Let’s settle the first question right away: Costco does not have a senior discount. Not on the membership, not on groceries, not on gas. A 68-year-old widow and a 30-year-old with three kids pay exactly the same $65. What changes with age is not the price but the math. Smaller households, fixed incomes, prescriptions, hearing aids, eye exams, a spouse who no longer drives, a parent who needs groceries delivered: those are the things that decide whether a Costco card pays for itself after retirement.
This guide works through that math honestly. It covers both membership levels, the exact spending level where the pricier card breaks even, the senior-heavy services (pharmacy, hearing aid center, optical, Instacart delivery) and their fine print, the newer rules on executive-only morning hours and card checks, and the situations that come up most often in retirement, from shopping for one to caring for a parent to sorting out a membership after a spouse dies.
Seven Straight Answers for Older Shoppers
These are the questions retirees and their adult children ask most often before joining or renewing. Short answers first; the reasoning follows further down.
No. There is no age-based price on memberships or merchandise. Savings come from Costco’s everyday prices, the Executive reward, and services such as the pharmacy and hearing aid center.
$65 a year for Gold Star and $130 for Executive. Both include a free second card for someone in your household. Prices last rose on September 1, 2024.
Only above about $271 a month in purchases that earn the 2% reward. Gas, prescriptions in some states, food court and tobacco are among the exclusions, so many small households fall short.
In many places, yes. Costco says its pharmacies are open to non-members where state law requires it. Ask your local warehouse pharmacy, and compare prices before assuming a membership is needed for your prescriptions.
Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a hearing benefit, so check your plan’s terms; the open enrollment window runs October 15 to December 7.
Costco lets members cancel for a refund of the membership fee. If you cancel an Executive upgrade, any 2% reward already issued or earned is subtracted from that refund.
Not anymore. The early hour today is for Executive members only: 9 to 10 a.m. on weekdays and Sundays, and 9 to 9:30 on Saturdays, before Gold Star members are let in.
The Two Membership Cards, Side by Side
Costco keeps its consumer lineup simple. Gold Star is the standard card. Executive is the same card plus a 2% reward and a few extras, for double the price.
- Shop any U.S. and Canadian warehouse
- Free household card
- Gas stations, hearing aid center, optical
- Member pricing online
- Everything in Gold Star
- Executive-only early shopping hour
- $10 monthly credit on $150+ same-day orders
- Extra value on Costco services and travel
The September 2024 increase was modest: Gold Star went from $60 to $65 and Executive from $120 to $130, while the cap on the Executive reward rose from $1,000 to $1,250. It was the first increase since 2017. Costco has historically raised fees roughly every five to six years, so if the pattern holds, the next change is unlikely before the late 2020s. That predictability is unusual among subscriptions, and it helps a fixed budget.
Costco is not short on members. In its fiscal fourth-quarter report filed in September, the company counted 84.1 million paid memberships and 42.3 million Executive members, with a 92.3% renewal rate in the U.S. and Canada. Executive members accounted for about three-quarters of sales. The company also said more than a quarter of members are now under 40, which is one reason its digital and delivery services keep expanding, a shift that helps older shoppers who would rather not push a flatbed cart.
What every member gets, whatever the card
The base card carries most of the value retirees care about: warehouse prices, the gas station, the hearing aid center with its free hearing tests for members, the optical department, Costco Travel and the auto buying program, and member pricing on Costco’s website. A second household card is included at no cost. Members can bring two guests into the warehouse, though only the member can pay. The Costco Citi credit card, covered below, is open to Gold Star members too; it is not tied to Executive status.
The Executive Upgrade, Worked Out for a Retiree’s Budget
The upgrade costs an extra $65 a year. The reward is about 2% of eligible purchases. So the dividing line is simple division: $65 ÷ 0.02 = $3,250 of eligible spending a year.
When we read Costco’s Executive reward terms line by line, three details stood out for older shoppers. First, the exclusions are broad and land on things retirees buy: gasoline, tobacco, postage stamps, Costco Shop Cards, food court purchases, membership fees, and alcohol and prescriptions in certain states. Second, only purchases by the primary and household cardholders count. Third, the reward arrives once a year with your renewal statement, and you have to still be a paid Executive member at the end of the membership year to receive it.
Costco’s U.S. terms also state plainly that the reward is not guaranteed to equal or exceed the upgrade fee. You can still get the upgrade fee back by downgrading or canceling, but any reward already issued or accrued comes off that refund. In practice, that means a retiree who upgrades and then finds the reward is coming in at $40 can downgrade and recover the difference, but should do it before the renewal statement arrives.
