Parents Turn to Warehouse Clubs to Save, but 65% of Members Have Charged Purchases They Couldn’t Immediately Pay Off

For many families, the warehouse-club run is no longer just about filling up the pantry. It has become a strategy for managing groceries, school lunches, household supplies, and gasoline.

But the promise of landing lower prices becomes more complicated when shoppers charge a larger checkout total they cannot immediately pay off. A new CardRates.com survey of 1,013 parents found that 65% of paid warehouse-club members have put a club purchase, including gas, on a credit card they could not pay off right away.

The finding comes as families lean more heavily on Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s to control household costs. Sixty-eight percent of paid members say rising grocery and household expenses have increased their reliance on warehouse clubs, while 48% are spending more than planned on a majority of their trips.

This financial pressure is also visible at the pump heading into Labor Day: 65%  say higher gas prices have made them more likely to use warehouse-club gas stations, even if it means driving farther or waiting in line.

These results reveal the complicated economics of the warehouse-club run for families. Parents may find lower unit prices at these clubs. But they also may spend more than planned or incur a transaction on a credit card that they cannot immediately pay off.

As household costs rise, warehouse clubs are becoming a more important part of how families shop for necessities. Sixty-eight percent of paid members say they rely more heavily on clubs than they did a year ago.

The shift extends beyond bulk groceries. Sixty-five percent say higher fuel prices have made them more likely to use club gas stations, even if doing so requires a longer drive or wait.

The memberships themselves are widespread. Approximately 77% of all 1,013 parents surveyed reported at least one paid Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s membership. Among paid members, 64% belonged to Sam’s Club, 50% to Costco, and 26% to BJ’s, and respondents could select more than one. Three in 10 belonged to at least two clubs.

Warehouse clubs can reduce the per-unit cost of individual products while still increasing the total amount parents spend during a shopping trip. A lower price per roll of paper towels does not necessarily protect the monthly budget if the shopper buys a larger quantity — or adds more products to the cart — than planned. 

Among parents with paid warehouse memberships, 26% said they spend more than planned every or almost every trip, while  22% do so on more than half of their trips. This means a combined 48% of parents with paid warehouse club memberships overspend on a majority of trips. 

An additional 35% overspend occasionally. Only 14% rarely overspend, and just 4% say they never overspend.

Here is a look at how much extra money parents are typically spending at warehouse clubs: 

• 29% exceed it by $50 to $99
• 28% exceed it by $100 to $199. 
• 17% exceed it by $25 to $49
• 13% exceed it by at least $200. 
• 11%  exceed their shopping plan by less than $25

Combined, 41% of parents typically spend at least $100 more than planned. And about 2% of parents say they do not overspend.

“Out of all the statistics unearthed by this survey, that only 4% said they never overspend at these warehouses is the most shocking,” says Erica Sandberg, consumer finance expert at CardRates.com. “However, it does underscore just how common it is to go in with the best of intentions but come out with regrets.” 

Sixty-five percent of parents with paid warehouse memberships have put a club purchase, including gas, on a credit card that they could not pay off right away. Thirty-five percent of surveyed parents said they had not made a credit card purchase at a warehouse club that they were unable to pay off immediately.

Costco versus Sam’s Club

Among surveyed parents with only one paid club membership, 72% of Costco-only members had put a club purchase on a credit card they could not immediately pay off. And 51% of Sam’s Club-only members also reported putting a club purchase on a credit card they could not pay off right away.

When comparing the two warehouse clubs, Costco-only members were therefore 21 percentage points more likely to report a club purchase they could not immediately pay off.

Single-Club versus Multi-Club Members

Eighty percent of parents with multiple memberships had put a club purchase on a credit card they could not pay off right away, and this compares with 58% of single club members. 

Multi-club members were also more likely to overspend on most trips, at 65% versus 40% for single-club members. They were also more likely to rely on warehouse clubs because of rising costs, 80% versus 63% for single-club members.

The bulk pricing found at warehouse clubs is most likely to benefit a household when parents can use what they buy, stay within their total budget, and are able to pay their credit card statement in full by its due date.

The long gas lines and packed carts at warehouse clubs reflect a real effort by families to make their money go further. But the value of a warehouse-club trip is determined after checkout.

It is not simply by the discount on an individual item, but by whether the household stayed within its total budget, used what it bought, and paid the credit card statement in full before finance charges could consume the savings.

How to Make Warehouse-Club Savings Actually Count

According to Sandberg, here are some ways you can avoid financial problems while shopping at these membership-based stores.

1. Defer to debit. A guaranteed way to avoid building a big credit card balance is to use your debit card instead. The money will be drawn from your checking account, so check to see how much you have in your account first and then shop with that figure in mind. 

2. Consider prepaid. As a Costco member, you can buy a fee-free Costco Shop Card for yourself. Load up the funds you’re willing to part with, and you’re good to go. For example, buy one for $200, and you’re limited to that amount. Sam’s Club doesn’t offer its own prepaid card that has a Visa or Mastercard logo.  

3. Shop online. Perusing the aisles with that massive cart can lead to unnecessary temptation. Both Costco and Sam’s Club have excellent online shopping platforms. Make a list of what you want and drop them into your online cart. 

4. Send in someone who has more control. Not everybody has the same ability to keep spending in line. If your partner is less apt to pile the cart up with unplanned items, let them be the primary shopper.

5. Earn extra high cash back rewards. If you shop with a credit card, choose the one that offers the highest rewards and then pair it with the store’s membership.
   • With the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card, you’ll get 2% cash back on everything you spend at the warehouse. That’s great, but if you use it and have a Costco Executive Membership, you’ll earn a combined 4% back. If you spend $300 on average every month, that’s $144 in cash back at year’s end. 
   • A Sam’s Club Mastercard offers 3% cash back, and if you’re a Sam’s Plus member, that translates to 5% cash back. A $300 average monthly spend will generate up to $180 in annual cash back. Pay the bill immediately, and you’ll come out ahead. 

Just remember that rewards only work in your favor if you avoid interest charges. Carrying even a small balance can quickly erase the cash back you earned.

CardRates.com surveyed 1,013 U.S. parents of children ages 6 to 18 from July 28 through August 2, 2026. Warehouse-club spending questions were asked of respondents who reported having a paid Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s membership. Results are based on raw, unweighted responses, and sample sizes vary slightly by question.

The approximate margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points for the full parent sample and ±3.5 percentage points for paid warehouse-club members, at the 95% confidence level. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding, and multi-select questions may total more than 100%.