The Costco Travel Perk You May Have Overlooked

Whether or not you have a membership to Costco, you likely know about the deals the big box warehouse store offers. Enormous jars of olives, a famously inexpensive food court, travel accessories for the family, and discount gasoline all add up to savings. Costco even sells budget-friendly family vacation essentials like discounted park tickets and season passes. Additionally, Costco has travel packages to help you book your next getaway, with a lot of the planning done for you at affordable prices. It can save you a nice chunk of money, however, there is more to the story. One Costco Travel perk you may have overlooked is their travel insurance. 

You have to have a Costco membership to access Costco Travel's insurance, and it's only for packages that you book through them. A Gold Star membership is $65 per year at the time of this writing, and Executive membership is $130 per year, with access to benefits like exclusive shopping hours and an annual 2% reward. While you may not think you need travel insurance, things do happen. You might, as the Costco website mentions, get sick right before a trip and have to cancel. Your bags may end up flying to a different destination, or you might have a medical issue while in another country. Having a way of recovering some or all of that money can give you invaluable peace of mind. 

You may have travel insurance that you've purchased privately, or through a credit card. (In fact, NerdWallet suggests that you use any card with complimentary trip insurance to purchase the Costco Travel package in the first place.) However, it may be worth it to you to have everything through one company. If you do get their insurance, it's offered through Zurich Insurance Group, and there are plans for domestic travel, cruises, and rental cars, as well as international trips, though there is only one option for the latter. You also have access to a call center that is open 24/7. However, to get a quote, you do have to input your travel details. 

Market Watch did a breakdown for Costco Travel insurance in 2024. They rated it highly, citing affordable plans (with the average around $219 for a week-long trip), with the benefit that you don't have to reveal your age. This means that older travelers aren't going to get higher rates. It covers things like medical emergencies, accidental death or dismemberment, airfare reimbursement, evacuations, missed connections, prescription replacement, and more. Some of the benefits start after three hours. One thing they mention is that, while you can file a claim online through Zurich, some reviewers say that they had issues, and that the phone claim is a better call. 

Trip insurance and things going wrong are probably the last things you want to think about while planning a vacation. But it's comforting to know that you aren't out the entire cost of the trip if something goes wrong. Finally, Costco has all sorts of supplies to level up your next road trip, so even if you're not flying, you can still save some money.