How to Cancel a Costco Membership: Full Refund, and the Executive Catch

Costco is one of the few memberships that refunds the fee after you have used it. Its return policy promises: “We will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied.” There is no online cancel button, though; it takes a warehouse counter or a phone call. And Executive members have a catch in the fine print: the 2% Reward you have earned comes out of the refund. Here is how to cancel, what you get back at each membership level, and how to stop the auto-renewal if you only want to let the membership lapse.

The quick answer

• Cancel at: any warehouse membership counter, where you “receive an immediate refund,” or by calling Member Services at 1-800-774-2678. Only the Primary Member can cancel
• Refund: the membership fee, “at any time if you are dissatisfied,” under Costco’s 100% satisfaction guarantee
• Executive catch: “Any 2% Reward issued or accrued will be subtracted from the refund and forfeited to the extent it exceeds the amount of any refund”
• Fees today: $65 a year for Gold Star or Business, $130 for Executive, plus tax. Whether the Executive upgrade pays for itself, and what the 2% Reward excludes, is in our Costco membership cost guide
• Just want it to lapse? Turn off Auto Renewal at least two business days before the first day of your renewal month (Costco.com > Account > Renew Membership), or at least 72 hours ahead by phone or chat

Key facts at a glance

Question	Answer
Where to cancel	Warehouse membership counter, or 1-800-774-2678
Who can cancel	The Primary Member
Refund	Membership fee, at any time, if dissatisfied
Gold Star or Business fee	$65 per year plus tax
Executive fee	$130 per year ($65 plus a $65 upgrade) plus tax
Executive refund	Minus any 2% Reward issued or accrued
Downgrade instead	Executive to Gold Star also refunds the upgrade fee, minus rewards
Auto Renewal charge date	First day of your renewal month
Turn off Auto Renewal	At least 2 business days before that date online; 72 hours by phone or chat
Refund after an auto-renewal	About 5 to 7 business days

How to cancel

Costco’s cancellation answer gives the Primary Member two options:

1. At any warehouse: “Speak with a team member at any warehouse membership counter and receive an immediate refund”
2. By phone: “Call our Member Services Center at 1-800-774-2678 and speak to a live agent”

The answer lists no online cancellation, and it names the Primary Member as the person who cancels, not a Household Cardholder. If you are near a warehouse, the counter is the faster route because the refund happens on the spot.

What you get back

Costco’s return policy opens with the “Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee,” and the membership comes first: “We will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied.” Costco’s membership comparison page calls it a “double guarantee” that “applies to all membership levels,” covering the membership and the products.

The current fees, per Costco’s membership types page, are $65 a year for Gold Star and Business, and $130 for Executive (“$65 membership fee, plus $65 upgrade fee”), plus applicable sales tax. Those took effect September 1, 2024, when Gold Star rose from $60 and Executive from $120.

The Executive catch: rewards come out of the refund

Executive members earn “an annual 2% Reward, up to $1,250,” on qualifying purchases. Costco’s Executive terms attach a condition to getting the fee back: “To receive a refund for the current Executive upgrade fee, the membership must be canceled or downgraded to a Gold Star or Business Membership. Any 2% Reward issued or accrued will be subtracted from the refund and forfeited to the extent it exceeds the amount of any refund.”

In practice:

• If you have earned $40 in rewards so far this year, that $40 comes out of what Costco refunds
• If your rewards are larger than the refund, the refund is wiped out and the rest of the reward is forfeited
• Either way, the reward itself is gone: per Costco’s Executive Membership answer, “Members who reverse their Executive status will lose all rewards accumulated. Rewards are not prorated”

So for a heavy shopper, canceling an Executive membership mid-year can return little or nothing. The terms also say “A member must be a current, paid Executive Member at the end of the membership year to be entitled to the Reward,” which is why the timing of a cancellation matters more at the Executive level than at any other.

Downgrading is the middle option. If the 2% Reward no longer pays for the $65 upgrade, you can drop to Gold Star instead of leaving; the same rule applies, so the upgrade-fee refund is reduced by any reward issued or accrued.

Auto Renewal: how to let the membership lapse instead

If you are happy with Costco this year but do not want to renew, you do not need to cancel; you need to stop the auto-renewal. Per Costco’s Auto Renewal answer:

• When it charges: the card on file “will be charged on the first day of your renewal month”
• Online: sign in at Costco.com, open Account, choose Renew Membership, and remove the card from Auto Renew
• Deadline online: “If you want to let your membership expire at the end of your current membership year, remove Auto Renew at least two business days before the first day of your renewal month”
• By phone or chat: Member Services at 1-800-774-2678 “at least 72 hours prior to the first day of your renewal month,” or at a membership counter
• Too late? “If you remove Auto Renewal within 48 hours of your Auto Renewal date (typically on the first of the month), your credit card on file will likely be charged. However, Costco will systematically refund the charge back to the card on file within two business days”
• Already renewed? You can request a refund of an automatic renewal; “Refunds take approximately 5-7 business days to process”

A “$0 Costco Annual Renewal” line on your card before renewal is not a charge. Costco says it is “a verification check” that the card is valid, and “This temporary authorization will go away on its own.”

Quick answers to what people search

Can I cancel my Costco membership online? No. Costco lists two ways: a warehouse membership counter or a call to 1-800-774-2678. Online, you can only turn off Auto Renewal.

Will Costco refund my membership if I’ve used it all year? Yes. The guarantee is to “cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied.” Executive members get the refund minus any 2% Reward issued or accrued.

What happens to my 2% Reward if I cancel Executive? It is subtracted from the refund, and any amount beyond the refund is forfeited. Members who reverse Executive status “will lose all rewards accumulated.”

How do I stop Costco from renewing automatically? Costco.com > Account > Renew Membership, remove the card from Auto Renew at least two business days before the first day of your renewal month, or call at least 72 hours ahead.

Can someone on my household card cancel the membership? Costco’s cancellation answer names only the Primary Member, so plan on the Primary Member doing it.

Bottom line

Walk up to any Costco membership counter (or call 1-800-774-2678) and ask to cancel: Gold Star and Business members get the fee back on the spot, at any point in the year. Executive members should check their accrued 2% Reward first, because it comes straight out of the refund and is lost either way; a big reward can make canceling worth almost nothing, while downgrading to Gold Star keeps the membership. If you only want to stop next year’s charge, turn off Auto Renewal at least two business days before your renewal month instead. Costco’s merchandise return rules, next to Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy, are in our return windows comparison. The rival warehouse club’s fees and refund limits are in our Sam’s Club membership cost guide. The merchandise side of the same guarantee, with the 90-day electronics rule, is in our Costco return policy guide.

Cancellation, refund, fee, Executive Reward, and Auto Renewal terms verified against Costco’s Customer Service answers and Executive Rewards terms linked above on September 28, 2026. Costco notes membership fees and terms are subject to change; this guide will be updated with the revision noted.