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Should You Book Your Vacation at a Warehouse Club?

BJ’s, Costco and Sam’s Club can provide discounts, but be sure to comparison shop

spinner image the inside of a warehouse store
Shoppers expect to find many goods for sale at warehouse clubs, but travel savings also are available.
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You go to warehouse clubs like BJ’s, Costco and Sam’s Club to save money when buying bulk groceries. But have you ever thought you could find similar deals for travel services? These clubs offer members travel deals ranging from full vacation packages to cruises, car rentals, hotel rooms and theme park tickets.

But to what extent do the warehouse clubs really deliver on their promised savings, including 55-and-over discounts? And can you depend on the clubs to deliver travel services as well as a travel agency does?

Warehouse clubs apply the same large-scale buying power for travel products that they use to get discounts on foodstuffs. “Travel buyers are often able to negotiate special and exclusive deals for inclusion in our vacation offerings,” Chris Hendrix, Costco’s assistant vice president overseeing the travel buying division, told AARP via email.

According to Statista, in December 2023, 6 percent of BJ’s shoppers were 50 to 64 years old. Advertising platform Start.io found 5 percent of Costco shoppers were 45 to 54 and 8.1 percent 55 and older as of March 2023. At Sam’s Club, Start.io found 3.8 percent of shoppers were 45 to 54 and 14.9 percent 55 and older as of March 2023.

Many customers endorse purchasing travel through wholesale clubs. A 2021 Consumer Reports survey found that 35 percent of people buying travel through a wholesale club rated their purchase as an “excellent” value, versus only 15 percent giving that rating for online travel agencies. For customer service, 31 percent of warehouse club customers called it “excellent,” while just 15 percent of customers said that of online agencies. As a whole, 85 percent of warehouse club travel customers surveyed said they were likely to or would definitely use the service again. 

“I think the customer service is great at Costco,” says Jill Gragg, 52, an attorney in Lake Oswego, Oregon, who has used Costco Travel for multiple family trips because of its “price and ease of booking.” She says it was “$200 to $300 cheaper” to book Las Vegas trips through Costco versus on her own, while her European vacation “was significantly cheaper; I would say $2,000 to $3,000 less.”

À la carte items such as rental cars and hotel rooms also can provide savings: Charles McGinnis, a software developer in Chicago, says he “found that rental cars through Costco were usually 5 to 10 percent cheaper than booking directly with the same rental car companies,” saving him “$50 to $100 a trip.” 

Budgeting and finance experts agree that you can find good travel deals at the warehouse clubs, but you need to be a smart shopper to maximize benefits.

“Given that you can receive discounted pricing, plus earn cash back on select travel bookings, as well as bonus perks like credits and reduced fees, it can be well worth your time to book travel through a warehouse club,” says Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with pricing advisory website DealNews.com. But she recommends buyers fully evaluate the costs and benefits of a bundled trip. “Make sure the details of the package are worth it to you. Sure, a large package with plenty of perks may look great at face value,” Ramhold says, “but if you aren’t going to use the perks or some of them aren’t of any interest to you, then you’re still wasting money paying for items you aren’t interested in.”

Having booked trips through Costco herself, family budgeting expert Andrea Woroch has identified tips and tricks to get the best value from warehouse club travel. She says customers should incorporate store incentives when considering travel package pricing. For a Disney Cruise she booked, Woroch says, “Although we ended up paying the same rate as available directly through Disney, we got a huge bonus — a $790 Costco Shop Card. We ended up using the shop card to pay for new flooring we were already planning to purchase so that was like getting a discount on the trip but through a different avenue of our budget.”

Discounted travel gift cards are another lesser-known avenue to score additional savings at warehouse clubs. “You can get 20 to 30 percent [discounted] gift cards at warehouse club stores for airfare, spa services, restaurants, theme parks and more,” says Woroch. She purchased a $500 Disney gift card for $475 at Sam’s Club for her trip and noted that Sam’s Club is currently offering $50 off $500 gift cards for Southwest Airlines.

However, consumers should be aware that warehouse clubs are not full-service travel agencies and lack some of the support and customization those agencies provide. “Travel advisers can greatly help travelers who want more than just a typical trip,” says Adam Morovati, web and social media manager for NorthStar Cruises. Professional travel advisers can supply insider knowledge and “personalized journeys that create deeper connections and provide unique experiences,” he says.  

To help you decide whether to use a warehouse club to purchase travel, AARP summarizes some of the features and benefits of these travel services.

BJ’s Travel

BJ’s Wholesale Club uses a third-party partner to offer members a wide range of travel services, including cruise bookings, vacation packages, hotels and car rentals. Its most popular travel destinations are the Caribbean, Mexico, Orlando and Las Vegas. 

BJ’s Travel features multiple exclusive benefits for members. It offers a “110% Best Price Guarantee” for vacation and cruise bookings: If you find a lower price at another website within 48 hours of booking, the company will refund 110 percent of the difference — but the trip must be exactly the same. BJ’s also offers gift cards of up to $500 for cruise bookings. Savvy travelers should regularly check BJ’s Travel pages for short-term offers and special deals.

“BJ’s Travel offers special rates for cruise passengers who are 55 years or older on their departure date,” says Briana Keene Bryant, senior manager, external communications for BJ’s. She adds that some cruise lines consider “seniors” to be 60 and older, so check with the carrier before booking.

BJ’s offers full 24/7 traveler call support. While BJ’s has branded credit cards and upgraded memberships, these do not entitle customers to rewards through BJ’s Travel purchases. 

Costco Travel

Costco Travel sells vacation packages to destinations including Florida, Hawai‘i, Las Vegas, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and the South Pacific. Costco also sells trips on 11 different cruise lines, as well as hotel stays, rental cars and theme park tickets as part of vacation packages.

To purchase from Costco Travel, you must be a Costco member. If you’re planning to purchase a large travel package, you may want to upgrade to Executive Member level to obtain a 2 percent reward benefit from purchases. Thus, if you spend $3,000 or more in a year, you will make back the $60 charge for the upgrade. Keep in mind you still need to be an Executive Member when travel starts to get the reward. In addition, using Costco’s branded credit card will give you an additional 3 percent back on eligible travel purchases there.

Costco Travel is fully owned by the company. “This allows us to ensure Costco members are getting the same exceptional quality and value that we offer in our warehouse and online business,” says Costco’s Hendrix. Costco’s in-house travel business center is open for questions or to book travel Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. 

Deal hunters with flexible travel timing can peruse Costco Travel’s deals page or subscribe to its newsletter to be alerted to special limited-time offers such as discounted rates, bonus tour credits, free transfers and gift cards.

Sam’s Club Travel

Sam’s Club features a Travel and Entertainment service that offers bookings and deals for hotel stays, rental cars and event tickets. Unlike the other two warehouse clubs, Sam’s Club does not book vacation packages, flights or ocean cruises.  “We are most known for incredible prices on theme parks and attractions, shows, events, concerts and movie tickets,” says company spokesperson Steven Zapata.

If you’re looking for discounted event or attraction tickets, Sam’s Club offers a huge selection in dozens of cities across the U.S. Sam’s Club also boasts a world-spanning collection of hotel rooms bookable with “exclusive deals” for its members. The hotel deals come with a “Best Rate Guarantee,” although the fine print may make refunds hard to collect. 

You must be a Sam’s Club member to purchase from its website. Upgraded membership and Sam’s Club-branded credit cards do not provide any benefit for travel purchases through the third-party provider that runs the travel service. Sam’s Club offers a 60 percent discount for 55-plus adults for regular membership or $50 off its Plus membership. Travel customer service representatives are available daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

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