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Costco Military, Nurse and Teacher Offer (2026): A Shop Card, Not a Discount

Costco does not discount products or the membership fee for the military. What it does: new members who verify as military, first responders, healthcare workers, teachers or government employees get a Digital Costco Shop Card, $40 with a new Executive Membership or $20 with a new Gold Star Membership, through SheerID (not ID.me).

Offer
$40 Shop Card with new Executive ($130/year) or $20 with new Gold Star ($65/year)
Military
Active duty, dependents, veterans, reservists, National Guard
Also
First responders (fire, EMS, EMTs, law enforcement), medical professionals, teachers and faculty, government employees; college students get $20 via UNiDAYS
Limits
New members only, first year, one-time; cannot be combined with other promotions
Seniors
No Costco senior program

Checked against costco.com/join-costco.html and Costco’s SheerID program pages on October 7, 2026.

The catch: on October 7, 2026 everyone got the same offer

The same $40 / $20 Shop Card was also offered on costco.com to all new members joining online, with no verification. So right now the military, teacher and healthcare offers give nothing extra over the public promotion; verification only matters when the public offer is off. Promotions cannot be combined, so you cannot get two Shop Cards.

First-year cost after the Shop Card

  • Gold Star: $65 minus $20 Shop Card = $45 net in year one.
  • Executive: $130 minus $40 Shop Card = $90 net in year one.

The Shop Card is store credit, not cash, and renewals are at full price.

Costco vs Sam’s Club for the military

Sam’s Club discounts the fee itself for verified new members: Club membership $20 instead of $60, Plus $50 instead of $120. Net first-year cost: Sam’s Club Club $20 vs Costco Gold Star $45 after the Shop Card.

What other sites get wrong

  • “$60 off your Costco membership; show your military ID.” There is no membership discount; it is a Shop Card after online SheerID verification.
  • “Verify with ID.me.” Costco uses SheerID (and UNiDAYS for students).
  • “5% senior discount at 60+.” No Costco source supports it.

Frequently asked questions

Does Costco have a military discount?
Not on products or membership fees. New members who verify military status get a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card with an Executive Membership or $20 with a Gold Star Membership.
Does Costco give nurses or teachers anything?
Yes, the same new-member Shop Card ($40 Executive / $20 Gold Star) after SheerID verification.
Does Costco have a senior discount?
No. Costco's membership promotions list military, first responders, health workers, teachers, government employees and college students, not seniors.
Is the Costco military offer better than the public offer?
On October 7, 2026 it was the same: costco.com offered the $40 / $20 Shop Card to all new online members too. Promotions cannot be combined.

See Costco membership offers

Sources

CoupBuzz re-checks these programs against the company’s own pages and updates this page when they change. Last check: October 7, 2026. How we verify.

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