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Costco has been making several changes recently, and it’s not just the new hours. As someone who has recently joined Sam’s Club, it is interesting to see how the competition between them has actually made them both better.

All Members

• Using hand scanner to quickly zap at Self-Checkout. Although Costco does not (yet?) use the nifty Scan&Go system using your mobile phone, they have started allowing you to use the wireless hand scanner at Self-Checkout. No longer do you have to pick up every single item and put it on the scale. Now you can use the hand scanner and try to match the speed-zapping skills of the veteran cashiers. They are also testing out the equivalent of Scan&Go, but this is already pretty close.
• Costco Digital Membership card. I don’t really mind the new door scanners, as at least now I don’t have to carry my physical membership card anymore. The Costco app works at the door, at checkout, and at the food court.
• Coke products at Food Court. I’m old enough to remember Coke in the food court, but it has been Pepsi for the last 12 years. By the end of June, all of the fountain drinks should be Coke products again. Not a big deal, but I am Team Coke, so that makes me happy. Sam’s is still Pepsi. Long live the $1.50 hot dog!
• Extra hour on Saturdays. This is for all members, and they will close at 7pm instead of 6pm traditionally. Should start 6/30.
• Extended gas station hours. Earlier in 2025, Costco extended its gas station hours to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.
• New types of specialty stores. There are now smaller, separate Costco locations popping up that only focus on furniture and appliances. I guess this how Costco plans to keep growing its sales volume, because they will eventually get saturated with their normal stores.

Executive Members *Only* (starts 6/30)

• New Early Shopping Hours
  • Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
  • Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
  • Sunday: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

  Sam’s Club has kept their extra hours for Plus members this entire time, I know that it is usually 8am to 10am on weekdays at my nearest Sam’s.

• Monthly $10 credit towards “Same-Day” or Instacart orders of $150+ for US and Canadian members.
• At $130 a year for Executive instead of $65 for Gold, the breakeven spending amount given the 2% Executive cash back is now $3,250 a year, or an average of ~$271 per month. Correction: Costco gas purchases don’t earn the 2% Executive cash back.

Still missing the best feature from Sam’s Club? The best thing about Sam’s Club (now that I will eventually run out of my 20% off gift cards from Pepper) is their Pick Up service. Their app has solid inventory accuracy, and this way I can just shop on the app, have them bring everything directly to my car, and save a lot of time with no price markup. Sam’s Club has copied the Kirkland private label and I see Member’s Mark everything now. I wonder if/when Costco will copy the Sam’s Club Pick Up service.

Have you noticed any other changes at Costco?

Finally… I passed the “Insurance Planning” course for my University of Georgia Self-Paced CFP class. That’s only #2 out of the 7 topics, but here are a few quick observations so far:

• After trying a couple of times… 😅 I was not able to pass the course exams without studying the course materials first. You need 80% correct to pass, and I’d be in the 60% to 80% range without any studying.
• I’ve been able to pass the exams after only reading the online course slides and review questions. I haven’t opened the textbooks once (as shown in pristine condition above!), even though I spent extra for the physical textbooks (as opposed to electronic-only).
• As a personal finance geek, I did know a lot of the material beforehand, but there are definitely new bits that I’m learning here and there. The material is dry, but it covers a lot of topics.
• Like many other professional certification exams, much of passing means studying specifically for the test. The questions aren’t necessarily weighted by what’s commonly used in financial planning practice, but by what is easiest to test in a multiple-choice format. That means memorizing formulas that require a financial calculator, “none of the above”, “all of the above”-type questions, and minor differences in definitions. I now understand why even after completing this educational course requirement, most CFP applicants sign up for another ~$1,000 “cram course” that just drills you on sample test questions.

Back to Insurance Planning. I got stuck on this course for while as it is a very wide topic with some rather dull topics, so here is a high-level overview of what was covered.

Three main categories of “Pure Risk” for individuals and families:

• Personal
• Property
• Liability

Principles and Purpose of Insurance

• Types of risk (pure vs. speculative)
• Methods of managing risk (avoidance, reduction, retention, transfer)

Property and Casualty Insurance

• Homeowners and renters insurance
• Auto insurance
• Liability and umbrella policies
• Business-related coverage

Life Insurance

• Types (term, whole, universal, variable)
• Suitability and needs analysis
• Policy selection, riders, beneficiary designations

Health Insurance and Disability Insurance

• Health plans (PPO, HMO, HDHP, etc.)
• Medicare and Medicaid
• Social Security
• Disability coverage (short-term, long-term, own vs. any occupation)
• Long-Term Care Insurance

Employee and Group Benefits

• Group life, health, and disability plans
• COBRA and continuation coverage
• Cafeteria and flexible spending accounts

Annuities

• Types (fixed, variable, immediate, deferred)
• Payout options and guarantees
• Tax treatment and suitability

Role of a financial planner.

• Coverage level determination
• Help clients identify coverage gaps or excesses.
• Refer clients to qualified Property & Casualty (P&C) agents.
• Evaluate insurance as part of a broader financial plan.
• Review and update over time

For example, for personal liability insurance you would ask about:

• Personal Auto Policy (PAP): For motor vehicle-related liabilities.
• Homeowners Policy: Covers bodily injury/property damage to others.
• Comprehensive Personal Liability (CPL) Policy: Standalone liability coverage.
• Umbrella Policy: Broad, high-limit policy supplementing existing coverages.

You may not need all of them individually, but some combination of these should work together to make sure there no holes. It’s also possible that you may have duplicate coverage or otherwise too much insurance.

A lot of financial advice focuses on “offense”: maximizing income, minimizing expenses, and optimizing investments. But “defense” is just as important, as it includes protecting from loss of future income and loss of existing assets.

CIT Bank has a new promo for their eChecking account. Their eChecking has a minimum opening deposit of $100, no minimum balance, and no monthly service fee. The interest rate is low (0.10% on balances under $25,000), but a checking account can be a handy addition to savings accounts as they offer unlimited withdrawals and/or debit card access.

Promo details. Must open a new eChecking account with the promo code EC2025, or existing customers with an eChecking account must enroll their accounts through the offer link.

If you deposit at least $2,500 in new funds within 30 days after opening, you get a $100 bonus. Or if you deposit at least $1,000, you get a $50 bonus. Only new funds deposited or transferred from outside of CIT Bank count toward bonus eligibility.

Bonus is calculated 30 days after you open your eChecking account or enroll your existing account using the promo code EC2025. If you meet the promotion requirements, your bonus will be added to your account within 60 days of qualifying (up to 90 days after account opening).

Seems like a pretty straightforward bonus. No direct deposit requirement, just needs to be new money. Even works for existing customers.

Found via DoC.

Deal is back again through 6/15. Get a $10 Target GiftCard with $100 Apple Gift Card purchase. A simple deal if you plan to buy any Apple products/services in the future (and have a free Target Circle membership). While supplies last. May be able to get more in-store. Stack with the 5% back via Target REDCard.

Apple gift cards are now good for everything from iPhones to Apple Watches to music to iCloud storage subscriptions. The code just adds to the balance in your Apple account. I accumulate them over time like an old-fashioned layaway plan and I feel that getting 10% to 15% off a new iPhone or Apple Watch even when you buy on release day is pretty good. (Apple products and their iTunes/iCloud services used to have separate gift cards.)

Best Buy is not matching this deal right now, but they have other gift cards on sale: Free $10 Best Buy e-Gift Card when you buy a $100 Google Play gift card.