The Costco Affiliate Program is one of the most well-known membership-based affiliate opportunities in the United States, allowing affiliates to promote a reputable retail brand. If you run a blog, YouTube channel, or social media page aimed at U.S. consumers, Costco’s program can be a useful source of revenue.
In this tutorial, we’ll explain how to join the Costco Affiliate Program, what to expect during the sign-up process, and how to get accepted quickly.
If you want to learn more about commission rates, cookie duration, and overall pros and cons, check out our Costco Affiliate Program review.
1. Understand How the Program Works
Before you join up, make sure you understand what you’re advertising. Unlike Amazon Associates and Walmart’s affiliate programs, Costco only pays a commission on membership sign-ups, not product purchases.
Key points to remember:
Managed through CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction)
$3 commission for Gold Star Memberships
$6 commission for Executive Memberships
Session-based cookie (the user must sign up immediately after clicking your link)
Commissions only from U.S.-based customers
Understanding these phrases ahead of time can help you determine whether this program is appropriate for your target audience.
2. Prepare Before You Apply
Before they let you join the Costco program, affiliate networks like CJ Affiliate need some information from you. Make sure you have:
A live website or active content channel (blog, YouTube, TikTok, etc.)
Clear niche alignment — Costco appeals to budget-conscious shoppers, bulk buyers, and households
Quality content — At least 5–10 relevant posts or videos that show you can promote products professionally
Contact details and tax information — CJ Affiliate will require these during sign-up
If you want to heavily market Costco, make sure your content already covers issues related to retail or membership. This makes it more likely that you will be approved.
3. Sign Up for CJ Affiliate
Costco doesn’t run its own affiliate program. Instead, it uses CJ Affiliate to handle applications, payments, and tracking.
Here’s how to sign up:
Go to CJ Affiliate’s website.
Click Sign Up and select Publisher (affiliate) account.
Fill out your business information and payment details.
Verify your email address to activate your account.
Once your CJ Affiliate account is active, you can apply to individual programs — including Costco.
4. Apply to the Costco Affiliate Program
Inside your CJ Affiliate dashboard:
Search for Costco in the Advertiser Directory.
Click on Costco Wholesale to open the program page.
Review their terms and conditions carefully.
Click Apply to Program and submit your application.
The approval process is not uniform; some affiliates are approved within hours, while others must wait for a few days.
5. Get Approved Faster with These Tips
The affiliate staff at Costco looks over applications to make sure they are good. Here are some ways to improve your chances:
Be transparent — Clearly describe your marketing channels in your CJ Affiliate profile.
Focus on relevant traffic — Costco prefers affiliates with U.S.-based audiences.
Showcase your reach — Mention your monthly traffic, social media followers, or email list size.
Avoid low-quality sites — Thin content, excessive ads, or irrelevant niches may hurt your chances.
6. Start Promoting Costco Memberships
Once approved, you’ll get access to:
Tracking links for Costco’s membership offers
Banners and promotional creatives
Basic performance reports
To learn how to turn these tools into real income, check our next guide: 7 Proven Strategies to Promote Costco as an Affiliate. This post will show you exactly how to drive traffic and increase conversions.
7. Monitor Your Results
Because Costco uses a session-based cookie, you need to get people to join up right away. It’s important to keep track of your conversion rate.
Our upcoming post, Tracking and Optimizing Your Costco Affiliate Performance, will explain how to measure your success using CJ Affiliate’s tools and additional analytics platforms.
8. Link With Related Content
To build topical authority, link your Costco content to other relevant articles. For example:
Costco Affiliate Program vs. Other Membership-Based Programs — Compare earnings and benefits.
Is the Costco Affiliate Program Right for Budget-Conscious Shoppers? — Identify the best target audience.
Internal linking will help your readers explore related topics and keep them engaged on your site longer — a key SEO factor.
Conclusion
Joining the Costco Affiliate Program is simple if you prepare your application, understand the program’s guidelines, and tailor your material to its target demographic. Costco’s trusted name and loyal customer base make it a good extra affiliate program for publishers in the U.S., even though commissions are only given for membership sign-ups.
Once you’re approved, the next step is learning how to promote Costco effectively — which we cover in our detailed guide, 7 Proven Strategies to Promote Costco as an Affiliate.
