3 Surprising Reasons to Cancel Your Sam’s Club Membership and Join Costco Instead

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Joining a warehouse club is a great way to keep more money in your bank account . But there are a few different options for which club to join, and it doesn't make sense for most people to have memberships at more than one.

If you're a Sam's Club member now, there are several reasons why you may want to switch to Costco that you may not be aware of. Consider the following three to make sure you have the best club membership for you.

1. Costco has TOP TIER gas, but Sam's Club doesn't

Buying gas at the warehouse clubs is one of the biggest membership perks, as cheaper gas prices can help keep your credit card bills down. But you don't just want cheap gas; you want high-quality gas, too. And Costco's gas is objectively better than Sam's Club's as it has TOP TIER designation.

TOP TIER Gas has special additives that reduce deposit buildup on the intake valves and fuel injectors to make your engine perform better. A study by AAA found that this makes a difference for your car's performance, keeping your engine up to 19 times cleaner so it can run better and last longer.

Cars are expensive, and if one warehouse club does a better job helping your vehicle stay in good shape, that's a big point in its favor -- and may be reason enough to make a switch.

2. Costco's stores are larger in size

When you're navigating around a warehouse store with a big cart full of bulk items, the last thing you want is to feel like the place is overcrowded. If you switch to Costco from Sam's Club, you're much less likely to be bumping into your fellow shoppers thanks to Costco's larger stores.

The average size of Costco locations comes in at 146,000 square feet, while Sam's Club stores average around 136,000 square feet. This 10,000-square-foot difference is a big one. To put it in perspective, Taylor Swift's Rhode Island mansion is 11,000 square feet, so you could fit an entire extra Swiftie house in a Costco store.

There's a lot to be said for having this extra room to move around, and of course having more space to display products and offer free samples. So if you want the best shopping experience, Costco is a better choice.

3. Costco has a larger international presence

If you travel outside of the United States and want to get bargains while abroad, Costco has you covered , but Sam's Club probably does not.

Costco has around 876 warehouses worldwide, including in:

• Australia
• Canada
• China
• France
• Iceland
• Japan
• Korea
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Sweden
• The U.K.
• Spain
• Taiwan

By contrast, you'll only find Sam's Club in the U.S., China, Brazil, and Mexico.

Chances are good you probably didn't know these details about Costco and Sam's Club. But now that you do, you may want to think seriously about canceling your Sam's Club membership and making the switch. When you have access to better gas, can pick up your Kirkland snacks while you're traveling around the world, and can get your packed cart out of the store with less stress, you'll be very glad that you made the change.

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