5 reasons why you should avoid getting gas at Costco

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You might wait in line for a very long time

You might wait in line for a very long time

Costco's long gas station lines are notorious. People have reported waiting more than an hour for the chance to fill their vehicles, an expenditure of time that hardly justifies the few dollars that would be saved by skipping a standard gas station, where there is often no wait at all.

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Membership is required

Membership is required

You can't get Costco gas if you're not a Costco member, which means paying $60 for a year's membership. Assuming you have a car with a 16-gallon tank and stand to save 10 cents off each gallon of gas you buy, you would not cover the cost of the membership until 37.5 fill-ups.

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Costco gas stations don't take cash — and accept only Visa credit cards

Costco gas stations don't take cash — and accept only Visa credit cards

You can't use cash to buy gas at Costco — that is, unless you go through the added burdensome step of going into a Costco warehouse and using the cash to buy a Costco cash card. You also can't use any credit card save for one in the Visa network.

It may not be worth the drive time

It may not be worth the drive time

Some people don't have a Costco near enough to justify the time they would need to expend in order to get to a Costco gas station.

Such drives are also counter-productive in that they consume fuel — a drive of much more than 20 miles would eliminate the savings most people would get on Costco gas when you consider the gas they'd burn up getting there.

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Grocery store reward programs can get you cheaper gas

Grocery store reward programs can get you cheaper gas

If you shop at certain grocery stores, such as Kroger or Stop & Shop, you can join a loyalty program that earns you money off each gallon of gas you buy from a partnered gas station chain. In many cases, these rewards programs lead to gas that is cheaper than what you'd get from Costco.