5 COSTCO Saving Secrets Revealed Including £9 Petrol Hack
- Tom Church, Deal Expert and Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, reveals how he saves £100s at Costco
- Fuel Up for Less: You can save around £9 on a full tank of petrol with this one trick
- Bulk Up and Save Big: Stock up on everyday essentials in bulk to save up to 54% on your purchases
- Secret Bargains Unveiled: How to identify which items are marked down
- Double-Dip on Deals: How to stack discounts to save even more
- Explains how membership works
Deal Expert Tom Church, Co-Founder of money saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, shares his 5 top tips for shopping at Costco including what to buy and how to find secret deals reduced in store. Plus, a nifty trick to save money on petrol.
- Fuel Up for Less: Costco Petrol is £9 Cheaper for a Full Tank
“Costco is the cheapest place for fuel. Many Costco stores in the UK have pumps so you can fill up your vehicle. There’s petrol and diesel and I’ve found they both offer excellent value. And you can see how much you’re going to save by using the free app, Petrol Prices.
“Exact prices will depend on the Costco location you visit, but as an example I checked the prices at Costco Sheffield and found that it was the cheapest in the area. Unleaded Petrol was 140.9p including VAT, compared to the next best value which was 144.7p (at ASDA) and the most expensive which was at a Shell Garage for 156.9p a litre. If your car takes 55 litres, you could save around £9 by filling up at Costco rather than the Shell Garage in this area. Big savings.
“However, you can only visit a Costco petrol station if you are a Costco member. I’ll explain how to become a member in a bit.”
- Bulk Up and Save Big: Save 54% on Everyday Items
“One of the main ways Costco is able to offer good value deals is by selling in bulk. You can stock up on essentials including Fairy Liquid, bottled water, Diet Coke, breakfast cereals, peanut butter and lots more. It’s probably not great if you’re looking to try new products, but when it comes to items you know, love and buy regularly, you can save up to 54%.
“For example, I recently found a box of 60 Walkers Crisps for £10.78 including VAT. At Tesco, you can get a box of 20 packs for £4.85, so if you bought three of these boxes it would set you back £23.52, making Costco’s cheaper by a whopping £12.74!
“When you’re in Costco, you want to look at the smaller VAT-inclusive price when comparing to other supermarkets. The big prices exclude VAT so will be 20% cheaper but that’s not a fair comparison.”
- Secret Bargains Unveiled: How to identify which items are marked down
“An easy tip to remember when shopping in Costco is to look out for an asterisk on the price tag. This means the item has been reduced to clear, so is usually a good deal.
“It’s also worth looking for excluding VAT prices that end in .96 or .97. This often means that the manager has discounted it and it’s a good deal. For example, I spotted the ASUS Monitor for £95.96 (£79.93 ex. VAT). The same item on eBay is £127.99, so it’s a nice find at Costco.
- Double-Dip on Deals: Save £20 On Meals Out, Experiences & More
“Keep an eye out for the Gift Cards section at Costco. They often have sets that cost less than their value, so you get more than what you pay. I’ve seen a great selection in store, including Virgin Experience Days, Nando’s restaurant vouchers, Build a Bear Workshop, Odeon Cinema and more.
“For example, you can get five £20 Pizza Express Vouchers for £83.99, so you’re saving £17.01 on the value. Or, a £100 Virgin Experience Days voucher for just £79.99, saving you £20.01.
“Already big savings but try deal stacking them. For example, this Saturday is National Cinema Day and ODEON is doing £3 cinema tickets. Using a gift card, already reduced, to pay leads to mega savings. In the deals world we call that a double-dip.”
- Look Out For Flash Deals
“Costco often has flash deals on selected items. Usually when you walk into the store you’ll be handed a leaflet with these included, and they’re clearly marked with deal labels as well. These offers are only available for a limited time, so it’s best to snap them up as soon as you see them.
“Recently, I found a 3 pack of the Haagen Dazs Favourites Collection reduced to £8.98. A single pack from Waitrose would set you back £5.60, so you’re saving £7.82 with this Cosco flash deal.”
How To Get Costco Membership
“Costco has various membership options to choose from, and they range from £15 to around £75 per year. Unfortunately, the £15 a year membership only gets you access to Costco’s online shop, but unlike with their other memberships, there are no requirements for this option. Anyone can sign up for online membership. I’ve found that the best deals are usually found in store, and there is a much better selection of products. For most people, you’ll need to pay £33.60 for the one year Individual Membership or £26.40 for their Individual Trade Membership.
“Unlike the online membership, there are requirements for these in-store options. For the trade membership, you’ll need to be either a business owner or manager and provide proof of this. Similarly with the individual membership, you’ll need to be employed or retired from various industries to be eligible. Some of these include the police force, military, education, banking, law, healthcare and so on.
“To sign up, you just need to go to Costco’s website - make sure you’re on the UK site - and add the membership type you want to your cart. You’ll need to input your details and pay the fee. After 12 hours, you can visit a store and pick up your membership card from the membership counter. You’ll just need to bring proof of identity and your membership confirmation.
“The eligibility criteria for membership is so large millions of people can benefit. I’m always running into people who don’t realise they can shop at Costco.
“If you fill up your car at their petrol station five times in a year, I’ve found that covers the cost of your membership, and it is pretty much always the best value fuel. I’ve saved hundreds of pounds by following these top tips at Costco.
“A final tip is that on the money saving community website LatestDeals.co.uk, members share the latest and best Costco deals on right now. It’s a great way to see what’s on offer before going to the shop.
Oh dear Tom, this is too complicated for me to even considering joining Costco. I am put off by the various fees, ID, application form, present/previous occupation. I will stick to an ordinary supermarket instead.
jam45 it's not hard honestly. And once you've got your membership it's plain sailing x
Um, if Walkers crisps in Tesco are £4.85 for a box of 20, 3 boxes are £14.55 not £23.52!
AngelaParke Costco is a 60 pkt
Tesco is a 20 pkt he meant equivalent content I think 
christinamnicho i understand what you're saying, but it says that Tesco box of 20 is £4.85. Multiplied by 3 (so for 60 packets) is £14.55. Article says 3 Teco boxes = £23.52. So an error in calcs somewhere.
For example, I recently found a box of 60 Walkers Crisps for £10.78 including VAT. At Tesco, you can get a box of 20 packs for £4.85, so if you bought three of these boxes it would set you back £23.52, making Costco’s cheaper by a whopping £12.74!
this is not even remotely correct 
Unfortunately, Costco stores are not LOCAL for everyone.
If I were to travel to my nearest store and back, even if I did manage to save £9 on my fuel, it would cost me £6+ in fuel to get there and back, taking the membership cost into consideration, I would be out of pocket.
Also as a single person, the related bulk buying is also not cost effective as perishable products would be out of date or gone off before I could consume them, and nobody wants soggy crisps.
Just because it is cheaper to buy in bulk does NOT necessarily mean that you are getting a better deal long term.
Be proactive in what you buy as
WASTED PRODUCTS
are
WASTED MONEY.