Costco Benefits
This Privacy Notice explains our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.
This Privacy Notice applies to Costco Wholesale Corporation's United States (US) and Puerto Rico subsidiaries (“Costco,” “we,” “our” or “us”).
This Privacy Notice applies when you: access or use our websites or mobile applications that link to this Privacy Notice (our “Online Services”); become a Costco member; shop at our warehouses or services centers; or contact or otherwise interact with us (collectively, the “Services”). This Privacy Notice does not apply to content or sites operated by other companies that are linked to or from the Services, or to any products, mobile applications, or services provided by third parties.
We will update this Privacy Notice when necessary to reflect changes in our Services, how we use personal information, or applicable law. The “Effective Date” at the top of this Notice indicates when this Privacy Notice was last revised.
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us, the Services you use, and the choices you make. Not all categories of personal information are collected about every individual.
We collect personal information you provide to us. For example:
When you access or use our Services, we collect some information automatically. For example:
We may collect information about you from other sources that we may combine or link with information we have about you. We may combine information that we have collected offline with information we collect online. Information also may be collected by vendors acting on our behalf. These other sources include, for example:
In some cases, California requires that we use different names to describe the categories of information that we collect. For more information about these categories, please see the California Privacy Rights section of this Privacy Notice.
We generate new information relating to you by analyzing data we collect, including using automated means and third-party sources, to create inferences about your likely preferences or other characteristics (“inferences”). For example, we may use information about your previous purchases to infer the types of products and services that may interest you in the future. We use such information to measure and improve our marketing efforts, including providing targeted advertising and other promotional materials to you.
We do not direct the Services to individuals under the age of sixteen (16). We do not knowingly collect or process personal information relating to individuals under 16 except when it is provided to us by an adult in connection with the provision of a Service, such as to make travel reservations, prescription services, or as part of our legal or risk management inquiries.
Costco limits its processing of personal information relating to individuals we can identify as ages 16-17 to what is necessary to provide the product or service requested. Costco does not knowingly sell or share such information and does not use such information for targeted advertising.
Costco and our vendors, suppliers, and advertising providers use digital trackers. Digital trackers include cookies, pixels, and web beacons placed on your browser when you use the Services, advertising identifiers accessed on your mobile device, and collection of your IP addresses and device identifiers when you use our Services. We use these trackers to collect personal information about you and your online activities over time and across different websites or services.
You can opt out of tracking by certain types of digital trackers, as described under Your Privacy Choices. You also may opt out of placement of digital trackers by enabling Global Privacy Control, if supported, on your browser. Our Online Services are designed to honor Global Privacy Control signals.
We use the personal information we collect for purposes described in this Privacy Notice or otherwise disclosed to you. For example, we use personal information for the following purposes:
We may aggregate or deidentify personal information and use or disclose it at our discretion to support our business. Where we maintain deidentified information, we commit to maintaining and using such information in deidentified form, and will not attempt to reidentify such information except as necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of our deidentification policies and procedures.
We disclose personal information we collect to complete your transactions, provide the Services, and for other purposes, including:
Some of these disclosures may be “sales” of personal information under certain state laws. When you provide Costco with your mobile telephone number to receive SMS/text messages, or when you opt-out of receiving such messages, Costco does not sell your mobile number to third parties for marketing purposes.
No mobile information will be shared or sold with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties, including affiliate or business partners. The opt-in is not transferable to another party involved in the process.
We provide choices about the personal information we collect about you. The choices you make apply only to you and will not apply to household or business affiliate members associated with your membership account.
You can opt out of direct marketing communications from Costco. You can opt out of receiving promotional email and mail materials from Costco by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any marketing communication that you receive, or by:
Costco Same Day Powered by Instacart. You can opt out of receiving promotional emails from the Costco Same Day Powered by Instacart program by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any marketing communication that you receive from the program.
You can opt out of processing and disclosure of your personal information. You may direct Costco to stop processing your personal information for targeted advertising or marketing profiles, and to stop disclosing your personal information to third-parties for their marketing or other commercial purposes by visiting our Your Privacy Choices webpage.
