The Costco membership price itself doesn't change. But new members can immediately cut the effective up-front cost, receiving a $50 or $100 online voucher when they buy a paid membership on Costco.ca. Gold Star buyers get a $50 voucher that applies to a minimum $150 online purchase; Executive members get a $100 voucher for a minimum $250 online purchase. The promotion runs to August 30, 2026, and is open only to people new to Costco or whose membership expired at least 18 months earlier. Read on for a step-by-step guide to which tier likely pays for itself, how to claim the voucher with promo codes COSTCO50 and COSTCO100, and what the vouchers can and can't be used for.

Here is the bottom line: the membership fee itself doesn't change. A Gold Star costs $65 per year and an Executive costs $130 per year. But if you are eligible and plan to shop online, the online voucher cuts the effective up-front cost because it immediately reduces what you will pay on a qualifying Costco.ca order. For you, the key questions are First, which membership level will pay for itself, and Second, will you meet the voucher minimum on Costco.ca soon after joining. This guide walks through both questions and gives the exact steps to claim the deal.

1. Choose your membership level and confirm the true cost

Decide between Gold Star at $65 per year and Executive at $130 per year. Executive members get the same basic benefits as Gold Star members plus an annual two per cent reward on eligible Costco and Costco Travel purchases, and other Executive features that Costco lists. The two per cent reward is unchanged by the promotion.

Think in cash-and-math terms. If you expect to spend heavily at Costco on bulk groceries, gas, pharmacy items or travel, the two per cent reward may cover the extra $65 Executive premium. If you don't expect to spend enough that two per cent will exceed $65 in a year, Gold Star is the cheaper path up front, especially when you add the $50 voucher.

Worked example: if your expected annual Costco spend is $4,000 on eligible purchases, the Executive two per cent reward would return $80, which exceeds the $65 premium. Executive makes sense. If your expected spend is $2,000, the reward is $40 and you are better off with Gold Star plus the $50 voucher.

2. Confirm eligibility before you buy

The promotion is available only to people who are new to Costco or whose prior Costco membership expired at least 18 months earlier. Confirm this before you proceed, because coverage of the offer consistently lists that 18-month expiry condition.

The membership purchase must be completed on Costco.ca for the voucher to apply.

Quick checklist to confirm eligibility: First, are you an entirely new Costco customer. Second, if you were a member before, has your membership been expired for 18 months or longer. Third, are you prepared to provide a valid email at sign-up so Costco can send the membership confirmation and the voucher. If you answer yes to one of the first two and yes to the third, you qualify.

Worked example: you had a Costco card that lapsed 12 months ago. You aren't eligible for The voucher. Wait six more months, or buy without the promo if you need membership immediately.

3. Buy the membership on Costco.ca and enter the promo code

Complete the paid membership purchase on Costco.ca. At checkout enter the promo code exactly as listed: COSTCO50 for Gold Star or COSTCO100 for Executive. Provide a valid email address when you sign up because both the membership confirmation and the online voucher are delivered by email.

Costco will email a membership confirmation that includes your membership number. You will need that number, plus a government photo ID, to pick up a physical membership card from a warehouse membership counter if you want one. You don't need the physical card to shop on Costco.ca, but some in-warehouse services require the card.

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Worked example: choose Gold Star, pay $65 at checkout, enter COSTCO50, and use your primary email. Costco sends a membership confirmation email quickly and then the online voucher within a couple of business days.

4. Get your physical card and understand where the voucher works

After checkout you will receive two emails within a short window. The first is the membership confirmation with your membership number. Bring that email and a government photo ID to any Costco membership desk in Canada to receive the physical card. The second email contains the online voucher, which BlogTO reports arrives in two to four business days after purchase. Expect that timing rather than an immediate code appearing in your account panel.

Important distinction: the vouchers in this Canadian promotion are described as Online vouchers to be applied toward a qualifying purchase on Costco.ca. They're not necessarily the same as a general-purpose digital Shop Card that can be spent both online and in warehouses. Past U.S. offers, processed through third-party sellers, bundled a digital Shop Card that could be used across both channels. Those earlier deals used different redemption rules and different delivery mechanics, and some were sold by third-party platforms such as StackSocial.

