What You Need To Know Before Filling A Propane Tank At Costco

You probably already know that shopping at Costco is a great way to save money on home renovation, groceries, clothing, and almost anything else you can buy at the membership warehouse giant. You might even visit Costco regularly to fill your car with low-priced gas. What you might not know is that other types of fuel are sometimes available at Costco, including propane tank refills. Costco offers a propane tank refill station at many of its locations, although some do not offer this service. 

One of the best reasons to choose a Costco refill instead of an exchange elsewhere — beyond the fact that Costco's propane prices are usually lower than other retailers — is that you keep your tank. By bringing your tank that's in good shape and refilling it at Costco, you don't have to take your chances with a propane exchange service, where the random tank you receive may have corrosion, chipped paint, and other unsightly flaws.

Another advantage of refilling the tank is that you receive a better value than using an exchange program at another retailer. If you have any leftover gas when you exchange, you lose the value of this amount of propane. (You might want to use a hack to measure how full your propane tank is before you exchange it.) When you refill your own tank, you don't lose the leftover gas, as the retailer just adds more gas. Retailers like Costco can add to the tank to reach 80% of capacity, which is the maximum safety level to allow for gas expansion inside.

At your local Costco warehouse store, look for the propane refill station, which will have a large propane tank with posts around it to protect it from people driving too close to it. It often has a large sign, too. Your tank must be viable based on the expiration date stamped on the tank. A new propane tank's lifespan is about 12 years. The refilling station might be in the parking lot near the gasoline pumps or the tire department. You can signal an attendant from the tire center or gas station to fill your tank.

You must have a Costco membership to be able to purchase propane at the warehouse. Before you go into the warehouse and start shopping, you should take your empty tank to the propane station and have the attendant fill it. You then receive a receipt for the amount of propane added to your tank. Take the receipt inside the store. You can pick up groceries or other items if desired. As you go through the checkout, you can pay for the propane and anything else you picked up. The attendant holds onto your tank until you come out of the store with the checkout receipt.

Because propane is a commodity, its price fluctuates based on the market. Some Costco stores may charge slightly different prices than others. It's usually a good idea to call your local Costco store before making the trip to be certain it offers propane refill services.