Two hundred and seventy dollars a month is a family-sized Costco habit. A retired couple buying produce, paper goods, coffee and a rotisserie chicken each week may land closer to $150 to $200, which earns $36 to $48 in rewards, short of the $65 upgrade. If you buy a large appliance, a TV, a pair of hearing aids or a Costco Travel package in a given year, that single purchase can push you over the line. Plan the upgrade around the big-purchase year, not as a permanent default.
The Costco Anywhere Visa from Citi has no annual fee but requires an active membership. In January, Costco raised its gas reward at Costco stations from 4% to 5%, with 4% on other eligible gas, both on the first $7,000 of combined gas spending a year, then 1%. It also pays 3% on restaurants and eligible travel, 2% at Costco and 1% elsewhere. Rewards arrive once a year as a certificate redeemable at the warehouse. For a retired couple who drives regularly, the gas reward alone can rival the Executive reward; for someone who rarely drives, it adds little.
Pharmacy, Hearing Aids and Optical: The Senior-Heavy Services
For many people over 60, these three departments are where a Costco card earns its keep, or where it turns out not to be needed at all.
Pharmacy
Costco’s pharmacies are open to non-members where state law requires it, according to Costco’s own statement on the subject. That matters, because some retirees buy a membership only for prescriptions and later discover they could have used the pharmacy without one. Ask at your local warehouse pharmacy before joining for this reason alone.
If you are on Medicare, your Part D plan’s pharmacy network decides your copay, not the membership. Use the Plan Finder on Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE, to see whether Costco is in network and what each of your medications costs there. This is worth doing right now: Medicare’s open enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7, and plan networks and drug lists change each year. For the coming year, the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100, up from $2,000, and it counts deductibles, copays and coinsurance on covered drugs but not premiums.
Costco also runs a Member Prescription Program, a discount for members who pay out of pocket rather than through insurance. It is a membership benefit and generally does not stack with insurance. Remember that in some states prescriptions do not count toward the Executive 2% reward.
Hearing aid center
This is Costco’s most valuable senior service, and the one most tied to the membership. Hearing tests are free for members, and fitting, programming and unlimited follow-up visits for cleanings and adjustments are included for as long as your membership stays active. Recent listings showed pairs starting at $1,599.99 for Philips, Rexton and Sonite models and $1,699.99 for Jabra Enhance, with prices that vary by state and custom earmolds sold separately. Costco’s published return window for hearing aids is 180 days.
Two cautions. First, Costco no longer sells the Kirkland Signature hearing aids that made its centers famous, after its supplier Sonova halted sales to Costco in 2022, so older recommendations naming “Kirkland hearing aids” are out of date. Second, Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a hearing benefit, but it usually works through specific providers, so check whether it can be used at Costco before you assume it will pay.
| Hearing aid (pair) | Listed price | What’s included | Membership needed for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips HearLink 9050 | $1,599.99 | Fitting, follow-ups, charger | Purchase and ongoing care | Prices vary by state |
| Rexton Reach RIC | $1,599.99 | Fitting, follow-ups, charger | Purchase and ongoing care | Earmolds extra |
| Sonite Rise AI | $1,599.99 | Fitting, follow-ups, charger | Purchase and ongoing care | Newer brand name |
| Jabra Enhance Pro 30 | $1,699.99 | Fitting, follow-ups, charger | Purchase and ongoing care | Highest starting price |
Hearing aids need adjustments for years: new programming as hearing changes, cleanings, dome and wax-guard replacements. At Costco, that follow-up care continues only while your membership is active. Over a typical five-year life of a pair, five years of Gold Star membership adds $325 to the real cost of the devices, which is still modest, but budget for it rather than letting the card lapse after the purchase.
Optical
Costco Optical departments have an independent optometrist on site for eye exams in many warehouses and accept most major vision insurance plans. Exam fees are set locally, so call ahead. Original Medicare generally does not pay for routine eye exams or glasses, though it does cover certain medical eye care; if you have a Medicare Advantage plan with a vision benefit, ask whether Costco’s optical department is in network before your appointment.
Shopping Hours, Gas Hours and Delivery
Since mid-2025, the quietest hour in most warehouses has belonged to Executive members. For older shoppers who dislike crowds, that is a benefit worth pricing honestly.
Costco began the executive-only early hour on June 30, 2025: 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and on Sundays, and 9 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays. The pharmacy and food court operate during that window, except that pharmacies are closed on Sundays. Membership card scanners at the entrance read your membership level, so a Gold Star card simply will not let you in early. At the same time, Saturday closing moved to 7 p.m. for everyone, and gas stations were set to open at 6 a.m. daily for all members, closing at 10 p.m. on weekdays, 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, with some variation in California and Hawaii.
