When I first joined Costco about 18 years ago, I decided that a basic membership made the most sense for my household. Back then, it was just me, my husband, and a small dog, and we didn’t need to shop at Costco more than once a month to stock up on cleaning supplies and non-perishable products. It didn’t make sense to buy groceries in bulk at Costco because we wouldn’t use them in time and wouldn’t get value for our money.

But at some point, after I had kids, I made the decision to become an executive member at Costco. And since then I have paid for the more expensive membership.

It was this decision, however, that allowed me to get my Costco membership for free. And the same trick might work for you too.

Spend enough to get your Executive membership paid for

Costco’s executive membership costs double what a basic membership costs: $130 per year, compared to $65. But there’s a big perk associated with Executive membership: 2% cash back on your Costco purchases.

To be clear, you will not get 2% back on All at Costco. Fill-ups at gas stations are not eligible for this cash back, nor are purchases at food courts.

But in addition to in-store purchases like groceries, paper products, clothing and electronics, travel packages booked through Costco are eligible for a 2% discount on an executive membership. The same goes for furniture and other expensive items that could really add up.

When you do the math, you’ll see that it takes $6,500 in annual spending at Costco to earn $130 from an executive membership. But for me, this number is not that difficult to achieve.

I shop at Costco almost every week of the year and typically spend between $100 and $150 per trip. If we average $125 and multiply it by 50 weeks during the year, we get $6,250.

From there, it only takes a few one-time purchases to spend an additional $250 over the course of a year. And since I usually turn to Costco for things like kids’ clothes and Christmas gifts, I can easily earn $130 in cash back, thus getting my free membership.

Do you spend enough at Costco to get a free membership?

You shouldn’t specifically spend more money at Costco just to get your free membership. If you normally only spend $5,000 a year, it doesn’t make sense to intentionally spend an extra $1,500 to have your $130 membership fee returned to you in the form of cash back.

But that do It makes sense to do the math and make sure you’re paying to start the right subscription. If you spend more than $3,250 per year at Costco, then the Executive membership absolutely pays off, even if you don’t earn enough cash back to get that free membership. That’s because 2% of $3,250 equals $65, which is the cost of upgrading from a basic Costco membership to an executive membership.

And you may find that if you shop at Costco as often as I do, you can earn enough money to recoup your entire $130 expense. Or, you might find that you can spend $6,500 a year not only stocking up at Costco once a month but also booking a family vacation where you earn 2% back.

Even if you’re unable to score a free Costco membership, it’s not the end of the world to pay that fee for the savings it could give you throughout the year. And if you want to maximize your savings at Costco, make sure you’re using the right credit card for your purchases.

Click here for a list of the best credit cards for Costco shoppers. These could earn you more money whether you have an executive membership or decide to stick with a basic membership.