Does Costco do price adjustments?

Yes. If Costco's own price on an item drops within 30 days of your purchase, you can request a refund of the difference. Costco's policy calls this a price match. Costco.com orders use an online request form; warehouse purchases are handled at the returns counter.

How long do I have to get a Costco price adjustment?

30 days from the date of purchase, per Costco's stated policy. The clock starts on the purchase date, not when you notice the price drop.

Does Costco price match other stores?

No. Costco does not match other retailers' prices. Its price adjustment policy applies only to Costco's own price drops, and each channel matches itself: Costco.com against Costco.com, warehouse against warehouse.

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How to get a Costco price adjustment online (step by step)

If something you bought at Costco drops in price within 30 days, Costco will refund the difference. You just have to ask, through the right channel, before the window closes. Costco's own policy calls this a price match, most shoppers call it a price adjustment, and it is one of the most reliably underused benefits of a membership. This guide walks through both request paths: the online form for Costco.com orders and the returns counter for warehouse purchases. Policies can change, so confirm the current terms on Costco's official customer service pages before counting on a refund.

The 30-day window, from purchase date

Costco's stated policy is that purchases which drop in price within 30 days of the date of purchase are eligible. The clock starts on the day you bought the item, not the day you notice the drop, so a price cut you spot on day 29 is still claimable and one on day 31 is not.

That timing is the whole game. Costco does not notify you when prices drop, so capturing an adjustment means knowing what you paid and noticing the new price while the window is open. The item number and purchase date on your receipt are the two details every request runs on.

Window: 30 days from the purchase date, per Costco's stated policy.
Costco does not alert you to drops; noticing them is on you.
Your receipt's item number and purchase date are the key details for any request.

Path 1: Costco.com purchases, the online request form

Adjustments for Costco.com orders are handled online, through Costco's price adjustment request. Costco's customer service directs members to their order history: sign in at Costco.com, open Orders & Returns, find the order with the item that dropped, and start the request from there. Costco describes a Request a Price Match option on eligible orders; there is also a price adjustment request form on its customer service site that asks for your order number and contact details.

Once submitted, Costco reviews the request, and approved credits go back to the original payment method. Processing takes a few business days in most shopper reports. Note that the online path is only for Costco.com purchases: the form checks your order number, so a warehouse receipt cannot be submitted through it.

Where: Costco.com, under Orders & Returns on the order itself, or the price adjustment request form on Costco's customer service site.
What it asks for: your order number and basic contact and order details.
Approved refunds go back to the original payment method.
Online orders only; warehouse purchases cannot use the form.

Path 2: warehouse purchases, the returns counter

Adjustments for in-warehouse purchases are handled in person at the warehouse, generally at the returns or membership counter. There is no online form and no phone path for a warehouse receipt; you go in, say you would like a price adjustment, and give them the item and purchase details.

You do not strictly need the paper receipt. Costco links every purchase to your membership, so the counter can look up the transaction from your card. Bringing the receipt, or a photo of it, still speeds things up because the item number and date are right there. Once approved, the difference is refunded to your original form of payment, and you keep the item; no return or exchange is involved.

Where: the returns or membership counter at a Costco warehouse.
No physical receipt required; the membership lookup finds the purchase.
The difference is refunded to the original payment method, and you keep the item.

What qualifies, and what does not

The policy covers Costco's own price drops only. Costco.com purchases adjust against Costco.com prices, and warehouse purchases adjust against warehouse prices; the two channels are priced separately and do not cross-adjust, since online prices include shipping and handling. And to be plain about the biggest misconception: Costco does not match other retailers' prices. A cheaper listing at Amazon or Walmart gets you nothing at Costco.

A few more conditions from Costco's published policy and consistent shopper reports: precious metals are excluded, promotional prices generally need the request to fall within the promotion's active dates, and Costco reserves the right to deny any request at its discretion. None of these bite often for everyday purchases, but they are the fine print behind a denied request.

Costco adjusts against its own prices only, never other retailers'.
Costco.com matches Costco.com; warehouse matches warehouse. No cross-channel adjustments.
Exclusions: precious metals, and promo-price requests outside the promotion's dates.
Costco can deny any request at its sole discretion, per its policy.

If the adjustment is refused: the return-and-rebuy fallback

Sometimes a request lands outside the rules, most often because the window closed or the drop happened in the other channel. If the item is still returnable under Costco's satisfaction guarantee, there is an honest fallback: return it at the counter and rebuy it at the current lower price. Costco's return policy has no time limit on most items (electronics are 90 days), so the math often works.

Be sensible about it. It only makes sense when the item is in returnable condition, the savings justify the trip, and you are not making a habit that tests Costco's goodwill. The adjustment is the intended path; this is the fallback.

If refused and the item is still returnable, returning and rebuying at the new price achieves the same result.
Most items have no return time limit; electronics have 90 days.
Use judgment: this leans on the satisfaction guarantee, not the adjustment policy.

Costco return policy, explained →

Step by step: from noticing the drop to getting the refund

Putting it all together, here is the full sequence.

1. Confirm you are inside 30 days of the purchase date on your receipt or order confirmation.
2. Check the current price in the same channel where you bought: Costco.com for online orders, your warehouse for in-store purchases.
3. For a Costco.com order: sign in, open Orders & Returns, and submit the price adjustment request from the order (or the request form on Costco's customer service site, with your order number).
4. For a warehouse purchase: go to the returns or membership counter with the item number and purchase date, or just your membership card.
5. Approved refunds go back to your original payment method. For online requests, allow a few business days.

The hard part of all this is not the request, it is the watching: knowing what you paid for every item on every receipt and checking prices for 30 days each. That is the part PriceMatcher automates. It is an independent app, not affiliated with Costco, that scans your Costco receipts and alerts you when an item's price drops inside your 30-day window, so the only step left is claiming the refund.

PriceMatcher launches soon. Get on the launch listand we'll let you know the moment it's live.

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PriceMatcher is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Costco Wholesale Corporation.