You can opt out of targeted advertising cookies and digital trackers by visiting theCookie Settings page. Your choice to opt out of targeted advertising trackers is specific to the device, website, and browser you are using, and is deleted when you clear your browser’s cookies. Although you cannot opt-out of strictly necessary, functional, and performance trackers through ourCookie Settings, in most cases, you can disable such trackers through your browser or device settings. If you choose to disable these trackers, it will affect how our Services function and may prevent you from using certain features. You also may opt out of placement of digital trackers used for targeted advertising by enabling Global Privacy Control on a supported website browser. Because Costco may not be able to associate a signal sent from your browser with your membership information, we recommend that you also submit an opt out request through Your Privacy Choices if you wish to opt out of the processing of other (offline) personal information for targeted advertising or other sales to third parties
You can stop text messages (SMS) and mobile notifications. We will send you SMS (text) communications if you consent to receive them, including, for example, order and delivery status. We will also send you SMS (text) messages in case of emergency, urgent product recalls and other limited (non-marketing) instances as permitted by law. You can reply “STOP” to any SMS (text) message to cancel. We also may send push notifications or alerts to your mobile device through our app. You can stop these notifications by changing the settings on your mobile device.
You can stop collection of precise location information. If you use our Online Services, we will ask for your consent to use your device’s precise location information. If you do not consent, we will not collect that information, but some Online Services features may not work. You can withdraw your consent for use of precise location at any time by turning off the precise location feature for the Online Services in your device settings.
You can opt out of tobacco information disclosures. If you are a Business Member in California and do not want us to disclose information about your tobacco purchases, you can let us know via any of the contact methods above.
You may have additional privacy rights under the law of the state in which you live. This section describes those rights for residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. If you are a resident of California, your privacy rights are described in the California Privacy Rights section below.
COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IOWA, MARYLAND, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, OREGON, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, AND VIRGINIA
You have the right to access, delete, and correct certain personal information we collect about you. When you request access to personal information, you have the right to receive that information in a portable and readily usable format. You also have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information and its use for targeted advertising or marketing profiles. You have the right to control our use of personal information considered sensitive. You also have a right not to receive discriminatory treatment for the exercise of your privacy rights.
You have the right to request that Costco not engage in certain types of automated decision-making about you. Costco does not use automated decision-making that is subject to this right. For that reason, we do not accept requests to opt out of automated decision-making.
Some states provide their residents with the right to request a list of specific third parties to whom we have disclosed your personal information. This information is provided in our Personal Information Categories and Purposes Notice for all U.S. residents.
You or your authorized agent may submit a request to exercise your access, deletion, and correction rights by submitting a Data Rights Request or calling 1-800-605-3364. In accordance with applicable state laws, we cannot respond to your request or provide you with personal information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information relates to you. We will only use personal information provided in connection with the verification process to verify your identity or the authority of your authorized agent.
You or your authorized agent may submit a request to opt out of targeted advertising, development of marketing inferences or profiles, and the sale or sharing of personal information by visiting our Your Privacy Choices webpage.
If we deny your request, or you disagree with any action Costco takes or declines to take in relation to your data rights request, you may submit an appeal through our Data Rights Request webpage. You will need your case number to submit an appeal request. Costco will respond to you with the specific reasons why your appeal is granted or denied.
You have the right to have an authorized agent make a request on your behalf. Before accepting a request from an authorized agent, we will require the agent to provide proof you have authorized it to act on your behalf, and we may need you to verify your identity directly with us or confirm that you provided the authorized agent permission to submit the request. You must use the Third Party Authorization form to authorize third parties to make such requests on your behalf.
We cannot respond to your request or provide you with personal information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information that relates to you. We will only use personal information provided in connection with the verification process to verify your identity or the authority of your authorized agent.
Costco will request your consent for processing sensitive personal information for purposes other than providing you with a product or service you request, or as required by law. You may revoke your consent at any time. For example, you may revoke your consent to the use of device precise location information through our app by turning off the precise location feature in the app settings on your device.
You have the right to request that Costco not engage in certain types of automated decision making about you. Costco does not use automated decision making that is subject to this right. For that reason, we do not accept requests to opt out of automated decision making.
Residents of Nevada have the right to opt out of the sale of certain types of their information to other companies who will sell or license their information to others. At this time, Costco does not engage in such sales. If you are a Nevada resident and would like more information about our privacy practices, please email US_privacy@costco.com.
Nevada residents also have the right to access and delete certain Consumer Health Data we collect about them. Visit our Data Rights Request webpage or call 1-800-605-3364 to submit a request. If your request to exercise your rights is denied, you may appeal that decision through the Data Rights Request portal. You will need your case number to submit your appeal.
Some states grant their residents additional rights relating to personal information that may identify a past, present, or future physical or mental health status (“Consumer Health Data”). Please review our Consumer Health Data Privacy Notice for more information on how Costco processes Consumer Health Data.