For many retirees, the free version of a quiet trip is simply a mid-morning weekday visit after the opening rush, or an hour before closing. The paid version is the Executive hour. Whether it is worth $65 a year depends on how much the crowd bothers you, how often you shop, and how much of the upgrade the 2% reward already covers.
Same-day delivery through Costco’s website and Instacart puts the warehouse within reach of homebound seniors and people who have given up driving. Executive members get a $10 monthly credit on same-day orders of $150 or more, worth up to $120 a year if you order every month. Non-members can order too, but deal reporting notes members pay meaningfully less through delivery partners and that some non-member orders carry a surcharge. Delivered prices are often higher than warehouse prices, so compare a few staples before switching your whole grocery routine.
Which Situation Sounds Like Yours?
Averages don’t help much. Here is how the membership decision changes in the situations older shoppers and their families actually face.
Stick with Gold Star and treat the $65 as an expense to be earned back, not a given. The surest wins are items you would buy anyway and that keep: paper goods, laundry detergent, coffee, frozen vegetables, vitamins and pantry staples. Gas is often a large saving if a Costco station is on your regular route. Skip anything perishable in quantities you can’t finish. If you are not saving at least $65 a year after six months, the membership can be canceled for a refund.
Bulk packaging is the single-person household’s enemy. Food thrown out erases the unit-price advantage instantly. Share a membership’s value without breaking the rules by splitting large packs with a friend or neighbor who comes as your guest (they can shop with you, but you pay); freeze meat, bread and cheese in portions the day you buy them; and lean on non-food categories. A once-a-month trip, not a weekly one, keeps impulse spending in check.
This is the case where Costco is hardest to beat on price for professionally fitted devices. Book the free member hearing test, ask for the full written price for your state including any earmolds, and use the 180-day return window to make sure the aids suit you in real life, not just in the booth. Keep the membership active afterward for the follow-up care. If you have Medicare Advantage, call your plan first to see whether its hearing benefit can be used at Costco; Original Medicare will not pay.
Open enrollment runs through December 7. Enter your medications on Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder and include Costco as one of the pharmacies you compare. Then ask the warehouse pharmacy whether you can fill prescriptions there without a membership in your state. If a plan’s preferred pharmacy is somewhere else, the copay difference will usually dwarf anything a Costco card saves you on prescriptions. Free, unbiased counseling is available through your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
The free household card must go to someone 18 or older living at the same address as the primary member, so an adult child in another home can’t simply be added to a parent’s card. Workable options: the parent holds the membership and the adult child comes along as a guest; the adult child holds the membership and buys for the parent; or the parent uses same-day delivery to their own door. Costco tightened enforcement in recent years with card scanners at entrances and photo checks at self-checkout, so lending a card is more likely to be stopped than it once was.
This is one of the hardest small errands after a loss, and it’s rarely covered anywhere. The surviving household cardholder can usually keep shopping until the renewal date, but to keep the membership long term it typically needs to be set up in your name. Take the membership card and your ID to the membership counter at the warehouse, or call Costco member services, and ask how they will handle the transfer and any remaining Executive reward. Ask specifically about hearing aid follow-up care if your spouse had devices fitted at Costco.
Your card works at any Costco warehouse in the U.S. and Canada, which makes it a useful anchor for snowbirds: familiar products, gas along the route, and pharmacies in many cities. Costco Travel also books packages and rental cars, and Executive members earn the 2% reward on completed qualifying travel. If a large trip is planned, it can tip a modest-spending household over the Executive break-even for that year.
Many residences provide meals and supplies, which can shrink your Costco spending sharply. Before renewing, look at your last three months of receipts. If you now go once a quarter for a few items, the membership may not pay for itself; a friend’s guest pass, delivery as a non-member, or a downgrade from Executive to Gold Star could make more sense. Keep the membership if you rely on the hearing aid center.
