Retailer guide The offer explained

Costco Phone Plans: What You Actually Get

Costco does not have a phone plan. There is no Costco network, no Costco rate, and no membership discount on your monthly bill. What the Wireless Kiosk sells is a major carrier's own plan, at that carrier's own price, with a one-time incentive attached, usually a Costco card offer plus whatever device promotion the carrier is already running. Ask whether the activation fee is waived: Costco's current T-Mobile page doesn't say.

How we judged these plans ▾

The question this page answers is not which Costco plan to buy, there aren't any, but whether the kiosk's one-time sweetener is worth more than the monthly saving you would get elsewhere. We price the incentive against the bill over two years.

This page ranks an offer, not a plan lineup, so the test is different from our other rankings: we price the one-time incentive against the monthly bill over a realistic ownership period, and compare that total to what the same network costs elsewhere.

We treat a Shop Card as what it is: a discount on your next Costco trip, not on your phone bill. A $200 card is $200, once. It does not compound, it does not reduce the plan price, and it does not survive you leaving the plan early if it was paid as bill credits rather than a card.

Plan prices come from the carrier's own page and are verified monthly. Costco does not alter them, which is the single most useful fact on this page.

First Not sure how much data you actually need? Seven questions and you’ll know which tier to shop. Work it out →
Our verdict At a glance What a year costs Why these plans win Also worth considering How to choose Best by use case FAQ
Our verdict

T-Mobile T-Mix More, at $75/mo

The price is identical to signing up at a T-Mobile store or online ($75 for one line with AutoPay); what Costco adds is its card offer. Unlimited premium data, a 60GB hotspot, 4K video, two Picks on one line (Netflix, Apple TV and Hulu are among the choices) and 5GB of data in 215+ countries.

The catch: The card offer is one-time and the plan price is monthly. Costco's $400 switcher offer works out to about $17 a month over two years, if your plan qualifies: real, but smaller than the gap to most MVNOs on the same network.

Read our T-Mix guide →
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Shop Card amounts and device promotions change monthly and vary by store. Verify the current offer at your own warehouse before deciding; the plan pricing below comes from the carrier and does not change at the kiosk.

At a Glance

What you're buying Who sets it Does Costco change it?
The monthly plan price The carrier No
The network you get The carrier No
Costco Shop Card Costco + carrier Yes: this is the benefit
Activation / upgrade fee The carrier Ask: Costco's page doesn't mention a waiver
Device promotion The carrier Sometimes stacked
Which carrier is offered Your local warehouse Yes: one carrier per store
Swipe the table to compare all columns

What a year costs

Every plan on this page, annualised. Top to bottom, the gap is $600 a year.

Shorter bar — less per year Longer bar — more per year
T-Mobile T-Mix Saver
$540/yr
T-Mobile T-Mix More
$900/yr
T-Mobile T-Mix Loaded
$1,140/yr

Why These Plans Win

Every plan is scored against the same four pillars. Here is why each one made the ranking, who it fits, and what to watch for.

1
T-Mobile T-Mobile T-Mix More Most common kiosk plan
T-Mobile's middle T-Mix plan, at the same price you'd pay T-Mobile directly.
Price verified September 12, 2026
$75/mo
See the verdict above
Best for Someone already committed to T-Mobile postpaid who would rather collect the Shop Card than not.
2
T-Mobile T-Mobile T-Mix Loaded Top tier at the kiosk
The upsell target.
Price verified September 12, 2026
$95/mo
Read our T-Mix guide →

T-Mobile's top T-Mix plan: a 250GB hotspot, 30GB of data in Canada and Mexico, 15GB in 215+ countries and three Picks on one line (11 on four lines), at $95 for one line with AutoPay. Costco's $400 switcher offer ($150 Costco Digital Shop Card plus a $250 prepaid Visa for use at T-Mobile or Costco) requires a new phone on a device financing agreement and a port-in from AT&T, Verizon or another eligible carrier. Costco's page still names Experience Beyond "or equivalent plans" and doesn't say which T-Mix plans count, so confirm before you count on it.

Best for Households replacing home internet with hotspot, who were buying this tier regardless.
Watch for Device promotions on this tier are typically paid as bill credits over 24 or 36 months, which means leaving early forfeits the rest. A three-year credit is a three-year commitment to the most expensive plan in the lineup.
3
T-Mobile T-Mobile T-Mix Saver The plan they won't lead with
The cheapest T-Mobile postpaid line, and the honest comparison point.
Price verified September 12, 2026
$45/mo
Read our T-Mix guide →

T-Mobile's cheapest T-Mix plan ($45 for one line with AutoPay, $30 when you transfer your number), and the honest comparison point. If the card offer is what brought you in, price this against the plan being pitched before you decide: on one line, Saver costs $360 a year less than T-Mix More.

Best for Anyone who wants T-Mobile's network and does not tether.
Watch for No Picks, so it can't use Pick-based phone deals such as Costco's iPhone 18 Pro On Us (3 Picks, 36 monthly bill credits), and 50GB of premium data with SD video.

Also Worth Considering

Plans that didn’t make the ranking but are the right answer in a narrower case.

