What happened to Costco’s cell phone kiosks?
In this article you will find out what happened to Costco's cell phone kiosks, is it still a good idea to buy them there?
- The kiosks had been closed for a long time.
- Now they have reopened, but is it worth buying a cell phone there?
- They no longer offer the same offers as before.
If you’ve walked through the electronics department at Costco Wholesale this year, you may have noticed that the cell phone kiosks have been covered and closed.
Now, Costco phone kiosks have reopened. But they aren’t the same kiosks with great deals on cell phones of the past.
In this article, I’ll take a closer look at what’s been happening with Costco’s cell phone kiosks.
Including Clark’s advice on whether you should consider buying a phone at Costco right now.
Costco’s former cell phone service provider has closed
In the past, Costco cell phone kiosks used to be a great place to buy a new phone.
At the warehouse, you used to find plans available from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
As well as additional bonuses and incentives that made buying a phone at Costco a great deal.
However, those kiosks were suddenly closed towards the end of last year.
What happened to the kiosks?
In February 2023, I contacted a Costco representative to ask about discontinuing phone sales. At that time, I received a response that management had no comment on the matter.
Now, as cell phone kiosks begin to reopen with new partnerships, finance expert Clark Howard sheds light on what has been happening:
«Costco had a special deal for years,» Clark says. «They had a third-party provider that set up the cell phone agreement there»
«And Costco members typically got significantly better deals when purchasing phones and subscribing to services within Costco compared to going to an AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon store, or anywhere else.»
Buy a Cell Phone at Costco Now
“Unfortunately, the deal Costco had negotiated was too good and the supplier went bankrupt. So those kiosks disappeared.
«And what replaces them, at least for now… Costco is temporarily renting space to the big cell phone carriers, and the deals are bad!»
Costco cell phone kiosks are reopening in warehouses, but you won’t find the same deals or plan selections you’ve seen in the past.
Instead, your local Costco likely offers postpaid plans from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. At the time of writing this article, I visited a nearby Costco to see what was available.
What are the benefits?
I discovered that this store had partnered with Verizon and offered the same postpaid plans that I had seen online.
There was an incentive for customers who opened a new cell phone line: a $250 Costco Card.
The representative at the store could not confirm that the same offer was available at all Costcos.
I also visited the Costco website and found exclusive discounts for Costco members on AT&T and T-Mobile.
Does Costco offer the best deals?
AT&T: Get up to $350 off an eligible smartphone, save $10 per month per line on the AT&T Unlimited Premium plan, and Costco will credit your activation fee.
T-Mobile: Get up to $400 when you activate a Go5G Plus plan ($150 member benefit plus $250 credit).
While these deals may be worth it, it’s no longer safe to assume that Costco offers the best deals.
«Walking in there is basically like being in a trashy cell phone store from one of the big three brands,» Clark says.
Don’t be fooled
«Unless Costco fixes this, don’t be fooled into buying anything at those kiosks that are in Costco stores now, because they’re not worth it.»
«The only exception with Costco is that Costco.com often sells iPhones at a lower price than you can buy elsewhere.
«They run regular promotions where they offer deals on iPhones that are significantly better than what you can get directly from Apple.
«And often better than what you can get from one of the major cell phone carriers.»
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