How Much Do You Save With Costo Travel?

Costco Travel is an excellent opportunity for all those who have memberships in warehouse club to receive special offers for traveling and renting cars, hotels, cruises and others. But just how much can you save when you book your travel through Costco as opposed to somewhere else? The potential savings can be huge in this regard. Here is a brief on how you can save money by using Costco Travel services, This is as follows,

Save on Hotels

Costco Travel has shown immense potential in saving money, especially when it comes to hotel bookings. Costco has a special relationship with hotels all over the world to provide its members with cheaper rates and discounts. This means that when you are booking a hotel through Costco what you will find is that the costs are 10-20% lower than the same hotel would cost if booked through other channels.

For instance, a recent search revealed that a four-night stay at Hyatt Zilara Cancun all-inclusive resort would cost $1220 through Costco. The same room and dates was $1440 when using the Hyatt official website for the search. And that, folks, is $220 in savings – all thanks to the power of booking through the Costco Travel portal instead of through the hotel.

Costco also often uses extra credits or bonuses to increase the demand for its services. There are often promotions like “Save $50 on 4 Night Stay” or ‘$100 Resort Credit Included.’ These additional incentives lower the actual price you end up paying even further.

Add to that the fact that you also get rewards too through your Costco Executive Membership and the saving is huge.

How to Get Good Deals in Packages When Traveling

Costco is especially great when it comes to vacation packages. This generally combines offers on the fare, and hotel, rental cars, and flights or tours and other activities at a fixed package price.

Costco has a significantly large buying power and contracts with travel suppliers to enable them provide very cheap prices on these tough to beat vacation packages.

For instance, it is not uncommon to come across 7-night Caribbean getaways that comprise of airfare, accommodation, meals and transfers for under $2,000 per couple. If one sought to build that same mosaic of components independently, it would cost 25-40% more if booked separately.

However, if you appreciate the convenience of a one-stop booking process of all your vacation needs, then Costco Travel offers it at almost cut-throat prices.

Big Savings Booking Cruises

Besides, the land-based vacations, there are some really good offers on cruise lines on the Costco Travel website. They are able to negotiate low rates and special perks from cruise operators because of their huge turnover.

For instance, a 7-Night Alaska cruise that was offered recently in Princess Cruise Line cost as low as $689 per person. When I went to check the same cruise on Princess’s website the prices were starting from $899.

Well, in this particular case, Costco was giving more than $200 per person discount when booking direct. Moreover, special packages for dining and drink coupons on the premises of Plus Costco were added bonuses not available in any other store.

For all cruise itineraries, additional onboard credits, free cabin upgrades, free airfare, low deposits, and special offers are sent regularly by Costco. These value-adds increase the savings even more for Costco members.

Slashed Rental Car Rates

No matter where your vacation might be you must always compare rental cars from Costco Travel. Other travel related services include car rentals where Costco has contracted with all the leading car rental firms to provide cut rate prices to its members.

For instance, the latest search for a 5-day car rental at LAX yielded prices starting from $185 total through Costco. Comparing the same dates on Hertz website, prices started from $282.

Thus, within one delivery of a comparative price check, Costco Travel pared rental car expenses by $100. They can even save you a lot of money in the long run depending on the rental period.

As with many things found on Costco, there are often deals such as cheaper loss/damage waivers or even free bump ups to larger car rentals when renting through the website. You get to save initially and have a chance to save more in the process.

Save Money via Costco Cash Back Rewards

There is one other difference in booking travel through Costco rather than going direct to hotels, resorts and airlines; you get 2% cash back rewards. The 2% rewards all the Executive members get go for all Costco Travel purchases of travels.

And that is how you get to see your annual rewards pile up as you make hotel stays, purchasing flights, and buying packages for your vacation through Costco portal. The 2% cash back is automatically received annually through a check.

This can be hundreds of dollars more in cash back travel rewards for the busy traveler to minimize their vacation expenses.

Costco Price Match Plan Safeguards You

Booking travel tends to stress people out that they can find the same travel package or even a better one at a cheaper price. To ensure customers get value for their money, Costco has made new bookings come with a Low Price Guarantee.

If you come across same hotel, cruise or vacation package anywhere else cheaper, within 24 hours of your booking, they will give you 110% of the price difference.

And know that through the booking engine, Costco only presents genuine businesses and travel services. And just so you are aware they pre-approve all the hotels, resorts, cruise lines and so on which you find in Costco Travel.

Easy Cancellations and Changes

On the same note, it is also important to note that Costco does allow for the cancellation of prepaid hotel reservations. However, if you cancel your reservation at least 48 hours before the check-in time, you receive a full refund with no penalties from Costco. Just try doing that directly to the hotel after you have paid cash up front!

They also permit changes in the date of your booking while visiting the same property within a year of the date of purchase.

Knowing one can cancel has much more value than knowing one cannot when prepaying hotel stays at such cheap prices.

Simple Booking Process

The other advantage of booking with Costco Travel is that making a booking is very easy. Currently, it is possible to search for hotels and vacation packages on Costco.com by a destination. Search options like filters and sorting tools help you narrow down results very quickly to places and times.

If, for instance, you have selected your preferred hotel or package offer, you proceed to the check out process usually involving the standard checkout process like any other Costco products. Guests input their personal data, including phone number and credit card information; the booking confirmation email is sent at once. All your trip details are available in your Costco account and just a click away from you.

Therefore, making the process of booking group travel, couples and family vacations easier for Costco.

What are the Disadvantages of Using Costco Travel?

The only disadvantage, however, is that one cannot access Costco Travel rates and book vacation packages without being a member of the Costco. However, if you consider the initial dollar value saving and the first-class traveling experiences, a basic membership with Costco is worth the price if you are a frequent traveler. Just one trip booked through Costco Travel can save you enough to make up for years of membership fees.

In summary, this article provides information on the saving that one is able to get from Costco Travel.

In a nutshell, when compared to other online travel agencies, Costco Travel wins throughout hotel rate comparison, vacation package costs, additional member benefits, and simple international booking. I believe that Costco offers a good combination of price, service and choice that is not always available with other mass merchants’ travel services.

Therefore, if you would like to save some money while still having an opportunity to get a great vacation, do not forget to make a comparison with the help of Costco Travel next time you start planning a trip. The savings that are within the realms of their members only pricing will sure make you as cheerful as this couple enjoying the sun!

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