Buying Hearing Aids at Costco: Your Complete Guide

Whether you’ve shopped for hearing aids before or this is your first, you may have an idea how confusing the process can be. Hearing aids can be pretty expensive and finding the right one can be confusing. You may be thinking of buying hearing aids at Costco.

Costco carries a few brands of hearing aids. They also offer a range of models (BTE, ITC, RIC, and more). Costco has a lower average rate of hearing aids than the market. Costco members can enjoy these more affordable options. However, the company doesn’t sell online and doesn’t usually accept insurance, so you need to pay upfront.

Before we move on, you should have a look at this detailed Costco Hearing Aid review.

Interested to learn more from our in-depth guide? Read along!

Buying Hearing Aids at Costco

Here are some things you should know first and foremost thinking of buying hearing aids from Costco.

1. Cost Range

One of the best things about Costco hearing aids is that they’re very affordable.

Costco proudly accounts for almost 20% of the hearing aid retail market in the USA. The company is the largest supplier of hearing aids in the country. This allows the company to bulk-buy and cut down on transportation and distribution costs. So, they can sell the devices at a lower price than competitors without losing profit.

This is one of the main reasons Costco hearing aids are priced cheaper than most hearing aids of similar quality. The prices of hearing aids at Costco start around $1500 when the average market price for hearing aids is around $4000 – $5000.

Such low prices can come at a few costs. For example, Costco doesn’t always carry the latest devices released from the brands it carries. Costco also tends not to carry the best, but high-priced hearing aids. Secondly, for such low prices, hearing aids are often ’defeatured.’ This means that some original features or options may be unavailable or inaccessible.

2. How to Buy from Costco

We want to help make your hearing aid shopping experience as easy as possible. Here are a few steps that you will need to go through to complete the process of buying hearing aids from Costco-

Step 1: Membership

Costco hearing aid services and purchasing are only available to Costco members. So if you want to shop for hearing aids from Costco, you need to become a member. Costco charges $60 annually for membership.

Step 2: Appointments

Costco has no online purchasing option. You must take walk-in appointments for hearing aid fitting and purchasing. If you’re already a member, call your nearest Costco outlet and schedule an appointment.

Costco’s in-house hearing instrument specialist at your appointment will help you take a one-hour hearing test. You’ll also need to submit a medical history. These will help decide if hearing aids are your best solution. The specialist will help you find a hearing aid that’s best fitted and suited for you.

You may need to make several appointments to complete the whole process. There might also be a wait time to confirm your appointment.

Step 3: Payment and Patience

You can’t come back with your hearing aids on the very day of your appointment. Costco needs to order the equipment from the original manufacturer. So, you will need to pay the total amount upfront.

As most health insurances do not cover hearing aids, Costco doesn’t usually accept insurances. However, if you do have your hearing aids covered by insurance, you can still shop from Costco. The company also doesn’t offer any payment plans.

Costco orders from the manufacturer after you pay and place your order, so it may take some time to receive your hearing aids. The waiting period from order placement to delivery is usually about two weeks.

Step 4: Trial (and Refund)

Cost offers a 180-day trial period to all hearing aid customers. If you’re not happy with the product, you can get a full refund within this trial period. You can get product demonstrations and switch to other products as well.

3. In-store Services and Others

Costco not only has generous pricing and a wide range of options, but it also offers some in-store services free of charge. Such as-

• Free hearing test.
• Free follow-up appointments for checkups.
• Free product demonstration.
• Loss and damage coverage without any deductible.
• Free hearing aid cleaning.
• Free warranty period, which may vary depending on the product you buy.

Batteries:

Costco mainly sells hearing aids with disposable, non-rechargeable batteries. They will provide new batteries at the time of your purchase but will not provide any extra batteries. If specific products come with extra batteries, Costco provides them. However, you can easily purchase a pack of batteries at Costco for a great value- cheaper than most stores.

Accessories:

Most hearing aids that Costo sells come with remote microphones, remote controllers, and other accessories. So, explore your options carefully if you’re prioritizing the accessories.

