Worth It Numbers.

The membership upgrade

Is Costco Executive worth it for me?

A Costco Gold Star membership costs $65.00/year; upgrading to an Executive Membership costs an additional $65.00/year (totaling $130.00/year), checked 2026-10-06 on Costco's rewards page. Whether the upgrade is worth it depends on your qualifying annual spend. Put your numbers in and the arithmetic is right there in the open.

Your numbers

01–02
Costco Executive members earn a 2%% Reward on qualified purchases, capped at $1,250.00 per 12-month period. Note: Gasoline, tobacco, and Costco Shop Cards do not earn the 2% reward (checked 2026-10-06).
Value of extra savings on Costco Travel, auto buying, home services, or pet insurance.

Tally per year

Pending
Estimated qualifying spend
—
Costco 2% Reward earned
—
Value of other Executive perks
—
Total annual Executive value
—
Less the upgrade fee
—
Net annual upgrade value
—
Qualifying spend that covers the upgrade fee
—

Enter your numbers and the verdict appears here.

The break-even spend

Qualifying spend needed to cover the upgrade: $65.00 / 0.02 = $3,250 a year ($271 a month). If you spend more than $3,250 on qualifying items, the Executive tier pays for its own upgrade fee. If you spend less, the upgrade is only worth it if the extra service discounts cover the gap.

Costco's upgrade guarantee

Costco guarantee terms: To receive a refund for the current Executive upgrade fee, the membership must be canceled or downgraded to a Gold Star or Business Membership. Any 2% Reward issued or accrued will be subtracted from the refund and forfeited to the extent it exceeds the amount of any refund.

Sources for this page: Costco's Join page and Executive Rewards details, read 2026-10-06. The full list with links is on the method page.