Filed under: Savings Experiment, Travel Industry
When it comes to buying travel packages, sites like Expedia and Orbitz may be popular, but there's another place where you can get deep vacation discounts: Costco.
Costco Travel not only offers surprisingly competitive pricing on hotels, cruises and resort packages, it takes it a step further by throwing in tons of money-saving perks in their deals.
Let's say you book a cruise through the site. In addition to a low price, you'll automatically get something called shipboard credits, too. These credits are like money and can be used for nearly any chargeable item or service on the ship, such as drinks, shore excursions, spa treatments and more.
For those of you who prefer to stay on land, Costco Travel also offers packages that let you earn resort credits. The benefits can vary depending on how long and where you stay, but some perks include food and beverage credits, free high-speed internet and, in some instances, gift cards with values of up to $2,500.
On top of that, Costco Travel has hotel discounts, too. With each booking, you'll be entitled to 10 percent off of all Hyatt locations in the U.S. and Canada, and 20 percent off of all Best Western hotels worldwide.
There is one catch, though. Costco Travel benefits are only available to Costco members, so if you've been on the fence about joining, this might be the time to consider it. Ready to relax? Use these tips to get the most out of your next vacation.