Is Costco Travel Actually Cheaper? We Compared Real Prices on 3 Trips

There are a ton of anecdotes floating around the Costcosphere about how awesome Costco Travel is and how much money people save. But I always take these kinds of Costco stories with a grain of salty skepticism.

But they persist. So I decided to do a bit of digging and see if there was actually any truth to these pervasive rumors.

To give it a fair shot, I picked three trips of varying lengths and distances, from various parts of the country, at different times of year, and got itineraries from Costco Travel packages. I then looked up the exact same travel details directly with the providers to see what it would cost to book on your own.

Here’s what I found.

Trip 1: Chicago, Illinois to Boston, Massachusetts

• When: July 15, 2024 through July 19, 2024

• Duration: 4 nights

• Who: 2 adults plus 1 child

• Includes: Flights and hotel

Costco Package: $3,081.83

Booking direct: $3,627.96

Verdict: You save $546.13 through Costco

Booking the exact same flights and hotel room through United and Marriott, respectively, resulted in an overall cost more than $540 higher (15%) than the Costco package price.

What about rewards?

If you break out your trusty travel rewards card, you could get this trip for almost nothing out of pocket. Here’s how that looks.

Booking direct with rewards:

• Flight: 90,000 United miles plus $33.60

• Hotel: 287,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to both United and Marriott. Amex Membership Rewards points also transfer to Marriott. Plus, United and Marriott both have cobranded cards with decent welcome bonuses.

Trip 2: Syracuse, New York to Portland, Oregon

• When: Dec. 20, 2024 through Jan. 3, 2025

• Duration: 14 nights

• Who: 2 adults

• Includes: Flights, hotel, rental car

  • Flights: Delta, First Class, 1 stop each way

  • Hotel: The Nines, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Superior 1 King

  • Rental car: Budget, Intermediate Car

Costco Recommended Package: $6,571.28

Booking direct: $7,085.78

Verdict: You save $514.50 through Costco

Booking the exact same flights, hotel, and rental car type directly through Delta, Marriott, and Budget resulted in a total cost more than $500 higher (7%) than the Costco package rate.

What about rewards?

You can take this trip for free (mostly) with the right rewards points, though you’ll need quite a few. Here are the numbers.

Booking direct with rewards:

• Flight: 240,000 Delta miles plus $22.40

• Hotel: 517,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

• Rental car: Varies by program

You can get Delta miles by transferring Amex Membership Rewards points or by having a Delta cobranded airline credit card. Marriott is a transfer partner of both Chase and Amex, and it has its own hotel credit cards.

The rental car is the wildcard here. You can use rewards to book a rental car in any program’s travel portal. If you have a Capital One travel card, you can also redeem your Venture miles to “erase” a rental car purchase.

Trip 3: Fresno, California to Monterey, California

• When: Oct. 4, 2024 through Oct. 7, 2024

• Duration: 3 nights

• Who: 1 adult plus 2 children

• Includes: Hotel and rental car

  • Hotel: Holiday Inn Express Monterey-Cannery Row, Two Double Beds

  • Rental car: Enterprise, Standard Car

Costco Package: $1,220.87

Booking direct: $1,336.71

Verdict: You save $115.84 through Costco

Even on this shorter trip you’re going to save money by booking through Costo. The direct booking price was more than $115 higher (9%) than the Costco package cost.

What about rewards?

You’ll need a big bundle of IHG points for this stay. This is how it works out.

Booking direct with rewards:

• Hotel: 211,998 IHG points

• Rental car: Varies by program

IHG is a transfer partner for Chase Ultimate Rewards points (though this may not be the best use for your Chase points). IHG also has a few cobranded credit cards with decent welcome bonuses. As noted above, your rental car can be booked through any issuer travel portal using points.

Surprisingly good deals

So, I have to admit, I’m surprised at exactly how much you can really save by booking your vacation package through Costco. While I’m still on Team Travel Rewards, I can honestly say I’ll be checking out Costco Travel before booking my next paid trip.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.American Express is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Brittney Myers has positions in American Express. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool recommends InterContinental Hotels Group Plc and Marriott International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Is Costco Travel Actually Cheaper? We Compared Real Prices on 3 Trips was originally published by The Motley Fool