Don't Forget Your Costco Membership Card When Traveling Abroad
From time to time, as you peruse the food news we're so pleased to bring you, you may wonder why we're torturing you with tales of food opportunities that only exist in other countries. Well, this is partly due to the fact that while we are based in the United States, our readership is an international one, and for all we know, you could very well be sipping a salted pretzel latte in the South Pacific (Starbucks' international holiday drinks are always the best) or enjoying an Ebi Filet-O, which is a shrimp burger from McDonald's Japan that sounds way more exciting than a Filet-O-Fish. Whether you're an international traveler or aspire to be one, there's one more card you should pack in your passport holder: The one with your Costco membership info. Pour quoi, you may ponder, but the answer is a simple one: It's good at any Costco on the planet.
As noted on Costco's website, "Your membership card is valid at any Costco warehouse worldwide." It seems as if you might even be able to sign up for a membership when abroad, although you'll need a valid address and identification from your home country in order to do so. Still, the benefits that a Costco membership confers appear to be universal, or at least planetary. (To date, we've yet to hear of Costco opening a branch on Mars, but you'll hear all the details here when and if it does.)
Which other countries have Costcos?
Your best bet for international Costco exploration is a Canadian road trip, since our neighbor to the north has over 100 locations. Additionally, Mexico has about 40 Costco locations, which makes North America the undisputed Costco capital (the U.S. itself has over 600). But Asia is catching up pretty quickly: Japan now boasts over 30 Costcos, while South Korea has 18, Taiwan 14, and China has 6. While you may need to be prepared for a few surprises when traveling, like the little something extra that comes with a rotisserie chicken in Taiwan (spoiler alert: it's a head), Costco food courts like the one in Taipei have us ready to take a flight with an expansive selection of local flavors and international twists on food court staples.
If you're visiting Europe, Costco is kind of a mixed bag. The United Kingdom has close to 30 as of mid-2024, but Spain and France have just 4 and 2 locations, respectively. After that, there's one in Sweden, one in Iceland, and, well, that's about it. If you venture farther afield, though, two Commonwealth countries in the Pacific region have Costcos of their own. And while New Zealand has just a single location, the Last Continent (Australia) is up to 15 at last count. Sadly, there do not seem to be any Costcos in Africa as of yet, but we're holding out hope that the chain will eventually expand there as well.