AT&T at Costco
AT&T
The other kiosk

Some warehouses carry AT&T rather than T-Mobile. Same structure: carrier pricing plus a Costco card offer; ask whether activation is waived. Which one your store has is not something you can choose.

Read more →
Visible
Visible
The monthly-cost answer

Verizon's network, all-in pricing, no kiosk and no card. Over two years the monthly saving against a postpaid line dwarfs any Shop Card.

Read more →
US Mobile
US Mobile
Pick your network

Runs on Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T, so you can match whichever network your Costco kiosk was pushing: at roughly a third of the price.

Read more →
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile
Same towers, prepaid

T-Mobile's network on prepaid terms. The direct alternative if the kiosk in your warehouse is T-Mobile.

Read more →

How to Choose

The questions that decide it, in the order worth asking them.

Were you switching carriers anyway?

This is the whole question. If you had already decided to move to the carrier at your Costco kiosk, take the Shop Card. It is free money on a decision you had made. If the card is what is making you consider switching, you are being sold a monthly bill with a one-time discount on it.

What is the card actually worth per month?

Divide it by how long you will keep the plan. A $200 Shop Card across two years is about $8 a month. Compare that to the gap between the plan being pitched and an MVNO on the same network, which is usually $40 or more a month. The card rarely closes it.

Is the incentive a card or bill credits?

It matters enormously. A Costco Shop Card is a one-time card, though Costco says to allow up to 16 weeks for it to arrive. Carrier device credits are paid monthly over 24 or 36 months and stop if you cancel, downgrade, or leave, which converts a 'free phone' into a multi-year commitment to a premium plan.

Which carrier does your warehouse have?

Costco runs one carrier per store rather than all three. You cannot pick, and the answer may differ between two warehouses twenty minutes apart. If a specific network is the one that works at your house, check which store carries it before making a trip.

Is the activation fee waived?

Ask before you sign up: Costco's current T-Mobile page doesn't mention a waiver. If you get one, it multiplies across lines on a family plan; on a single line it is the smallest part of the offer.

Best Plans by Use Case

Best if you're switching to T-Mobile anyway
T-Mix More at the kiosk

Same price as anywhere else, plus Costco's card offer if your plan qualifies. There is no reason to sign up elsewhere.

Runner-up: The same plan direct from T-Mobile if no warehouse near you has the kiosk.

Best for a family port-in
Whichever carrier your warehouse carries

Switcher device promotions are richest on multi-line ports, and any activation-fee waiver multiplies across lines.

Runner-up: Cricket or Total Wireless multi-line if the monthly bill matters more than the one-time incentive.

Best if you just want a lower bill
Skip the kiosk

Nothing at a Costco wireless kiosk lowers a monthly plan price. An MVNO on the same towers does, permanently.

Runner-up: Visible or US Mobile, depending on which network works where you live.

Best for a phone upgrade
The kiosk, with the credit terms read

Costco's card offers can stack on the carrier's existing trade-in offer; ask whether the upgrade fee is waived.

Runner-up: Buying the phone outright and pairing it with a prepaid plan, if you do not want a 36-month credit schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Costco have its own phone plan? +
No. Costco does not operate a network or sell a branded plan. Its Wireless Kiosks sell plans from a major carrier, currently T-Mobile or AT&T depending on the warehouse, at that carrier's standard pricing.
Is a phone plan cheaper at Costco? +
The monthly price is not. Costco does not discount the plan itself. What it adds is a one-time Costco card offer and access to whatever device promotion the carrier is already running. Ask whether the activation or upgrade fee is waived.
How much is the Costco Shop Card for a new phone plan? +
It varies by carrier, by month and sometimes by store, and has run from around $100 to several hundred dollars on multi-line switches. Because the amount changes frequently, check the current offer at your own warehouse rather than relying on a figure you read online.
Which carriers does Costco sell? +
T-Mobile and AT&T, with Verizon having been offered in the past. Costco assigns one carrier per warehouse rather than stocking all of them, so which one you are offered depends on which store you visit.
Do you need a Costco membership to use the wireless kiosk? +
Yes: the kiosks are inside the warehouse and the Shop Card incentive is a member benefit. If you are not already a member, factor the membership fee into whether the incentive is worth it.
Is buying a phone plan at Costco worth it? +
If you had already decided to join that carrier, yes. You get the same plan with Costco's card offer. If you are choosing the carrier because of the card, no. A one-time card of $200 is worth roughly $8 a month over two years, while moving to an MVNO on the same network typically saves several times that, every month, permanently.
Can you use a Costco Shop Card for your phone bill? +
No. A Costco Shop Card is spendable at Costco, not against your wireless account. It reduces your future shopping, not your monthly bill, which is the distinction that decides whether this offer is worth taking.

Looking for something different?

Best T-Mobile Plans The lineup behind the kiosk → Best T-Mobile MVNO Plans Same network, lower bill → Cheapest Phone Plans Under $30/month → Free Carrier Trials Test the network before you commit →

Affiliate disclosure: ShopCellPlans earns a commission on qualifying signups through some of the links on this page. Our rankings reflect editorial judgment, not commercial relationships. Read our methodology.