How can you save money at Costco, Sam’s and BJ’s? Some shopping tips for warehouse clubs

Three quick takeaways:

• BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club offer numerous ways to save money, including cash back opportunities, rewards accounts and discounts on gas.

• Sam’s Club and BJ’s have technology for faster in-store transactions, while Costco has a generous return policy on nearly all items sold.

• Memberships start at $50 per year at Sam’s Club, $55 at BJ’s and $60 at Costco.

Wholesale and warehouse clubs are different from supermarkets, often allowing shoppers to buy products in bulk to keep prices lower.

Still, that final receipt can be a shock. So the Miami Herald’s sister newsroom, The News & Observer in Raleigh, put together a guide to help you save the most money possible while doing your wholesale shopping.

We found that club credit cards (with no annual fees), gas rewards and insider tips to track deals on your wishlist items can help cut costs on some of your non-negotiable necessities.

South Florida shoppers have access to three national wholesale clubs — Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club. We looked into and broke down the following offerings for our readers:

• Membership fees and tiers (as wholesale shoppers need to be members and thus pay an annual fee)

• Finding sale and clearance deals

• Rewards accounts

• Credit cards

• Gas station rewards

• Apps

• Return policies

• Insider tips you may not know about (that can help you save even more money)

Here’s what to know about shopping deals at your favorite local warehouse club.

How to save money at BJ’s Wholesale Club

Here’s what to know about cost-cutting at BJ’s:

• Membership fees: $55 per year for a Club Card Membership, or $110 a year for the Club+ Card Membership, which offers more perks. Veterans, students and a number of professionals are eligible for membership discounts.

• Deals: BJ’s Wow Deals feature appliances, tech, furniture, home needs and toys/video games, with the added bonus of free shipping. BJ’s website calls them “incredible bargains,” and the items vary based on availability. You can also electronically clip Coupons by adding them to your membership card to be automatically applied at checkout, slashing costs on items like food, cleaning supplies and apparel. You can also check out the BJ’s Smart Saver Blog, which highlights deals on seasonally appropriate items, like Halloween candy or game day favorites ahead of the Super Bowl.

• Rewards account: Smart Saver is BJ’s regular flyer with rotating deals on a variety of items, including outdoor furniture, lunchbox snacks and everyday needs, like toilet paper and laundry detergent. Note: The Smart Saver requires a digital account to redeem coupons and take advantage of featured deals.

• Credit card: The BJ’s One+ Mastercard by Capital One offers 5% cash back on most BJ’s purchases (if you’re a Club+ Card member), plus 15 cents off per gallon at BJ’s Gas and 2% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. This card used to be called the Perks Elite Credit Card. BJ’s One Mastercard offers 3% cash back on most BJ’s purchases, plus 10 cents off per gallon at BJ’s Gas and 1.5% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. This card used to be called the BJ’s Perks Credit Card. There is no annual fee for either card with your BJ’s paid membership.

• Gas station rewards: Members save 10 cents per gallon (up to $99 or 40 gallons) on BJ’s Gas within 30 days of purchasing eligible products, which can be bought in-store or online. Multiple items can stack the 10-cent discount at a maximum of 30 cents per gallon (meaning three eligible items bought). The eligible items rotate monthly and can be found online.

• App: You can download the BJ’s App through the App Store or Google Play.

• Return policy: BJ’s return policy ranges depending on the item bought. Check the store’s online list to learn the return policy for specific items. EBT purchases must be returned within 90 days.

• Insider tip: BJ’s members can use ExpressPay when shopping in-store, scanning items through the BJ’s App to make checkout even faster. Members pay within the app and show a QR receipt at the door. Select “In-Club Mode” within the app to access this feature, along with digital coupons in the app’s coupon gallery.

This information was verified by Briana Keene (senior manager of external communications) in March 2024 via BJ’s public relations agency.

READ MORE: What can you get at Sam’s, Costco and BJ’s without a membership? Take a look

How to save money at Costco

Here’s what to know about cost-cutting at Costco:

• Membership fees: $60 per year for the Gold Star Membership, which is the base (and least expensive) option. The Executive Membership is $120 per year, which also includes an annual 2% reward and a discount on Costco services. Both memberships include a card for a second household member. Select new members can receive a Costco gift card when they enroll, including college students, medical professionals, teachers, government employees, first responders and military personnel.

