How to Use Costco Membership Perks for Holiday Travel
Stack Costco Travel package extras, Executive 2% Reward credit and 3% card cash back for holiday trips.
Use Costco Travel to book holiday packages, hotels, cruises, rental cars and theme-park bookings at negotiated member rates. Add Executive 2% Reward credit and card cash back where you qualify, plus package extras and rental-car price tracking. Costco Travel is the company's members-only travel agency for active members.
Holiday trips often include higher prices and tight dates. Member extras, a tracked rental-car rate and stacked rewards can lower the total without changing the destination.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 05, 2026.
What holiday trips can you book?
Active members can book vacation packages, hotels, cruises, rental cars and theme-park and specialty bookings through Costco Travel. Those bookings use negotiated member rates. That structure fits family visits, school-break getaways and year-end vacations.
Package and cruise listings often bundle extras for members. Common examples include resort credits, breakfast, transfers or room upgrades. Some packages and cruises also include a Digital Costco Shop Card rebate emailed after the trip begins or is completed.
How does the Executive 2% travel Reward work?
Costco says Executive members earn an annual 2% Reward on qualified Costco Travel purchases, capped at $1,250 per 12-month period, with the reward applied only after travel is completed annual Reward details. The completed-travel rule matters for December trips that end in January. Costco Travel notes that members must already hold Executive status when travel starts to earn that 2% travel Reward helpful travel tips.
Upgrading after booking does not qualify that trip. Check membership status before the departure date, not only the booking date.
What costs do not earn the 2% Reward?
The 2% travel Reward excludes several pass-through and optional costs. Costco Travel lists taxes, fees, surcharges, gratuities, trip protection and third-party portions as excluded. A holiday bill with high taxes and resort charges will earn less than the headline trip price suggests.
Keep the qualified subtotal separate when estimating savings.
- Activities, upgrades and rental-car equipment
- Resort charges and port and cruise charges
- Taxes, fees, surcharges and gratuities
- Trip protection
How can you lower holiday rental-car costs?
U.S. members can use Costco Travel's Rental Cars Low Price Finder to compare Alamo, Avis, Budget and Enterprise rates. The tool tracks price drops and allows rebooking when the same rental becomes cheaper.
That tracking helps during peak holiday demand, when prices move often. Many rentals also include a free additional driver. That perk helps families sharing long holiday drives.
How does the Costco Anywhere Visa add savings?
Citi reports that paying with the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi earns unlimited 3% cash back on eligible travel including Costco Travel airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises and travel agencies travel card benefits. That cash back can stack with the Executive 2% Reward on qualified purchases. Citi adds that the same card charges no foreign-transaction fee, has no annual card fee with a paid Costco membership, and adds worldwide rental-car insurance, 24/7 travel and emergency assistance and travel-accident insurance foreign-fee and travel protections.
Those protections matter for international holiday trips and rental cars booked far from home.