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Even if you’ve never shopped at Costco before, you’re probably aware that it’s known for its discounts on bulk grocery purchases. But a Costco membership gives you so much more than low-cost food for your fridge and pantry. Here are some lesser-known benefits you might appreciate as a member.

1. Discounted gift cards

Giving gifts is a nice gesture. Sometimes, it’s also obligatory. But either way, it’s often easier to hand over or email someone a gift card than search high and low for the perfect item.

The great thing about Costco is that it sells gift cards below their face value. For example, right now, Costco is offering a pack of five $15 Subway gift cards for $59.99. So if you’re looking for a token gift for your child’s soccer coaches, for example, you could hand over a couple of these and keep the rest for yourself if Subway is a place you like to pick up lunch.

In fact, it pays to see if Costco offers gift cards to some of the businesses you spend money at often — even if you don’t need to buy them as actual gifts. Loading up on discounted gift cards could save you quite a lot over time.

And if you like the idea of saving money, click here for our top list of credit cards that offer great rewards for Costco shoppers.

2. Affordable, high-performance gasoline

Filling up your car at Costco could save you money on gasoline. Costco offers some of the cheapest gas prices around.

What’s more, Costco’s gas is exceptionally high in quality because it carries the TOP TIER designation. It’s designed to clean your engine and lead to better performance. You might save money not just on a lower per-gallon cost, but also, via improved gas mileage.

3. Easy returns

Costco has one of the most generous, flexible return policies among retailers. In a nutshell, you can return almost any item at any time for a complete refund. And this policy even extends to food you’ve opened and don’t like, or don’t get great value from.

Say you buy a bulk bag of Costco chips and the flavor just doesn’t suit you. If you bring the bulk of the bag back, Costco will give you your money back for it. Similarly, if you buy a carton of berries with a sell-by date that’s five days away, and after two days some of those berries get moldy, you can bring them back for a refund.

At a regular supermarket, you might be out of luck in either scenario, which means you’ve wasted your money. At Costco, you can enjoy added savings by avoiding that sort of waste.

These are only a few of the hidden benefits Costco members get to enjoy. It pays to learn more about the perks of a Costco membership if you’re thinking about joining. And even if you’re a paying member already, it never hurts to dig around to make sure you’re truly maximizing your Costco savings.

Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!)

We love versatile credit cards that offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco! This card is a standout among America’s favorite credit cards because it offers perhaps the easiest $200 cash bonus you could ever earn and an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, even when you shop at Costco.

Add on the competitive 0% interest period and it’s no wonder we awarded this card Best No Annual Fee Credit Card.

Click here to read our full review for free and apply before the $200 welcome bonus offer ends!

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.