Costco Affiliate Program (2024)

This is a little surprising as their EPC (earnings per hundred clicks) is relatively small. 

At the time of writing this review, the 7-day EPC was $12,76.

That means that affiliates, on average, earn $12,76 for 100 clicks.

In general, affiliate programs with high Network Earnings have higher EPC, but that's not the case with Costco. 

In order to withdraw your commission directly to your bank account, you need to earn a minimum of $50 in total.

Alternatively, if you prefer to be paid by check, the minimum amount to qualify for payment is $100.

Can You Make $1,000 a Month as a Costco Affiliate?

Let’s do a quick, simplified hypothetical example to give you an idea of what it would take to earn $1,000.

For this example, I will be pessimistic and assume that your referrals only buy the Gold Membership that brings you the $3 commission. 

To earn $1,000, you would need around 333 people to purchase the Gold Membership. 

If your content with affiliate links had the standard 1% conversion rate, your content would need to be read by 33,300 people. 

Note: According to one Costco annual report and Investopedia, approximately 45% of Costco shoppers opt for the Gold Membership, while 55% choose the Executive Membership. Surprisingly, this means that you could expect more sales from the more expensive membership.

How to Promote Costco

Before joining the Costco affiliate program, you should consider if Costco products and benefits align with your audience.

For example, Costco is known for offering discounted prices and bulk deals, making it attractive to individuals and families looking to save money on everyday items. If you know your audience consists of budget-conscious shoppers, you could have a decent conversion rate promoting Costco products.

I have seen some personal finance blogs promoting Costco products, which I thought were a good strategy as people reading finance blogs are more cost-aware and thrifty.

According to data from the analytics firm Numerator, the typical Costco shopper in the US tends to be an Asian American woman aged between 35 and 44, married, and residing in a city in the Pacific Northwest.

This type of information is priceless for affiliate marketers. Before promoting any product through any affiliate program, you should always think about the customer profile and do some research. 

Sometimes the customer profile is obvious. For example, anyone would guess that Shein's audience is mostly younger women. 

But sometimes, it is not that clear. 

I will be honest, before writing this review and doing any type of research, I thought that the typical Costco customer would be a business owner. I am not an American, and I have never been to a Costco store. I assumed that since Costco sells for wholesale prices in bulk, business owners would be the typical customers, as I know a couple of wholesale chains in Europe that primarily target business owners. 

Therefore, always do your research. 

If what you promote does not align with your audience, you will have a miserable click-through rate on your affiliate links and generate very few sales.