I've been a member at BJ's, Sam's Club, and Costco for decades. If I could only choose one, it'd be Costco. (2023)

FAQs

Who has better prices Costco or Sam's Club? ›

Does Costco or Sam's Club Have Better Prices? Overall, the prices at Costco tend to be cheaper. However, Sam's Club has a greater selection of name-brand products and a cheaper membership fee.

Sam's Club® Mastercard®

It won't work at Costco because it's a Mastercard and only Visa is accepted there. It also gives you 3% back on dining and takeout purchases, but only 1% back everywhere else, including purchases at Sam's Club.

BJ's is smaller and sells more name brand items. Costco is the better choice thanks to reasonable prices, a superior food court, and clean store design.

Costco's membership fees are more expensive, but its prices tend to be slightly lower overall. Sam's Club carries more national brands while Costco stocks more private label items. Costco is known for having a larger selection of organic products. Both wholesale clubs offer discounted gas, but Costco gas is Top Tier.

When it comes to basic food staples, Sam's Club prices are slightly lower than Costco's. Sam's Club had a lower price for more items on this list than Costco, but the price differences are slim. And this is just a glimpse of the many products and food items both wholesalers offer.

The Sam's Club Plus Membership is the highest level of membership offered and includes additional benefits such as free shipping for online orders, earlier shopping hours, and special financing options. A Sam's Club basic membership costs $45 a year, while a Sam's Club Plus membership costs $100 per year, an extra $55.

Costco doesn't offer free or discounted memberships, but rest assured that the cost of membership can be recovered quickly thanks to massive price savings once you start shopping.

Unfortunately, Costco does not offer any free or discounted memberships for seniors, meaning that senior shoppers still have to pay full membership fees. The starting cost of a Costco membership is $60 per year, which gets you access to a Gold Star membership.

The Sam's Club Membership Free Trial (“Free Trial”) offer is available to those customers who do not have an active Sam's Club membership and have not had an active Sam's Club membership during the past 6 months. To sign up for a Free Trial, you must have a current, valid payment method on file.

At BJ's, the prepared meals are more like what you find on the name-brand side of Costco's impressive refrigerated-foods wall. They're displayed supermarket deli-style in short bays that punctuate the space.

Which is more affordable Costco or BJs? ›

BJ's has similar membership tiers as Costco, though their annual dues are slightly cheaper.

BJ's offers a cheaper membership

A Costco membership starts at $60 a year for the basic version. There are ways to avoid paying, but if you're a regular shopper it often makes sense. A BJ's in-store membership starts at $55 a year.

Costco shoppers find that their local stores are more open with higher ceilings and better lighting compared to Sam's Club stores. There is also more space for navigating aisles and finding additional items. In general, Sam's Clubs tend to be a bit smaller, coming in at an average of 134,000 square feet.

You do need a membership to use the food court

Sadly, this is no longer true for non-members. Since early 2020, Costco has required a membership card to buy anything at the food court, including chicken bakes, barbecue beef brisket sandwiches, ice cream and churros.

“Keep in mind that with a Costco membership, you should have a positive cost/benefit analysis,” said Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at Truetrae.com. In her opinion, “A single person simply doesn't need to shop at Costco enough for the membership to be worth it.”

Cost-wise, Sam's Club was the better deal at our local wholesaler locations, but that's only if you're splitting hairs — the Sam's chicken was $4.98, only a penny better than Costco's price of $4.99.

Membership Fee Frequently Asked Questions. What are the new membership fees and when will they change? Starting October 17, 2022, membership fees will increase from $45 to $50 for Club members and from $100 to $110 for Plus members.

Costco has two main membership levels: Executive, which costs $120, and Gold Star, which costs $60. Executive membership gives you a 2% return on qualifying Costco purchases and discounts on services. If you spend $3,000 annually, or $250 per month, at Costco, it's worth upgrading to Executive.

Just like our members, we also have a 'more the merrier attitude', so we're excited to be able to bring back our $8 membership offer and let more people discover the quality, convenience, and value that Sam's Club offers.

Membership cards are non-transferable and are inclusive to card and household cardholders.

What is the most expensive Sam's Club membership? ›

If you've been on the fence about getting a Sam's Club membership to get their warehouse deals, you might want to get on that soon. The Sam's Club membership cost increased on Oct. 17, 2022, with the entry-level membership jumping from $45 to $50 per year and their Plus membership increasing from $100 to $110 per year.

Yes, AAA members do get discounts at Costco. When they join or renew their AAA membership, they can receive a one-time $20 or $10 Costco Shop Card. They can also get a 10% discount on most services at Logan Square Auto Repair, a Costco partner. However, there is no general discount on Costco purchases for AAA members.

You must have excellent credit to get approved for the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. That generally means a credit score of 720 or above. Is the Costco Anywhere Visa the best credit card for gas? If you want rewards that are more flexible than Costco rewards, see our top picks for best gas credit cards.