Worked example: you get the membership confirmation immediately by email and then the voucher two days later. You can't apply that voucher physically at the cash register in store unless the voucher explicitly allows in-warehouse use, which the Canadian promotion does not. Apply it on Costco.ca when you meet the minimum spend.

After you buy the membership on Costco.ca, expect the online voucher by email in two to four business days. The Gold Star voucher requires a minimum Costco.ca purchase of $150 to apply the $50 discount. The Executive voucher requires a minimum online purchase of $250 to apply the $100 discount. This voucher is an online code that you apply at checkout on Costco.ca when your cart reaches the threshold.

Plan the purchase that will use the voucher. If you need household staples, bulk groceries or a planned electronics buy, time that purchase to coincide with the voucher arrival. Remember that the voucher is tied to the Costco.ca redemption rules described in the promotion; it's not automatically interchangeable with the digital Shop Card offers previously sold through third parties.

Honestly, worked example: you sign up for Executive, get the $100 voucher, and you plan to order a $260 mattress from Costco.ca. Apply the voucher at checkout and the voucher reduces the order by $100, provided the SKU is eligible and the cart meets the minimum spend requirement.

The Costco.ca voucher promotion is listed to expire on August 30, 2026. That's the single expiration date to note for the Costco.ca offer. If you are considering membership deals offered through third-party sellers, be aware those sales and redemption windows ran on different timelines. Some U.S.-oriented pieces reported a bundled $45 digital Shop Card sold with a one-year Gold Star membership and gave December 2024 sale deadlines and January 31, 2025 redemption deadlines for that product. Those offers were processed off Costco.ca and had different rules about where the digital value could be used.

What matters for this guide is the channel you use to buy. If you buy on Costco.ca and enter COSTCO50 or COSTCO100, you will receive an online voucher for Costco.ca purchases, and the expiry to note is August 30, 2026. If you buy through a third-party seller, read that seller's terms carefully because sale deadlines, voucher delivery timing and where the value can be spent will vary.

Worked example: a U.S. deal you saw for $45 with membership was processed by a third party and had different redemption rules and deadlines. That isn't the same product as the Costco.ca voucher offer, and you shouldn't assume the same use cases apply.

If you want a single rule to split the audience, here it is: if you expect to spend more than $3,250 on eligible Costco purchases in a year, Executive is likely the sensible pick because two per cent of $3,250 is $65, which equals the price difference between Executive and Gold Star. If you expect to spend less than that, choose Gold Star and use the $50 voucher to reduce your effective up-front cost when you shop online.

Worked example: planning family grocery buys, gas and a Costco Travel purchase that totals about $5,000 annually means the Executive two per cent reward returns $100. That covers the higher fee and leaves the Executive voucher as pure extra savings on your first Costco.ca order.

Other practical tips: First, use the same email you want Costco to contact you at. Second, bring the membership confirmation and photo ID to the warehouse to pick up the physical card if you want it. Third, don't assume the voucher works in store; the Canadian promotion frames the voucher for Costco.ca use. Fourth, if you find a third-party bundle that sounds cheaper, read the small print on where the digital value can be spent and the redemption window.

Common pitfalls to avoid: One, signing up on a third-party site expecting the Costco.ca voucher mechanics. Two, expecting instantaneous voucher delivery; BlogTO reports a two-to-four business day window. Three, buying Executive solely for the larger voucher without checking whether the two per cent reward will justify the higher annual fee.

Finally, be explicit with the promo codes. For Gold Star enter COSTCO50.

For Executive enter COSTCO100. No other code is mentioned in the Canadian promotion materials you will see on Costco.ca.

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If you plan to join with this promotion, buy your membership on Costco.ca and enter the appropriate promo code at checkout (COSTCO50 for Gold Star, COSTCO100 for Executive) before August 30, 2026. Watch your email for the membership confirmation and the online voucher; expect the voucher within two to four business days. Bring the confirmation email and a government photo ID to any Canadian Costco membership desk to pick up a physical card.

This article was created with AI assistance.