Costco vs Sam's Club
Updated onCompare Costco and Sam's Club side-by-side. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and target market.
Costco Wholesale is a membership-only warehouse club chain that sells groceries, electronics, home and business supplies, services, and travel both in large-format warehouses and online.
Starts at $65 / per membership / yearly
vs
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a U.S. membership-only warehouse club (division of Walmart) that sells bulk groceries, general merchandise and services to families and businesses.
Starts at $50 / per membership / yearly
Which should you choose?
Costco
Choose Costco if you want a richer 2% Executive reward that applies to warehouses, Costco.com and Costco Travel with a higher annual cap ($1,250) and you don’t need Plus-tier free‑shipping perks.
Sam's Club
Choose Sam’s Club if you want the lowest upfront membership price and convenience perks like free shipping and free delivery from club with Plus, early shopping at many clubs, and broader credit‑card acceptance.
Typical cost comparison
Scenario: Entry-level membership (one household), billed yearly.
Costco
$65 per year
Sam's Club
$50 per year
Sam's Club saves you $15 per year in this scenario.
Key differences
| Category | Costco | Sam's Club | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Returns & Satisfaction Guarantee | Both provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee and allow 90‑day returns on many electronics and major appliances. | ||
| Payment & Checkout | Costco warehouses accept only Visa credit cards, whereas Sam’s Club accepts all major cards (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover) and also offers Scan & Go checkout. | ||
| Pricing | Entry-level fees are lower at Sam’s Club ($50/yr) than Costco ($65/yr); upper tiers are $110 for Sam’s Plus vs $130 for Costco Executive (base $65 + $65 upgrade). | ||
| Rewards | Costco Executive earns 2% on most Costco warehouse, Costco.com and Costco Travel purchases with a $1,250 annual cap, while Sam’s Club Plus earns 2% only on qualifying in‑club purchases with a $500 annual cap. | ||
| Shipping & Delivery | Sam’s Plus includes free shipping on many items and free delivery from club on eligible $50+ orders; Costco offers 2‑Day grocery delivery with fees waived at $75+ and Same‑Day via Instacart that uses marked‑up item prices and a $35 minimum. |
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