Your Costco Membership Is Your Secret Weapon To Save Money At Restaurants

We're all about saving big money at Costco... take, for example, the hack for cheap steaks that takes advantage of the warehouse retailer's amazing prices on large cuts of meat. There's one major opportunity to save money at your local wholesale club, however, and it involves eating out somewhere other than Costco's food court with its famous $1.50 hot dog combos. Turns out that Costco sells a plethora of restaurant gift cards for considerably less than face value, leading to big savings. Many consumers today are forced to strike a balancing act between their desire to go out to dinner with their need to cut corners financially. Buying Costco gift cards for restaurants affords you the chance to dine at tons of national chains you love, while saving as much as 25% off the face value of the gift cards.

Your Costco membership already entitles you to more than just great deals in the warehouse, and can be used on benefits like travel, a member prescription plan, and even savings on eyeglasses. You have likely walked past the warehouse's gift card display dozens of times — after all, many retailers have them — without realizing that the value of the gift cards for sale is higher than the price you pay. This knowledge puts gift cards squarely on the list of the best Costco products to buy.

A peek at Costco's restaurant gift card page reveals some superb deals. If you like takeout pizza for the fam on a busy weeknight, you'll notice that you can buy $100 in Domino's gift cards for just $74.99, or the same amount in Papa John's gift cards for $79.99. Planning a kid's birthday party? You can get $100 in Chuck E. Cheese gift cards for $74.99. Looking for a bit more of a relaxing dinner out? There's a $100 gift card for the Landry's family of restaurants, which includes Morton's The Steakhouse, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Rainforest Cafe, among others, for $79.99. And that's just scratching the surface of the offerings to be found. With such a lengthy list of eateries, there's a safe chance that Costco offers gift cards to places you already spend your money. With a little forethought to pick up a couple of gift cards on your next Costco run (or order them online, as many have instant email delivery!), this savings hack is near-effortless.

Keep in mind that Costco does not discount its own gift cards, also called Shop Cards. If you have an executive membership, you can earn cash back on third-party gift card purchases, which is just piling on the savings. On the other hand, gift cards can't be returned at Costco, so make your choices wisely.