Costco Against Sam’s Club and Going Without
For a lot of retirees the real alternative is not another warehouse club but simply shopping sales at a regular supermarket. Still, Sam’s Club is worth a look, especially after its spring price change.
| Option | Yearly cost | Strengths for seniors | Weak spots | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costco Gold Star | $65 | Hearing aid center, gas, steady fees | Bulk sizes, crowds | Most retirees near a warehouse |
| Costco Executive | $130 | 2% reward, early hour, delivery credit | Needs ~$271/mo eligible spend | Larger or high-spending homes |
| Sam’s Club Club | $60 | Lower base fee | Check local services and pricing | Homes closer to a Sam’s |
| Sam’s Club Plus | $120 | Perks similar to Executive | Compare reward rules | High spenders at Sam’s |
| No membership | $0 | Pharmacy where allowed, guest trips, delivery | No member pricing | Occasional or small shoppers |
Proximity matters more than any perk. A warehouse 40 minutes away turns every trip into a half-day outing and quietly eats the savings in gas and fatigue. If a Sam’s Club is ten minutes away and Costco is forty, the cheaper membership on paper may not be the better one in your life.
Pitfalls, Card Rules and Scams Aimed at Older Members
A few rules and tricks catch older members more often than others. Knowing them in advance saves money and embarrassment at the door.
Costco installed membership scanners at warehouse entrances and began asking for photo ID at self-checkout as part of a crackdown on card sharing. Keep the photo on your card current; if your appearance has changed a lot, ask the membership desk to retake it. Using a relative’s card, even with their blessing, can be refused at the door. The digital card in the Costco app is accepted and is easier to keep track of than a plastic card.
Texts, emails and social media posts promising a free membership, a “senior appreciation” gift card, or a prize for completing a survey are a long-running phishing tactic, and Costco does not run age-based giveaways. They usually ask for a small shipping fee or card details. Delete them. If you entered card information, call your bank’s fraud line and report the scam to the FTC.
| What happens | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Turned away before 10 a.m. | Early hour is Executive-only | Arrive after opening or upgrade |
| Executive reward smaller than expected | Gas, food court, some prescriptions excluded | Downgrade before the renewal statement |
| Spouse’s card rejected at checkout | Photo or account mismatch | Visit membership desk to update cards |
| Hearing aid follow-up refused | Membership lapsed | Renew to restore follow-up care |
| Food going to waste | Bulk sizes for a small household | Split, freeze, or buy non-food |
| Membership no longer used | Moved, stopped driving, spending dropped | Ask for a fee refund |
Our Verdict for Older Shoppers
You live near a warehouse, shop at least monthly, buy gas there, or need hearing aids. For most retirees, $65 a year is recovered within a few trips on staples, and the hearing aid center alone can justify it for years.
Your eligible spending tops about $271 a month, you are planning a large Costco Travel booking or appliance purchase, or you will use the early hour and delivery credit every month. Recheck before each renewal statement and downgrade in a light year.
The nearest warehouse is far away, you live alone and rarely shop in bulk, or you only want the pharmacy and your state lets non-members use it. Guest trips with a friend and occasional delivery can cover the rest.
Questions people still ask
Does Costco offer a senior membership discount?
No. Gold Star is $65 and Executive is $130 for every adult, whatever their age.
Is the Costco Executive membership worth it for seniors?
Only if your household spends about $3,250 a year, roughly $271 a month, on purchases that earn the 2% reward, or if you value the executive-only morning hour and the $10 monthly delivery credit enough to pay the difference.
Can I add my adult child to my Costco membership?
The free household card goes to someone 18 or older at the same address. An adult child in another home would need their own membership, or can visit as your guest.
Do I need a membership for Costco hearing aids?
Yes. A membership is required to buy hearing aids and to keep receiving the free follow-up care that comes with them.
Does Costco take Medicare?
Costco pharmacies work with many prescription plans, but whether a specific Part D plan treats Costco as in network varies. Check your drugs and pharmacies on Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder. Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids.
Can I get a refund on my Costco membership?
Yes. Costco lets members cancel for a refund of the fee. When canceling or downgrading an Executive membership, any reward already issued or earned is deducted.
How this page was checked. Membership prices, reward terms and exclusions were compared against Costco’s posted Executive reward terms and announcements of the September 2024 fee change; member counts and renewal rates come from Costco’s fiscal fourth-quarter report filed with the SEC. Executive hours come from coverage of the June 30, 2025 change. Hearing aid prices come from recent listings and vary by state. Medicare rules come from Medicare program guidance; Sam’s Club fees from its spring announcement. All break-even figures are our own arithmetic. Costco can change benefits at any time, and your warehouse’s membership counter is the final word.
This page is independent and not affiliated with Costco, Citi, Sam’s Club or Medicare. It is general consumer information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
Key sources: Costco Executive reward terms (costco.com) · Costco Wholesale SEC filings · Medicare.gov · Federal Trade Commission
It’s sad that companies don’t even consider senior citizens and the military who fought for America. Can’t even get a discount—and definitely not a $20 discount.
