Costco Follows In Netflix’s Footsteps And Stops Membership Sharing

Wholesale giant Costco is taking a page from Netflix’s playbook and clamping down on membership-sharing practices. Often regarded as an exclusive club, gaining access to Costco traditionally requires knowing someone with a membership card. While sneaking in an extra friend or two used to be somewhat permissible, those lenient days are numbered.

Sharing passwords, whether for streaming accounts or store memberships, has been a known habit for some time. Many have grown accustomed to sharing accounts or borrowing someone else’s card to earn discounts while shopping.

However, Costco is now cracking down on card-sharing, and is set to introduce a new requirement: shoppers must have photos on their cards. This new measure enables cashiers to verify the person’s identity easily. So, even if you had plans to let your family or a friend go for a quick shopping trip under your name, you may need to think twice before doing so. Ignoring the new rule could result in your companion being turned away during checkout.

This decision by Costco stems from the company’s observation that non-members have been shopping in-store and using cards that do not belong to them, particularly at the self-service checkout areas. With Costco memberships priced at $60 for a standard package and $120 for an executive version, these preventive measures seek to stop people from taking advantage of the system. In an email to Gizmodo, the company stated that it did not think it was fair that those without a subscription were enjoying the same benefits as those that did.

As of June 2022, Costco has 125 million users across 70 million households. While the company has refrained from increasing its prices since 2017, speculation remains regarding potential future adjustments. Fortune reports that Costco has hinted at possible price changes without specifying when such alterations might occur.

This development follows in the footsteps of Netflix, which has also implemented measures to prevent customer password sharing. It’s a far cry from the initial encouragement from Netflix for users to share passwords with friends and family.

With Costco and Netflix taking a firm stance against account and membership sharing, the era of freely enjoying the benefits of shared credentials may be coming to an end.

[via Gizmodo and TechTimes, Photo 256744904 © Mariakonosky | Dreamstime.com]