We’ve all been there — purchasing something in the heat of the moment only to get home and realize you didn’t actually need it. You dig through your bags for the receipt, but it’s nowhere to be found. Or, worse, you find the receipt, but it’s soggy and waterlogged from condensation, completely unreadable. If you’re a Costco member, there’s no need to worry about losing or ruining a receipt, because the big-name warehouse keeps all of your receipts neatly organized under your membership identification number. Not physically printed receipts (as that would be a little crazy), but digital ones kept tidy on your online account.
For any purchases within the last two years, Costco members need only visit the Costco website, sign into their account, and navigate to the Orders & Returns tab. When it comes to online purchases, Costco members can find that tab, then adjust the date range to when the item was purchased and finally select View Order Details until they find the invoice for their specific item. For purchases made in person, customers can still pull up the Costco website and click the Orders & Returns tab. From there, they should select the In-Warehouse tab to display a variety of in-warehouse purchases that customers can browse until they find the invoice that they need.
Other things to know about Costco’s digital receipt collection
Costco’s hassle-free return policy prides itself on providing a “risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee,” according to their customer service website. This means you can return just about anything, even partially eaten food. To make things easier, if you don’t have access to your online account or simply have trouble finding the receipt you need, you can email Costco support, and a representative will send you a copy of the invoice. Purchases can take up to 24 hours to populate on your account, but anything you buy with your membership card, besides food court orders, gasoline purchases, optical purchases, and travel purchases, should be there.
Even though the digital database only shows purchases within the last two years, that doesn’t mean you can’t find something further back. Costco recommends visiting the membership desk to speak with a representative who can help dig up what you need. Some users on Reddit claim that, with simply your membership number, Costco can find purchases going back an entire decade. Another customer wanted to return unopened items over three years old and worked with Costco customer service to narrow down a purchase date, then had the membership desk print the receipt. Given Costco’s meticulous record keeping, there’s no need to hoard those receipts in your sock drawer ever again.