Your frustration is completely valid — and you’re far from alone. Millions of American seniors and veterans feel the same way. But here’s where the conversation gets more nuanced than it appears on the surface, and the full picture might actually change how you use Costco — or choose a competitor.
🔍 The Real Truth About Costco’s “No Senior Discount” Policy
Costco has never offered an age-based membership discount — not for seniors, not for anyone. Their entire business model is built on a flat-fee, uniform pricing structure. The $65 Gold Star / $130 Executive fee is the same for a 25-year-old tech worker and an 80-year-old retiree. Costco’s official customer service page states directly that they don’t offer free or discounted memberships. That’s not a senior oversight — it’s a deliberate corporate philosophy. Whether that philosophy is ethical when applied to a population on fixed incomes is a fair debate to have.
📋 Costco vs. Competitors: Who Actually Helps Seniors & Veterans?
🎖️ What Military Members Are Actually Getting (It’s Not Nothing)
Here’s what the comment didn’t mention: Costco does have a military benefit — it’s just structured differently from a traditional discount. Active duty, veterans, retirees, and their spouses and dependents who sign up as new members and enroll in auto-renewal can receive a Digital Costco Shop Card worth $20 (Gold Star) or $40 (Executive). A recent spring 2026 promotion bumped that to $45. That doesn’t make the membership free, but on a $65 membership, a $45 shop card means your real first-year cost is just $20. The bigger hidden benefit? Military members who get the Costco Anywhere Visa Card have the annual fee waived, plus 4% back on gas, 3% on restaurants and travel, and 2% on Costco purchases. That credit card perk alone can be worth hundreds annually for frequent shoppers.
🎖️ Military New Member Benefit Breakdown (2026)
⚠️ Shop card promotions apply to new memberships only. Verify current offers via SheerID or ID.me.
💊 The Hidden Value Seniors on Fixed Incomes Are Missing
The most powerful argument for Costco membership among seniors isn’t in the membership price at all — it’s in three specific departments that Medicare largely ignores. According to the USDA’s latest Food Price Outlook, grocery prices rose 2.3% in 2025 and are projected to climb another 2.9% in 2026, hitting seniors on fixed incomes especially hard. The median household income for Americans 65 and older was just $56,680 in 2024. Against that backdrop, Costco’s pharmacy can save members up to 80% on generic and name-brand medications — with no extra fees beyond membership. A single chronic prescription refilled monthly can recoup the full $65 membership fee within weeks. Costco also controls roughly 16% of the entire U.S. retail hearing aid market — second only to the VA in volume — offering prescription devices at $1,599–$1,699 per pair, compared to $2,500–$8,000 at private audiologists. One hearing aid purchase can deliver savings of $3,000 to $5,000. That’s not a discount. That’s a financial lifeline.
💊 Where Seniors Recoup the $65 Fee (Fast)
Note: Medicare typically does NOT cover hearing aids or dental — Costco fills that gap meaningfully.
📢 The Bigger Issue: 7.4 Million Senior Americans Face Food Insecurity
The frustration in this comment points to something much deeper than a Costco membership card. In 2023, 7.4 million Americans aged 60 and older experienced food insecurity, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report. Food-at-home prices were 1.9% higher in March 2026 compared to March 2025 per the USDA, and overall food inflation is projected at 2.9% for 2026. For a senior on a fixed Social Security income, a $65 annual fee can feel like a significant barrier — and that’s a legitimate concern that corporations should address more boldly. Some Medicare Advantage plans now offer grocery allowances ranging from $25 to $275 per month through flex-spending cards, which is worth checking if you or a loved one hasn’t explored this. The USDA’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) also provides monthly food boxes for low-income adults 60 and older — no Costco membership required.
🇺🇸 Senior & Veteran Food/Financial Assistance Worth Knowing (2026)
Source: USDA, HHS, ACL (2026). These benefits exist regardless of Costco membership.
Bottom line: Costco’s flat-fee model wasn’t designed with seniors or veterans in mind — and that deserves honest criticism. Sam’s Club is actually the better choice if a discounted membership fee is the priority, offering $30–$50 off for seniors 50+ and military alike. But if you’re already a Costco member or considering one, the real value isn’t in the membership sticker price — it’s buried in the pharmacy, hearing center, and optical department, where the savings for older Americans on fixed incomes can run into the thousands per year. Veterans especially should know: the VA dispenses more hearing aids than anyone in America, and Costco is right behind them. That’s not an accident. It’s a recognition of who needs these services most.