Costco is boosting its membership value with three key improvements. Executive Members now enjoy expanded early-morning shopping hours. All holders of the Costco Anywhere Visa from Citi get 5% cash back on gas at Costco stations, and 4% elsewhere. Additionally, members receive a discounted annual Instacart+ membership plus a monthly credit for Executive members. These changes aim to retain members and attract new ones.

These enhancements follow CEO Ron Vachris's commitment to providing the best prices for members. The warehouse club is focusing on ways to add greater membership value to maintain its competitive edge. Costco's strategy includes offering attractive benefits to encourage upgrades from basic Gold Star memberships to the more premium Executive tier.

Costco's membership revenue is clearly growing. In the last quarter, membership fee income reached $1.329 billion, a 14% increase year-over-year. The chain ended the quarter with 81.4 million total paid members, up 5.2% versus last year, with 39.7 million paid Executive Memberships, up 9.1%.

These added perks are a strategic move to boost membership and provide more value. The expanded hours and gas rewards are designed to attract and retain members, particularly those in the Executive Membership tier. The Instacart benefit adds online shopping convenience. Costco has long been known for its value proposition, and these changes reinforce that commitment.