Why Fans Think Costco Might Raise Its Membership Fees In 2022

Over the last couple of days, the idea that Costco will raise its membership fees has once again floated. "As is well known, Costco has increased its annual membership fee every five and a half years by $5-10. On this timetable, the next hike would come in August-September 2022," John Heinbockel, an analyst for Guggenheim, wrote in a report acquired by Yahoo.

Heinbockel's assumption is based on the fact that Costco raised its Gold Star membership (the basic edition) fee by $5 from $55 to $60, as well as its Executive member fee by $10 from $110 to $120, in 2017. In 2022, he's expecting a similar jump to $65 and $130, respectively. The analyst believes that the extra money could help Costco amid current inflation woes, helping to supplement funds for increased labor and transportation costs. While Costco has yet to comment on the matter, interested parties are certainly forming opinions about it.

Heinbockel isn't the only analyst who has been pushing the idea that Costco will soon raise its membership fees. In March, Wells Fargo equity analysts stated, "The membership fee looks poised to increase in the next 18 months and represents a potential catalyst for sales and earnings," per Fox News. In July, MarketWatch shared a prediction by financial services company Stifel that Costco would soon up its membership fees by about 8%. And in August, The Motley Fool ran a piece reading, "The five-year interval is approaching, and it could be a good time for Costco to raise fees now."

Of course, the benefits of increased membership fees will surely be felt more by Costco than its customers. Although these price predictions have only come from financial experts so far rather than the retailer, it's reasonable to expect that your annual Costco payment may soon be a few bucks higher.