Can You Use Your Costco Membership Internationally?

Founded in Kirkland, Washington, in 1983, Costco is an iconic part of American culture. This beloved retailer sells affordable bulk groceries, premade dinners and desserts, home goods, electronics, comfy and practical clothing, and big slices of food court pizza to millions of customers each year. Naturally, Costco has very loyal members, with a 92.9% membership renewal rate, according to The Motley Fool's transcript of the company's Q2 2024 earnings call. Members might know plenty of Costco shopping hacks, but some may not be aware that the wholesale club exists outside of the United States — and that the membership cards work worldwide.

With nearly 600 locations, the majority of Costcos are located in the U.S. Canada and Mexico follow behind, with just over 100 warehouses in our northern neighbor and 40 locations to the south. Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan host between 14 and 33 locations each. The retailer is somewhat rare in China, Spain, and France with five or less warehouses, while there is only one location in Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. And as Costco's website states, a membership card is valid worldwide at any of these locations. 

You might be wondering, if abroad, why would you want to go to Costco? For starters, the store's products and food court items are different throughout the world, so it's one way to try new foods from another culture and cuisine. If on a family vacation in a rented house, a Costco trip would also be an excellent way to save money on your food budget. Students studying abroad can still stock up on many of their favorite bulk staples as well.

Costco warehouses in the U.S. are known for stocking some great international products, ranging from century eggs to brie cheese. But in international Costcos, many products will seem standard to local shoppers yet be an eye-catching surprise for many Americans. You'll find buckets of Vegemite in Australian locations, while warehouses in Mexico stock large tubs of cajeta, caramel made from goat's milk, and cartons of rompope, a beverage similar to eggnog. Costco Spain carries fuet, a special type of dried pork sausage, and bizcocho, a type of sponge cake.

The Kirkland Signature brand exists outside of the U.S. as well. You'll find the store's brand internationally, where these products make up around 35% of the inventory. The other 65% of products are sourced domestically from whatever country Costco is located in.

It's fun to visit chains like McDonald's while traveling internationally to see how the menu changes, and it's also worth doing this at Costco. While many menu items stay the same — like the hot dog, chicken bake, and slice of pizza — some menus, like Korea and Japan, put local spins on fan-favorite items or feature regional dishes. Here, you might find a bulgogi bake, fried rice, mushroom soup, a vegetable garden burger, or caramel soft serve. Poutine, a dish of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy, is naturally served in Canadian Costco food courts; meanwhile, in Scotland, you can order a cottage pie.