What You Need To Know About Costco Travel's Pricing Before Booking Your Next Vacation

Costco Travel is a great way to use your membership for more than just bulk groceries. Booking your vacation through Costco has been known to provide sweet deals on flights, rental cars, hotels, and travel packages, which have kept members sightseeing and exploring on a budget. However, one thing many travelers may not know is that you may be able to get an even better deal on Costco Travel if you know how to play your cards right. Like any other travel booking site, Costoco's travel prices fluctuate. This means that a package deal to Mexico could be $2,000 dollars one week and then $4,000 dollars the next time you check. So you'll want to make sure you're booking at an ideal time to get the lowest discounted price. Costco says its prices can change at any time, and prices are not confirmed until payment is finalized.

But how are you supposed to know when the price is at its best? Well, the best time to book a Costco Travel package is at least six weeks in advance. If you start looking early, you'll have more time to scope out price changes before you settle on the best one. The longer you wait, the more expensive tickets become, the closer they are to the travel day. However, booking early isn't the only way to sniff out better deals through Costco Travel.

Another tip is to be flexible with your travel plans. Some date ranges may be more affordable than others, depending on their demand and flight availability. For example, maybe you originally planned to go somewhere Thursday through Sunday, but a trip from Wednesday through Saturday is cheaper. Compare dates and see which ones are cheaper, and if you have the leeway to be flexible, go with the cheaper plans. Another perk about starting your vacation booking early is that you can sign up for Costco Travel fare alerts to see if prices change.

When you book your Costco Travel trip, be sure to check to see how the prices compare to other booking sites to make sure you're getting the best price for your vacation package. While Costco Travel doesn't offer price matching to other retailers, they do offer price changes if you end up finding a lower price on its website. So if you book your trip and notice a couple of days later that the price has gone down, you can call a Costco agent to adjust your trip. While Costco members should take advantage of this hack, it may involve rebooking your trip, and penalties like cancellation fees may apply.