Costco customers are already seeing big savings on everyday items thanks to low prices and discounts. But finding these deals in advance and taking advantage of them before they expire takes some careful planning or a few really good apps on your phone.
Over time, as I shopped more frequently at Costco, I discovered important apps that told me when sales were happening and how I could get extra cash back on items I’d already purchased. This list is not comprehensive, but if I had to carry only five apps for Costco on my smartphone, they would be the ones below.
like, AhRight?
Honestly, I didn’t discover the Costco shopping app until this year. While it’s not the most impressive shopping app, it’s certainly impressive for a retailer that’s been extremely slow to roll out its own mobile technology.
A few things I like about this app: You can save your membership, check your rewards balance (for Executive members who earn 2% cash back on Costco purchases), and create shopping lists. The app will notify you about promotions and ongoing sales and will even let you check gas prices at different Costco warehouses.
Recently, Costco announced plans to bring more upgrades to this app, including the option to check warehouse inventory and scan barcodes. If “scanning barcodes” ultimately means scan-and-go functionality, this app could finally compete with Sam’s Club’s app.
2. Crazy Coupon Lady
I believe there is no Costco deal that Krazy Coupon Lady (KCL) hasn’t seen. The KCL team is so good at finding Costco deals that I almost always check the app before entering the Costco warehouse.
Once you download the app, you can track popular retailers like Costco. The app will then select deals based on your choices. While some of these Costco deals aren’t available everywhere (some are location-specific), you can get a good idea of what to look for on your next trip to Costco.
To be fair, sometimes deals can be overwhelming and cause you to spend money. For example, recently KCL found Nike baby clothes for $2 at Costco. This was a huge event and I was quite excited; Until my wife reminded me that we had a trunk full of baby clothes and our parents loved buying them for us. Question the deal before you act, but take advantage of promotions if they’re good for you and your finances.
3.Ibotta
Ibotta is a free cash-back app that gives you extra rewards for qualifying purchases at more than 2,000 retailers, including Costco. It will not give you a refund for every purchase you make. But for advertised products (mostly brand names), you can get cash back from a few extra cents to a few dollars or more when you activate deals and scan receipts.
One problem with Ibotta is that it doesn’t offer refunds on Costco’s Kirkland Signature products, which are arguably the best value. If I want to buy something really specific and branded (like a box of Larabar) the app can come in handy. However, it does not guide my shopping decisions and I do not use it every time I shop in the store. It’s just a handy tool I keep on my phone.
4.Instacart
If you don’t want to get stuck in Costco shopping traffic or bumping into cars with other anxious and hurried shoppers in the warehouse, delivering Costco groceries through Instacart may be the way to go.
Of course, you’ll pay a premium to have them delivered. Instacart prices are higher for the same Costco items purchased in store. Moreover, you can also pay service and delivery fees. It’s more expensive than doing the shopping yourself, but it might be worth downloading if you can’t leave the house.
5. Bring the Rewards
Like Ibotta, Fetch Rewards is an app that gives you points when you buy certain items and scan receipts. Once you collect enough points, you can exchange them for gift cards at popular stores like Starbucks or Amazon. Every bill gets at least 25 points, but occasionally certain branded items like Colgate toothpaste will earn you more.
You can find some of these brands at Costco. Since you don’t need to enable rewards in the app, just scan your Costco receipts. you will receive at least 25 points plus a little extra if you purchased something that was part of a promotion.
All in all, these five apps can help you stay up to date on ongoing deals, get extra rewards and cash back, and have Costco groceries delivered to you. If you haven’t tried the Costco shopping app recently, download it. As Costco continues to upgrade the app, it will become more useful for your shopping.
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