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A basic Gold Star Costco membership costs $65 a year. If you want cash back on your Costco purchases, you can upgrade to an Executive membership at a cost of $130 a year.

But no matter which membership you have, you may be thinking of canceling if you haven’t been using it as often as expected. Before you do, though, consider these consequences you might face.

1. You may not be able to renew right away

The nice thing about Costco is that it guarantees 100% satisfaction with its memberships. This means you can cancel yours at any time for a full refund.

But if you cancel your Costco membership, there may be a waiting period until you’re able to sign up again. This is because Costco doesn’t want people to abuse its generous policy on refunds.

Think about it this way: Based on Costco’s policy, you could technically buy a membership, use it for 364 days, cancel right before the one-year mark, get your money back, and then repeat that process again and again. So Costco states that it has the right to refuse a membership to any customer.

If you cancel your Costco membership a month after renewing it, and you then try to sign back up four months later, you probably won’t have a problem. But if you’re canceling pretty late in your membership period, don’t be surprised if you’re forced to wait longer than you want to sign up again.

2. You’ll lose food court access

Costco’s food courts are loaded with great deals, including the famous $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. But if you cancel your Costco membership, you won’t be able to dine at the store’s food court.

It used to be that Costco’s food courts were open to anyone. Now, they’re member-only. And you may not realize how much you miss those cheap Costco lunches until they’re off the table.

3. You’ll pay more for online orders

You don’t need a Costco membership to order from its website. But as a non-member, you’ll have to pay a 5% surcharge for every order you place.

If you order more than $1,300 worth of products in a year, you’ll lose out financially, because in that case, you’re facing more than $65 in surcharges. But it only costs $65 to keep Costco’s Gold Star membership.

Plus, certain Costco.com items are member-only. Even if you’re willing to pay more, they won’t be available to you. You won’t even be able to see what they cost.

You don’t want to throw your money away at Costco, so if you haven’t been going there as frequently, it’s easy to see why you’d be thinking of canceling your membership. But before you cancel, think about the benefits you’d be giving up.

And if you have an Executive membership, rather than canceling outright, try downgrading to a basic membership. If you use the right credit card, you can still rack up cash back on your Costco purchases. Click here for a list of the best credit cards for Costco so you can enjoy extra rewards, no matter what membership you have.

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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Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money 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.