How Sam's Club Beats Costco When It Comes To Senior Discounts

Sam's Club and Costco are both membership-only warehouse wholesale clubs, but the two chains aren't exactly the same. There are key differences between Costco and Sam's Club, such as the fact that Costco has more store locations and that Sam's Club has a lower minimum for free delivery. As for the baseline fees, a membership at Sam's Club costs $50 per year for the basic Club membership or $110 per year for the Plus membership (which includes extra perks, such as savings on pharmacy, optical, and more). Meanwhile, at Costco, it's $65 per year for a Gold Star membership or $130 per year for an Executive membership — just like at Sam's Club, the higher tier includes extra benefits.

There's also one other major difference between the two: the senior discount. Sam's Club offers a generous discount for people over 50: $20 for a Club membership or $60 for a Plus membership when joining as a new member. On the other hand, Costco doesn't have any existing discount for new senior members.

This is an interesting move on Costco's part, as the discount can easily be the deciding factor for a senior choosing between the two wholesale clubs. After all, how could you turn down a $20 basic membership? Especially when the lower-tier membership for Costco is already more expensive than that at Sam's Club.

It's not just the senior discount that's exclusive to Sam's Club — it actually offers more discounts overall. Both wholesale clubs offer discounts for students, teachers, healthcare professionals, first responders, military, and government employees. However, Sam's Club also offers a membership discount to a few groups that Costco does not: Government assistance recipients, college alumni, and, as already mentioned, seniors.

For Sam's Club, each of the discounts for these groups when joining as a new member is the same as it is for seniors: a 60% discount on a Club membership ($20 total per year) or $50 off a Sam's Club Plus membership ($60 total per year). Meanwhile, for Costco, the discount for each group is $20 off a Gold Star membership or $40 off an Executive membership — so $45 per year for the lower tier or $90 per year for the higher tier.

All in all, it's safe to say that Sam's Club offers better discounts overall. Of course, that doesn't mean that Sam's Club is the better option overall, as there are plenty of factors to consider — such as which one is winning the battle of the better food court or if the affordable gourmet foods at Costco are worth the membership. But if a starting discount is a priority for you, then Sam's Club may be the way to go.