You have the right under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) to receive notice of the categories of personal information we collect, the purposes for which those categories of personal information will be used, and how we determine the length of time for which the personal information is maintained. You are also entitled to receive notice regarding your rights under the CCPA.
Collection, Use, and Retention of Personal Information
As a California resident, you have the right to receive notice of the categories of personal information we collect, the sources from which we receive personal information, and purposes for which we use personal information.
California law also requires us to provide information regarding the criteria we use to determine the length of time for which we retain personal information. We utilize the following criteria to determine the length of time for which we retain personal information:
Individual pieces of personal information such as those listed above may exist in different systems that are used for different business or legal purposes. A different maximum retention period may apply to each use case of the information. Certain individual pieces of information may also be stored in combination with other individual pieces of information, and the maximum retention period may be determined by the purpose for which that information set is used.
The following chart provides information about what we collect, how we use it, and additional retention considerations that arise when we apply these criteria to such information. California law requires us to provide this information using the categories enumerated in the law. Some elements of personal information may fall into multiple categories.
We do not collect education information.
For more information regarding protected health information processed by our Health Care Centers and Pharmacies, please see our Notice of Privacy Practices: Health Care Centers.
State law also requires us to provide you with information regarding the parties to whom we “sell” or “share” your information for commercial purposes, and the parties to whom we disclose your information for a business purpose. A business “sells” personal information when it discloses personal information to a company for monetary or other benefit. A business “shares” personal information when it discloses personal information to a third party in order to engage in cross-context targeted advertising. A company may be considered a third party either because the purpose for its sharing of personal information is not for a business purpose under applicable law, or because its contract does not restrict it from using personal information for other purposes.
We sell or share your information as follows:
Costco does not sell or share sensitive personal information.
Any category of personal information listed above also may be disclosed for a business purpose to service providers and contractors, which are companies or individuals that we engage to conduct activities on our behalf. Service providers and contractors are restricted from using personal information for any purpose not related to our engagement
We also may disclose personal information to the companies that provide products and services to our members in order to provide you with products or services you request. We may also disclose your personal information in additional, more limited circumstances, as described in the Our Disclosure of Personal Information section above. You also may save or print our Personal Information Categories and Purposes Notice.
You can opt-out of sale or sharing by visiting our Your Privacy Choices webpage and making the appropriate selections. Please note that if you opt out, we will continue to disclose some personal information with service providers for our business purposes, and to disclose personal information in circumstances that are not considered sale or sharing.
As a California resident, you have the right to request:
You or your authorized agent may submit a request to exercise your rights by submitting a Data Rights Request form or by calling 1-800-605-3364.
For your security and to ensure unauthorized third parties do not access your personal information, we will require you to verify your identity before we can act on your request. If you are a current Costco member, you will be required to authenticate through your Costco account. If you are not an active Costco member, you will be required to provide an email address and mobile phone number to start the verification process. For requests to correct inaccurate information, we may ask you to provide documentation that demonstrates why or how the existing information is inaccurate.
Before accepting a request from an authorized agent, we will require the agent to provide proof you have authorized it to act on your behalf, and we may need you to verify your identity directly with us or confirm that you provided the authorized agent permission to submit the request. You must use the Third Party Authorization form to authorize third parties to make such requests on your behalf.
We cannot respond to your request or provide you with personal information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information that relates to you. We will only use personal information provided in connection with the verification process to verify your identity or the authority of your authorized agent.
You have a right to opt out from future “sales” and “sharing” of personal information. You can exercise this right by visiting our Your Privacy Choices webpage. You also can prevent digital tracking information from being sold or shared by visiting our Cookie Settings webpage. Any opt out choices you make will only apply to the specific member account or email address that you provide when making the request, and to the browser that you are using when you submit an opt out for digital trackers.
Note that although we will not “sell” or “share” your personal information after you opt out from the sale of personal information, we will continue to disclose some personal information with our vendors and suppliers (acting as our service providers or processors) for our business purposes. Submitting a request to opt out through Your Privacy Choices and/or opting out of digital trackers will not stop the use of previously disclosed personal information or stop all targeted advertising.
California residents, and their authorized agents, have the right to request that a business limit its processing of sensitive personal information under certain circumstances. However, Costco processes sensitive personal information only as permitted by California law and only to:
Accordingly, Costco does not offer an option to limit further processing of Sensitive Personal Information.
