods section. We’ve ordered most of our indoor and patio furniture online from Costco (we’ve been very impressed with the quality of their furniture), as well as mattresses and appliances. Their online prices typically include delivery, setup or installation, as well as removing the old piece. We are hardcore Costco fans - whenever we travel, we usually even check to see if there is a Costco near where we are staying or near the airport.
@lemonlee, the wine selection in the SF area stores is outstanding.
@lvvcsf, that is the way we started: Staples/non-perishable items. ShawWife was given a membership as a joke birthday gift by some friends (?) who thought she would hate it. Then we discovered the produce. Same brand of organic mesclun mix that we used to get at Whole Foods but bigger quantity and lower total price (hence much lower unit price). Similarly with raspberries etc. Then we discovered the fish. The Boston Globe did a study at least a decade ago of mislabeling of fish and there were only two or three places in the Boston area that did not mislabel fish (similar type of fish but cheaper being sold as the more expensive type). Walmart, Costco and I think Whole Foods were the exceptions. We don’t eat meat but did when our kids were at home (and ShawSon was especially carnivorous when he grew from 5’4" to 6’4" in HS) and found that the NZ lamb and grassfed beef hotdogs and ribeye steak were surprisingly good. So we just expanded beyond staples gradually.
For anyone interested, Sam’s Club is having a new membership special ending 11/15 for people who haven’t been members for at least 6 months—$15 for regular and $55 for plus.
Costco Citi Visa is our go-to credit card. We just got back from traveling abroad and can confirm no foreign transaction fees. Also, you can take your rewards check to customer service to convert to a real check. Ours is quite large and I don’t want that much cash back (or to spend that much).
We gave up the same club membership a long time ago. Only thing we really found was better there were the sheet cakes. Ans we didn’t need them very often.
I don’t know if the Sam’s 2% program is the same as Costco’s, but if you have an Executive Membership at Costco (twice the price of the non-executive), you receive an additional 2% back on all Costco purchases. I cannot comment about gas as we do not have gas at our Costco. One needs to spend at least $3000/year ($250/month) at Costco to break even on the cost of the executive membership.
The Costco-branded Visa provides 4% on gas, 3% on dining, and 2% on Costco, and then the Costco executive membership will pay an additional 2% on Costco purchases. I end up with two separate Costco checks.
Maybe I need executive membership
I try not to run to Costco often, but absolutely every time I go there (about once a month), I shell $250 for sure…
I can leave SAM’s easily with $120 a trip…
It is just Costco has so many more appealing food items… Planning to drop Sam’s in December. I think I was Sam’s member for 22 years…
I know the feeling! The Costco employees who are attempting to convince customers to convert to the Exec membership should simply ask: Do you spend $250/month here? If so, this makes sense for you.
I have never been inside or even seen a Sam’s so I don’t know how the products compare, but I do manage to buy things I didn’t have on my list almost every time I go to Costco.
Costco is one of the closest grocery stores for us. Naturally, we spend more than $250 a month there. The executive membership and Costco Visa more than pay for themselves in our case.
How did you determine that $250 to break even? Is it using your % back? How much you get back depends on not only how much you spend but also what you buy too… I do not buy everything at Costco. For some people it is almost one place shopping…
The executive membership is $120 and the basic membership is $60, so in order to earn back the $60 difference, you need to spend $60 divided by .02 or $3000.
This page outlines which types of purchases do not earn 2%.
Other than stamps and the annual membership fee, all of my purchases earn 2%. This 2% is in addition to the 2% earned on the CC for Costco purchases.
Perhaps you thought I was talking about the Costco Visa card, but that doesn’t have a fee so no breakeven point to consider.
However, if that is what you were thinking of, I agree that there are various reward levels based on type of purchase, as follows:
We have Sam’s for gas and Costco for everything else. Sam’s is very close to us and both convenient and cheap for gas so that membership more than pays for itself. Costco is my preference for shopping. And car rentals—they really are good for that.
