Costco Is Cracking Down on Membership Card Sharing: Here’s What’s Changing

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg/Getty

Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg/Getty

Costcois implementing a stricter protocol to prevent shoppers from sharing their membership cards with non-members.

Afterfirst cracking down on membership card sharingwith a photo-verification system in 2023, the bulk-retailer will soon have devices at its store entrances that will scan each membership card.

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In June 2023, Costco starting carrying out their initial photo-verification system at self-checkout kiosks after noticing that “non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them,” the company wrote in a statement shared with PEOPLE at the time.

“Costco is able to keep our prices as low as possible because our membership fees help offset our operational expenses, making our membership fee and structure important to us,” the company added in the statement.

They also emphasized that “membership cards are not transferable” and that “we don’t feel it’s right that non members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members.”

Costco food court.George Rose/Getty

George Rose/Getty

In 2020, efforts to discourage card sharing were also implemented when Costco announced that non-members would no longer be able to dine at their famously cheap food court where you can get ahot dog meal for $1.50.

At the time, the warehouse chain put up signs at their locations across the U.S. that said, “Effective March 16, 2020, an active Costco membership card will be required to purchase items from our food court. You can join today. Please see our membership counter for details.”

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Costcooffers memberships starting at $60 a yearand operates606 warehouses in the United Statesas of June 2024.

source: people.com