You must be a member to shop at Costco, but non-members can shop at Costco.com at any time. Costco charges non-members a 5% fee, and online items are listed at a higher price than those found in warehouse clubs.

A Costco membership isn't super expensive, but not everyone is going to get their money's worth out of it. Here's a loophole to still get those deals.

Costco has been clamping down shoppers using membership cards that don't belong to them. There are still ways to shop without a membership: online, with a gift card, or as a member's guest. The extra charges and hassle of workarounds can quickly add up to more than the annual fee,

In September, Costco raised the cost of its membership fees after keeping them steady for more than seven years. That took the cost of a Gold Star membership from $60 a year to $65, while the cost of an Executive membership rose from $120 to $130.