Costco Shoppers Save Big On Entertainment Tickets Using One Elite Membership Perk

Costco is known for great deals on groceries and other household goods, all sold in bulk quantities for those who like to stock up and save in the long run. But did you know that the store offers some other pretty cool deals for members? Browse around the displays of your local Costco throughout the year and you’ll find there are rotating deals on tickets for theme parks, sports games, concerts, theatre shows, movies, and other special events. The types of tickets available are usually catered by location too, meaning these aren’t just trips to Disneyland or similar major attractions which people are clamoring to go to nationwide (although Costco definitely does offer that kind of stuff through its travel and vacation deals). We’re talking about tickets to venues in your own city, which means Costco’s offering great deals you often won’t find elsewhere.

But the biggest perk of all is that tickets at Costco are typically sold with no hidden fees. If you’ve ever spent time on Ticketmaster or similar retail platforms that add on a bunch of extra fees once you’ve hit check out, this is something that sets Costco apart. So, while you do still have to be a Costco member to snag said tickets, they just add to the value of that annual membership cost.

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How Costco gets discount deals on sports and special events

There are a lot of ways you can use your Costco membership to save on things outside of the store, but picking up event or show tickets from a third party almost always comes with extra fees. So, how does Costco manage to offer actual savings on its tickets? In addition to gaining access to special deals by partnering with ticket vendor FEVO, Costco is also known for cutting out the middleman by working directly with venues and event organizers. This means you as a member can get access to discounts and add-on bonuses you won’t usually see on box office sites.

Further, Costco doesn’t tend to sell individual tickets. By bundling tickets for groups and families, the store can access better deals and provide value both for consumers and the event runners. While this may be frustrating if you were planning on going solo, it makes sense as Costco’s business model is, after all, as a wholesale retailer.

What to know before buying tickets at Costco

There are a lot of general Costco tips and tricks you should know to get the most out of your membership. But if you’ve never bought tickets there before, there are a few things worth learning beforehand to avoid any unwelcome surprises. To start, you’ll almost always see tickets coming in bundles of two or four, so you’ll need to be prepared to go with a friend or two. Additionally, the tickets often come in packages that add extra value to the event, such as food and drink vouchers, gift cards, or VIP section seating. As for actually getting the tickets, you’ll either need to buy them online through your Costco app or the store website (logged in to your membership of course), or you can buy the voucher for them in-store.

It’s also worth noting that Costco tickets aren’t available for resale. The store actually has pretty stiff policies against that. The tickets are directly attached to your membership so you’ll need to select seats or pick the specific day you’re attending the event through Costco itself. With that in mind, you’ll want to both buy your tickets and book your seats as soon as possible. Not only do Costco tickets tend to get snatched up quickly, but waiting too long to book your seats once you have them can mean missing out to other shoppers with vouchers or even non-Costco members who snag open seats at the last minute.

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Read the original article on Chowhound.