“The Costco Executive Membership is worth the money for every Costco customer,” he said. “The main benefit of the membership is it provides a 2% reward on all Costco purchases.” Depending on your spending habits, he said you might be able to earn enough rewards to cancel out the membership cost.

The cheapest Costco membership is the Gold Star membership. The annual fee for this membership is $60.

The Costco membership card is non-transferable, but there are several ways to share the experience with family and friends. Anyone with a card can bring up to two guests to the Warehouse during each visit. Keep in mind that purchasing items is exclusive to Costco members.

The main Costco Credit Card requirements are that an applicant must be at least 18 years old with a valid Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification number.

Sam's Club membership is not a necessity to get in the door to check things out. There are items and services within Sam's Club that must be offered, by law, to non-members for purchase. So, if you want to just walk around the store and see the prices and offerings, go for it.

Your membership will be just $15.

12-month Club membership + 1 Complimentary Membership for someone in your household. 1% cash back on qualifying in-club purchases with Sam's Club Mastercard® Special savings in services like Tire & Battery, Pharmacy and Optical.

Will BJS cut meat for you? ›

Did you know that BJ's Butchers will custom-cut steaks, chops and more in-Club while you shop? Get to know your Club's Butcher today for expert tips and answers to all your fresh meat questions. Ruth Sheppard- Nugent and 46 others like this. Does your beef come from cows fed GMOs or antibiotics?

While a lot of people think the "BJ" in BJ's Wholesale Club stands for Berkley Jensen, one of its own brand lines, that isn't true, Byrnes said. Rather, the company's initials honor Beverly Jean, the daughter of company founder Mervyn Weich. The chain, headquartered in Massachusetts, opened in 1984.

So the axiom is true — buying in bulk is cheaper, most of the time. Costco wins the warehouse club price war by a few pennies. Sam's Club follows in a close second, and shopping at BJ's will save shoppers almost 14 percent over the same trip at Walmart.

As a non-member, you will have to pay a 20 percent surcharge on what you buy. But should you decide to invest in a membership within seven days of using the one-day pass, you can ask for BJ's to apply the surcharge to your membership fee.

In August 1997, Waban spun off BJ's to become an independent company, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc., headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, while Waban renamed itself to HomeBase, Inc. In 2011, BJ's was acquired by two private equity firms, Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners.

BJ's 1-Day Online Pass allows non-Member guests to experience the benefits of Bjs.com for 24 hours without purchasing a membership from BJs.com.

Yet, another review found that BJ's has the best prices followed by Sam's Club, and then Costco. Note, cost is all relative to the types of products you purchase—like organic or non-organic produce, for example—as well as the level membership you purchase, and your location.

And overall, while Costco prices are better, Walmart still has very good prices. For me, though, shopping in bulk as Costco allows me to do not only saves money but also time and energy since I can buy cases and big bags all at once!

When you visit a Costco warehouse, you'll discover all the valuable savings we have to offer. As a nonmember, you may still purchase prescriptions from a Costco pharmacy with cash, debit, Costco Shop Cards or a Visa® card. However, you must be a paid member to enter the warehouse and purchase any other items.

Is the standard Costco Gold Star Membership worth it? The standard Costco Gold Star membership is going to run you $60 per year. If you have a small family — or even if you live alone — and don't have a lot of space to store bulk food, I would say that any Costco membership won't be worth it for you.

How much do you need to spend at Costco to make membership worth it? ›

How much you'd need to spend to make Costco Executive Membership worthwhile. In order to receive $60 in reward dollars and recoup the $60 more that an Executive Membership costs, one must spend $3,000 over the course of the year at Costco on eligible purchases, an average of $250 a month.

If you're the Primary Member or Account Manager, you can assign your free household card to one other person in your home. That way they'll also get the benefits of a Costco membership.

Costco doesn't offer free or discounted memberships, but rest assured that the cost of membership can be recovered quickly thanks to massive price savings once you start shopping.

If you're going to regularly shop at Sam's Club, an annual membership would be more financially efficient. However, you are able to shop at the store if you purchase a guest pass with a 10% service fee charged on your items.

Yes anyone can be a member of Costco, there are 2 categories - trade and individual members.

Some quick math or a glance at the finer print (aka the unit price) on Costco's price tag reveals that the price per dozen eggs is actually $2.995. That's nearly 50 cents less per dozen than Trader Joe's (and 65 cents less than Aldi).

According to the report, consumers can also save 50 percent when purchasing a 24-pack of bottled water at Costco compared to just a single bottle at Walmart.

Are Costco Meat Prices Competitive? Costco tends to run on the more expensive side. This is especially true when compared to supermarket specials and coupons that often undercut Costco pricing significantly. But when comparing the Costco price to your local butcher shop, Costco will usually win.

That's right, Costco's best-selling item is toilet paper. They sell more than a billion rolls every year. The high quality and warehouse price of Costco's Kirkland brand toilet paper make it fly off the shelves every day.