Cancel Your Costco Membership This Minute if These 3 Things Apply to You

Shopping at Costco could save you a lot of money on things like groceries and household essentials. You might also save money on the items you don't buy every week, whether it's electronics, apparel, or even a vacation you book. So if you're getting great value out of Costco, then it makes sense to keep paying the $60 a year for a basic membership or $120 a year for an Executive one.

But even if you've been a loyal Costco customer for years, there may come a point when it longer makes sense to remain a member. Here are three good reasons to cancel your Costco membership ASAP.

1. You're in debt and always make impulse buys at Costco

As of late 2023, the average American owed $6,360 in credit card debt, according to TransUnion. If you're already in debt, it's important to do what you can to minimize your spending and free up money to pay off your balances. But if your Costco shopping tends to lead to impulse buys, then canceling your membership could be your ticket to digging your way out of debt.

Between its wide range of inventory and tendency to introduce new products, Costco is very good at getting shoppers to buy items beyond basics like groceries and cleaning supplies. That's a good thing for Costco's bottom line, but it's terrible for yours. So if you're not very good at saying no to impulse buys at Costco, then it makes sense to remove that temptation by not shopping there in the first place.

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2. You've moved and no longer have a Costco store nearby

As a Costco member, you're not limited to in-person shopping. You can order non-perishable items from Costco.com without having to pay for shipping much of the time. And you can even order fresh groceries for same-day delivery.

But if you've moved and no longer have a Costco nearby, you may want to cancel your membership. The bulk of the savings you'll get on items like groceries comes from in-person shopping.

Costco marks up the cost of perishables substantially for same-day delivery. And you'll also pay more for non-perishables online because the cost of shipping and handling is built into the listed price.

So all told, if you think you're pretty much done with in-person shopping at Costco, keeping your membership may no longer make sense. You may want to see if there's a different warehouse club store that's closer to your new home.

3. Your household size just shrunk and you no longer need the bulk discounts

A Costco membership can easily pay off when you have a larger household to feed and clean up after. But if your household size has recently shrunk -- say, your kids have all moved out -- then you may not need your membership anymore.

It's hard to avoid food waste when you're buying bulk perishables for just one or two people. And while things like cleaning supplies don't necessarily go bad within a week, there's still a limit as to how long you want them sitting around once you've opened the bottle. You may find that your Costco membership doesn't offer as much value if you're not buying for as many people as you once were.

A Costco membership makes sense for plenty of people. But if these things apply to you, you may want to cancel your membership and save yourself the $60 or $120.