You have a right not to receive discriminatory treatment for the exercise of your privacy rights.
California residents who have provided personal information to a business with which the individual has established a business relationship for personal, family, or household purposes (“California Members”) may request information about whether Costco has disclosed personal information to any third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes. We comply with this law by offering California Members a choice about the disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes, and you can make or change your choice by following the instructions under Your Privacy Choices section of this Privacy Notice.
During 2024, we received and responded to data rights requests as follows:
| Request type | Statistics |
|---|---|
| Request to Know/Access |
|
| Request to Delete |
|
| Request to Correct |
|
| Request to Opt-Out of sale/sharing/processing for targeted advertising*** |
|
| Request to Appeal |
|
*Denied requests: Requests to know, delete, or correct are denied when we are unable to verify the identity of the requestor. We are unable to process an opt-out request if the data provided by the requestor (for example, an email address) cannot be matched to data in our records.
**Delete requests converted to opt out: We process denied delete requests as opt-out requests, if possible.
***Requests to opt out of personal information sale, sharing, or processing for targeted advertising are accepted from all Costco members in the United States, and not limited to the residents of particular states. These numbers represent all requests to opt out received.
As described in the Right to Limit Processing of Sensitive Personal Information section above, Costco does not process sensitive personal information in a manner that would be subject to that right.
When you engage with our pharmacies, optical, or hearing aid departments (“Health Care Centers”), we may collect and process Protected Health Information relating to you. Please see our Notice of Privacy Practices: Health Care Centers for a description of how we use and protect Protected Health Information. To update prescription-related information, please visit the patient profile page at our online pharmacy site https://www.costco.com/Pharmacy/patient-profile.
Some state laws provide additional protections for personal information that identifies a past, present, or future physical or mental health status. This information is called Consumer Health Data. Please see our Consumer Health Data Privacy Notice for more information about how we collect and use Consumer Health Data, and your rights under applicable state laws.
We use Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology to collect information relating to vehicles present on or near some Costco warehouses and facilities. We use this information to detect, prevent, investigate, report and address incidents or illegal activities occurring in or around our warehouses and facilities, to maintain security for our employees, vendors, members and other visitors, and for loss prevention purposes, and to measure and mitigate traffic flow on our properties, at gas pumps and at car washes.
Costco restricts access to ALPR technology and ALPR Information to only those Costco personnel with a need-to-know such information for their job requirements. Access is granted to senior management for the warehouse and region where the technology is in use, to our loss prevention and security personnel, and to specific individuals on our procurement, gas, and technology innovations teams. These personnel receive training in data security and the sensitivity of ALPR Information. Costco’s use of ALPR technology is overseen by Costco Corporate Purchasing, and the Vice President, Warehouse Operations, and the Vice President, Enterprise Architecture. Use of ALRP technology is reviewed at regular intervals through Costco’s Privacy Impact Assessment process.
ALPR Information is stored on servers subject to Costco’s access control processes and procedures. ALPR Information is password protected, encrypted in transit and storage, and not used for purposes other than those disclosed in this Privacy Notice. Costco takes reasonable measures to ensure accuracy and integrity of the ALPR information it collects, including maintaining access controls and access logs. When using this information in connection with the investigation of an incident, Costco considers all available information, including information from other systems.
ALPR Information is stored for approximately 180 days before it is permanently deleted, unless we need to retain the information for compliance with applicable law, investigation of specific incidents, upon request of law enforcement or other valid legal processes.
Costco may disclose ALPR Information when we believe doing so is necessary to:
When ALPR Information is necessary for one of the above purposes, Costco uses reasonable safeguards, including encryption, to secure the transfer of ALPR information. Costco does not sell ALPR Information to third parties.
When you interact with Costco as a member, or for personal, family, or household purposes, this Privacy Notice applies to the processing of your personal information in that context. However, if you are a current or former Costco employee, contractor, vendor, job applicant, or other business contact, we will process personal information relating to your employment, application or business relationship in accordance with Costco Employee Privacy Notice or Costco Applicant Privacy Notice.
We will update this Privacy Notice when necessary to reflect changes in our Services, how we use personal information, or the applicable law. When we post changes to this Privacy Notice, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of the Privacy Notice. If we make material changes to the Privacy Notice, we will provide notice or obtain consent regarding such changes as may be required by law.
If you have a privacy concern, complaint, or a question, please contact us at US_privacy@costco.com or write us at PO Box 35128, Seattle, WA 98124.