• Deals: Costco’s monthly flyer has rotating deals on electronics, furniture, jewelry, household needs. Be sure to note if the discount is only offered when buying in-store or online. You can also take advantage of online savings by visiting the following sections in-app (details below) or online: While Supplies Last, Treasure Hunt and New Lower Prices.

• Rewards account: The Executive Membership (details above) offers a 2% annual reward, which Costco advertises as letting you “get paid to shop.” This lets shoppers accumulate cash rewards on select purchases for up to $750 per year, and the cash back is rewarded as a certificate (which operates like a gift card) that can only be spent in-store. Gold Star members are not eligible for the 2% reward.

• Credit card: The Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi offers cash back rewards from 1% to 4% on all purchases. Costco and Costco.com purchases earn 2% cash back. (Note: This is separate from the 2% Executive Membership reward, meaning Executive members who shop in-store with the Costco Anywhere Visa card earn even more cash back rewards.) There is no annual fee with your Costco paid membership.

• Gas station rewards: Costco Anywhere Visa Card holders can earn 4% cash back on eligible gas (and EV charging) purchases for the first year, maxing out their benefit at $7,000. The benefit is 1% cash back on gas after. While Costco gas stations often offer lower prices than other spots, Citi’s Visa card offers the cashback reward at other stations. Also, your Costco app (details below) shows the price of gas at each location in real time.

• App: You can download The Costco App through the App Store or Google Play.

• Return policy: Costco offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on nearly all of its products — including your membership itself. There are select electronic items that only have a 90-day return policy, including televisions, computers and cell phones. All other items can be returned at any time for a full refund if you are not satisfied. Items purchased online can sometimes be picked up for free to complete your return.

• Insider tip: Costco Direct lets you combine promotions for additional savings. You can save $100 when buying two select electronics, $200 with three select appliances, $300 with four select furniture items and $400 with five or more select outdoor items.

Costco did not respond to repeated requests to verify information and answer questions. Everything presented in this article has been taken directly from Costco’s website as of March 2024.

How to save money at Sam’s Club

Here’s what to know about cost-cutting at Sam’s Club:

• Membership fees: $50 per year for the Club membership, which is the base (and least expensive) option. The Plus membership is $110 per year and includes the ability to earn Sam’s Cash (more below), free shipping and/or curbside pickup on most items, early shopping hours and additional savings in pharmacy and optical. Sam’s Club sometimes offers flash discounts on memberships. In mid-February, a Club membership was $20 and a Plus membership was $70 for one year.

• Deals: Visit Shops & Promotions online to find Instant Savings (also available as a savings booklet that rotates several times during the year), Savings & Clearance and New Lower Prices on club-wide items. You can also filter by Electronics, Grocery, Pharmacy/Health and Furniture Promotions.

• Rewards account: Sam’s Club Plus Members earn 2% in Sam’s Cash on qualifying purchases in-store and through curbside pickup. You can earn up to $500 annually. Sam’s Cash can be applied toward future purchases as soon as it’s earned.

• Credit card: Plus members can earn up to 5% cash back with the Sam’s Club Mastercard (that’s 2% in Sam’s Cash, plus an additional 3% cash back on eligible in-club purchases). Club members can earn 1% cash back. There is also a Sam’s Club Credit Card (which does not offer cash back). Both credit cards do not have an annual fee and double as your membership card.

• Gas station rewards: Sam’s Club Mastercard holders can earn 5% cash back on gas anywhere Mastercard is accepted on the first $6,000 and then 1% after.

• App: You can download the Sam’s Club app through the App Store or Google Play.

• Return policy: Sam’s Club lets you return most items at any time. Certain items have short return windows, ranging from 14 days (cell phones) to 90 (electronics and major appliances). Some items can’t be returned, including gift cards and prepaid cards, tickets, custom-made items (like photos) and prescriptions.

• Insider tip: Scan & Go is an in-app offering that lets you buy your groceries in-store without waiting in a checkout line. To use this feature, open your Sam’s Club app and click the “Scan & Go” icon at the bottom. To shop, scan the barcode of each item as you’re adding to your cart. When you’re ready to check out, you pay through your phone using the card you’ve added to your account. Skip the checkout lines and head to the door with your digital receipt. This can significantly cut down — or completely eliminate — time spent waiting in line while in the club.

This information was verified by Sam’s Club’s Katelynn Gorton (senior manager of corporate communications) and Allison Van Matre (senior director of global communications) in March 2024.

The three bullet points at the top of the article were created using an AI tool for summarization and edited by journalists. Read more on our AI policy here.