4 Discontinued Costco Membership Perks That Deserve A Comeback In 2026

In 2026, a card-carrying Costco member either pays $65 for a Gold Star membership or $130 for an Executive one. Though these annual fees may seem steep, the retailer offers members several perks, like access to Kirkland products, extended warranty on appliances, savings on bulk purchases, free installation of devices, and more, to entice individuals to join, renew, or upgrade their membership each year. Costco member perks keep changing, too, with the corporation exploring new venues to bring additional value to its customers. However, over the years, the gigantic warehouse club has also chosen to discontinue a few perks, despite how popular and beloved they were by members.

For instance, it terminated its on-site, as well as offline, photo centers within two years of each other. Though the reason behind this decision made sense from a business standpoint, it didn't make it sting any less. Similarly, Costco made amendments to its unlimited return policy for electronics in order to stave off millions in annual losses. That said, not every perk Costco discontinued made business sense like these.

For instance, the extended warranty on Costco Citi credit cards, which was canceled seemingly overnight. Worse, Costco didn't offer any explanation for the decision; just a small pop-up message stating that the coverage would no longer apply. The same thing happened with the Costco Next program. It was shut down without prior notice or justification provided to members. Seeing as how these perks added immense value, we were sad to see them go — and we think they deserve a comeback this year.

Started in 2017, Costco Next was a nifty online program that connected shoppers directly with more than 60 brands so that they could buy items Costco didn't stock. However, that's not what made it popular; members loved the curated marketplace because of the discounts (up to 50% off). Costco Next's extensive list of home brands didn't hurt, either.

Plus, the chain saw it as a great way of adding more value for its members. In fact, Ron Vachris, the president and chief executive officer of Costco, said in Costco's Q3 2024 earnings call, according to transcripts from The Motley Fool, "... we see this as a great growth driver for us in the future and a way to bring expanded value to the members as we look forward. So, I'm quite bullish on Costco Next and what that can become in the future."

Considering this, it came as a shock when the retailer abruptly shuttered Costco Next at the end of August 2026. Members weren't notified beforehand, and the website just displays a message stating the service is no longer available and that concerned shoppers should contact a brand directly for any return or warranty-related query. Technically, buyers always had to do this for returns even when the program was online, but seeing it gone entirely left several people upset.

It also became a topic of discussion on user platforms, like Reddit. Said one user, "This is super disappointing. The prices from many of these brands were really good. I outfitted my entire landscape with Volt lights and saved many hundreds vs buying direct from Volt without Costco in the middle."

One of the key benefits of a Costco Citi credit card was the extended two-year warranty members received on qualifying purchases. You didn't have to pay anything extra for it and the coverage was automatically tacked on to your manufacturer's warranty (the combined period could be a maximum of seven years). Better yet, coverage was up to $10,000 for each item. This meant that you didn't have to worry about shouldering repair or replacement costs for an expensive purchase. In certain cases, you also stood to receive reimbursement for specific units beyond saving.

Given this, it came as a shock for members when they learned they would no longer receive this benefit, starting from early 2023 (January 22, to be exact). Even though prior commitments were honored, members weren't happy to see this credit card perk go. The reason remains a mystery, too, though a Redditor at the time claimed it was a Citi decision, and not Costco: "... I work at Costco, I was one of the first to see the email from Citi lol," they wrote. "But yeah it's for sure coming from Citi. Not exactly sure why they are deciding to take that feature away."

And though it's been over three years since the perk was discontinued, it remains one of the most cherished ones (some people still believe they'll receive an extended warranty on their purchases if they use their Costco Citi credit card), and we wish it could make a swift comeback in 2026. Despite this, know that Costco has the best appliance warranty out there, as itself covers major appliances for two years. This generally means that you'll get an extra year of coverage on top of what the manufacturer is offering.

With smartphones becoming ubiquitous and the need for printed photos declining dramatically, Costco shut down its on-site photo centers on February 14, 2021. This left Costco members in the lurch, though, since with the shutdown, Costco stopped transferring home movie videos, printing passport photos, or offering additional services, like customized framing and ink cartridge refills.

Still, members had the option of visiting Costco's photo center website, where they could get quality prints, photo books and calendars, greeting cards, canvas and metal prints, and photo blankets. Alas, the corporation decided to terminate online services as well on January 28, 2023 – almost two years after shutting down its store photo centers. Though the company didn't elaborate on why it was closing its photo-printing operation entirely, many venture it's because the demand wasn't as high for physical prints as it once was.

Nowadays, Costco members can get prints through Shutterfly. To sweeten the deal, the retailer mentions on its website that members will get a discount of 51% on normal Shutterfly rates and enjoy free shipping on orders above $30. However, people at the time expressed their dissatisfaction on Reddit, with most claiming that the online photo company is no match for Costco's quality. One person even wrote, "Agree with others this is hugely disappointing. Costco prints were close to actual photo prints from film. All of the online photo services (Shutterfly, Snapfish, Walgreens) all produce photos one step above what a good home printer does. The paper is thinner, the colors aren't as vivid, and over time the color fades. Shutterfly has 50% off coupons all the time so the Costco discount isn't really a discount at all."

Although this may seem wild some 20 odd years later, Costco used to have an unlimited return policy on electronics. Unfortunately, some members started to exploit the company's generosity for their own gain. This usually happened when members wanted a newer model, but didn't want to shoulder the associated costs. So, they returned their old unit (after using it for some time) and used the refund to buy a more advanced model. This practice by some members forced Costco to take stringent measures to cut back on losses; the new 90-day electronics return policy came into effect in early 2007.

That said, customers who bought Costco electronics before the return policy change in 2007 can still technically return their old units under the old rules. In fact, a customer tried this a few months back when they brought in their 2002 CRT TV; Costco honored its then-return policy and took it back. A Redditor shared pictures of the whole thing, sparking a debate on social channels about how certain members take undue advantage of Costco's return policy. (A few did defend the shopper's action.)