The Costco Return Policy on Alcohol Made Simple

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and is not equivalent to the services of a licensed lawyer. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help, and does not offer legal services. Third party news articles mentioned on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of the company, or the current services that we offer.

What Is the Costco Return Policy on Alcohol?

Are you unsatisfied with an alcoholic beverage purchased from Costco? Learn about the Costco return policy on alcohol in our guide, and find out whether you can return it. with Costco in a matter of minutes!

The Costco Alcohol Return Policy Explained

Costco may accept returns on alcohol within 90 days of purchase, depending on where you live. Some states ban returns of alcoholic beverages, while others allow it under certain conditions. You can return alcohol if:

  • It’s unfit to be consumed
  • It’s spoiled or expired
  • You purchased it by mistake

Some Costco locations may also require beverages to be unopened and with their original packaging intact.

You can contact your local Costco to check whether alcohol returns are allowed. Here are Costco’s customer support contact numbers:

DepartmentPhone NumberOperating Hours
Costco.com1-800-955-2292
  • Mon–Fri (5 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
  • Sat–Sun (5 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Costco Membership and Warehouse1-800-774-2678
  • Mon–Fri (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
  • Sat–Sun (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Costco typically doesn’t require a receipt to accept a product return because they can track product purchases from memberships. If you aren’t a member, you need a receipt as proof that you’re the item’s original buyer.

Costco doesn’t charge a restocking fee for returns.

How Will Costco Issue Your Refund?

The refund method depends on where you return the product, as follows:

LocationsRefund Method
Costco Warehouses
  • Cash
  • All Visa Cards
  • ATM Cards
  • The Costco Anywhere Visa
  • Costco Member Personal Checks
  • Costco Member Business Checks
  • Traveler’s Checks
  • Costco Shop Cards
  • EBT cards
  • Mobile Payment (Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay)
Costco Gas Stations
  • The Costco Anywhere Visa
  • All Visa Cards
  • ATM Cards
  • Costco Shop Cards
Costco.com
  • ATM Cards
  • All Visa Cards
  • The Costco Anywhere Visa
  • Costco Shop Cards
  • MasterCard
  • Discover Cards (Including JCB and Diners Club)

How To Return Alcohol to Costco: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once you’re positive that your local Costco accepts alcohol returns, you can return your purchase:

  1. In person
  2. Via mail

Returning Alcohol to a Costco Location

If you’d like to receive a refund right away, you should return the item in person. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Pack the alcoholic beverage inside its original packaging or another suitable container
  2. Go to the nearest Costco in your area
  3. Tell a salesperson you’d like to return a purchase
  4. Show your Costco membership ID or receipt

Returning Alcohol via Mail

If you purchased your item online, you can request a return or a replacement on Costco’s website and return the product via mail by doing the following:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Locate Orders and Returns
  3. Find your order
  4. Click on the Return Items button
  5. Download your return label and print it
  6. Place the product inside an appropriate container
  7. Follow additional packaging instructions provided by Costco
  8. Attach the shipping label to the box
  9. Mail it to the appropriate address or schedule a pickup (if possible)

Shipping and handling fees will be refunded alongside the item price. You won’t be charged for the return shipping cost.

Don’t Let Costco’s Alcohol Return Policy Intimidate You—Let DoNotPay Send a Return Request on Your Behalf

Costco’s return policy on alcohol can be confusing, and the whole return process is usually time-consuming. If you’d like to avoid heading over to the nearest Costco store or wasting hours trying to mail the item, you should rely on DoNotPay.

Our Return my Purchase tool can help you draft a return request letter and send it to Costco in just a few clicks. Here’s what you should do:

  1. Open your preferred browser to
  2. Search for the Return My Purchase product
  3. Answer a few questions and submit the form

We will send a detailed return request letter explaining the reasons for your return and provide a free shipping label. The letter will set a deadline for the merchant and state the solution you expect.

Not Getting a Refund Although You Deserve One? Demand It With DoNotPay!

If you have returned the item and think that you’re eligible for a refund, you can use our app to send a refund request by completing these steps:

  1. Search for the File a Chargeback product
  2. Click on Get Protected
  3. Answer a few questions
  4. Sign and Submit the document

Within minutes, we will send a tailor-made refund request letter to the retailer in your stead.

Has Costco Wronged You? Send Demand Letters To It in Small Claims Court With DoNotPay's Help!

If Costco owes you a refund or refuses to compensate for damaged products, you can send demand letters to them in small claims court with the help of DoNotPay—the world's first AI Consumer Champion recognized by the American Bar Association.

Here are some of the tasks our app can help you with:

  • Gathering all of the necessary paperwork
  • Writing a demand letter
  • Filling out all court forms
  • Filing your complaint
  • Creating a script with the strongest argumentation to use in court

What Other Item Return Requests Can DoNotPay Help With?

If you received unwanted or damaged items from other stores, our app can help you return them. Some of the retailers DoNotPay can file return requests with include:

DoNotPay Is a Master at Getting What’s Rightfully Yours

Are you dealing with a company that refuses to approve your return? Once we submit a refund request in your stead, we can also prepare all the paperwork you need to send demand letters to the merchant in small claims court and win your case.

Need a document for the lawsuit? Draw it up with our handy tool. Want to get any document notarized and fax it to someone? We have products that can do that for you as well.

Has an airline rescheduled your flight, or is your package damaged or missing? Demand compensation with DoNotPay!

Do you believe that you may have some unclaimed assets? Count on us to find and get them for you.

It Doesn’t End There!

Use DoNotPay whenever you need to tackle any sort of mundane task. If you’re sick of wasting your time in long phone queues or the ones at the DMV, we’ll help you skip them. Do you want to apply for a college fee waiver or clinical trial? Are you looking to enter a sweepstake or get a passport photo or a tourist visa? We’ll do it all in your stead!

If you want to send a letter of warning to a persistent harasser or loud neighbor or want to get compensation for victims of crime, workplace discrimination, or robocalls, let us know and we’ll tackle the issue momentarily.

Fight for your rights