Costco Membership Gold Star Membership vs Executive Membership
Executive Membership costs $5.41 more a month ($64.92 a year) than Gold Star Membership. Here is exactly what that extra money buys.
Gold Star Membership
$5.42 a month
Best for: Anyone who shops at Costco occasionally – under roughly $3,250 of spending a year, this is the cheaper choice.
Executive Membership
$10.83 a month
Best for: Regular Costco shoppers – once you spend more than about $3,250 a year, the 2% back more than covers the extra $65.
What you get by choosing Executive Membership
- Money back at the end of the year: 2% (instead of 0%)The more expensive membership pays you back 2 cents for every dollar you spend at Costco. It arrives once a year as a reward certificate you spend in the warehouse, not as cash into your bank.
Same on both
getting in before the doors open to everyone else (not included), cards for other people in your home (2).
Which one should you pick?
It depends on what you actually use. If you don't need money back at the end of the year, Gold Star Membership does the same job for less. Answer a few questions and we'll tell you which plan fits.
Prices and features verified September 21, 2026 from Costco Membership's official pages (source ↗). Prices are before tax and can change. See all Costco Membership plans.