Costco Just Made It a Lot Easier for College Students To Save Money
You won’t need to rely on your parents’ account to save on late-night snacks and instant ramen.
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College students tend to keep hours that are, let’s say, irregular. Late-night paper writing and cram sessions some nights. Early morning classes on certain days and not others. Days when the resulting sleep deprivation prompts them to snooze straight through breakfast and possibly lunch as well.
Because college cafeterias generally keep hours that are far more regular, it’s good to send students off with a stash of favorite snacks to keep in their dorm rooms or student kitchens for when, at whatever unusual hour, the hunger hits.
However, since college students often rely on their Costco-card-carrying families for the procurement of these snacks and supplies, they’re all too finite — as finite as their student bank accounts. Now though, college students can get a special deal on their very own Costco memberships.
What’s Costco’s College Student Membership Deal?
UNiDAYS, a website and app that partners with brands to offer discounts to college students, is currently offering two different levels of Costco membership to verified students. To get the discounted memberships, you go through the free verification process at UNiDAYS, registering using either your student email address or student ID card. Note that you need to be at least 16 to join UNiDAYS and get access to the offers.
Once you have your UNiDAYS ID, you have two Costco membership options – each valid only for new memberships: You can get a Gold Star membership for the regular rate of $65 per year and then get a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card, effectively bringing your membership rate down to $45. Or you can snag an Executive membership for the usual $130-per-year rate and get a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card, bringing the effective rate down to $90. With both memberships, you get an extra Household Card for free, so you can share with your roommate. (If you split the cost, that could bring your membership rate down even further.)
What’s the Difference Between the Memberships?
The Gold Star membership gets you shopping access to Costco Warehouses and Costco Online. The Executive membership carries several additional benefits, including an annual two-percent Reward (up to $1,250) on eligible Costco and Costco Travel purchases and access to additional Executive membership-only discounts. Executive members also have access to two new benefits: exclusive shopping hours at warehouses and a $10 monthly credit on SameDay.Costco.com or Costco via Instacart.
Is Costco’s Executive Membership Worth It?
It really depends how much you plan to spend. You’d have to buy a lot of stuff at Costco to make the extra fee back in rewards. (Although those new $10 monthly credits could add up fast.) Then again, if your local Costco is super busy, the exclusive Executive member hours could make your life a lot easier — helping you avoid the chaos of crowds.
Is There Any Fine Print?
You can find the terms and conditions here.
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