Hearing Aid Brands at Costco

Costco sells a few hearing aid brands, and each brand offers a range of models. This includes behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear(ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), and so forth. The only downside is Costco doesn’t always carry or offer the latest release from the brands. They also may not offer the most expensive (but best) options to keep their price points affordable.

Let’s talk about the brands and models of hearing aids Costco has to offer.

1. Kirkland Signature

Kirkland signature hearing aids is a Costco flagship private label brand. However, Costco doesn’t actually manufacture them, the leading hearing solution provider and manufacturer Sonova does.

Kirkland Signature offers technologically advanced receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids. The brand is famous for its industry-leading Bluetooth streaming technology. Their recent 9.0 and 10.0 have amazing customizable features and have received customers’ positive feedback. Starting at $1300 – $1500, The Kirkland Signature is Costco’s most affordable option.

However, all Kirkland hearing aids are disposable-battery operated. At this moment, the company does not offer a rechargeable option.

2. Philips Hearing Aids

Philip started its hearing aid journey as recently as 2019 and chose Costco as the sole distributor. World-renowned hearing aid manufacturer Demant manufactures Philip Heartlink hearing aids. The Hearlink hearing aids come in two styles: receiver-in-canal (RIC) and behind-the-ear (BTE).

The line offers excellent noise cancellation features as well as other customizable features. The Philips hearing aids are rechargeable and only need a three-hour charge to last an entire day. The price range starts at around $2500 only.

The only downside is that the Costco Philips Heartlink hearing aids do not have a tinnitus management feature.

3. Phonak (Brio 4)

Industry-leader Sonova manufactures Phonak hearing aids, and Phonak’s Brio 4 line is manufactured for Costco specifically. The Phonak Brio 4 line is frequently compared with Phonak Marvel in terms of software capabilities.

The line is available in two models: behind-the-ear(BTE) and in-the-ear (ITE). Prices for these models start at around $2500 and $2700 a pair, respectively. The line offers app-controlled adjustments and Bluetooth streams. They’re also dust and water-resistant up to a specific situation.

The only downside is that the line only operates on disposable batteries and currently has no rechargeable options.

4. Rexton Hearing Aids

Rexton is a subsidiary of the WS audiology company. Costco currently carries two lines from the brand Rexton hearing aids: the M-core line and the Adore custom line.

Rexton hearing aids have the key Motion Core technology feature. This allows the users to detect changes in the environment due to motion and adjust accordingly. The Rexton devices come with a Smart Key remote that helps ease operating the aids.

The Rexton hearing aids have rechargeable batteries. The company uses lithium-ion-based batteries for maximum charge capacity. The price for Rexton hearing aids starts at around $2500 at Costco.

5. Jabra Hearing Aids

Costco started selling Jabra hearing aids by GN Company as of June 2021. Costco sells almost all Jabra hearing aid devices, but Costco’s Jabra Enhance Proline is exclusive.

Jabra offers mainly receiver-in-canal (RIC) products, but they have both disposable and rechargeable options available. Jabra offers sound processing and omnidirectional microphones. It also offers excellent audio streaming technology and can be wirelessly controlled from phone apps and smartwatches.

Pros of Buying Hearing Aids at Costco

Here are a few benefits you will enjoy if you shop hearing aids from Costco:

• Prices are lower than average prices of similar quality hearing aids.
• Wide selection of brands and model types.
• Various free services such as free hearing tests, free warranties (length may vary), hearing aid cleaning, follow-up appointments, and more.
• Free loss and damage coverage.
• Free 180-day trial period (may vary depending on brand/model) and refund policy.
• Professional fitting with the help of Costco’s hearing instrument specialist
• Very accurate real-ear measurement (REM) fittings.  
• Follow-up services can be availed at other Costco outlets.

Cons of Buying Hearing Aids at Costco

Some downsides you may have to face if you shop hearing aids from Costco:

• Purchase and hearing tests are only available to Costco members. You can become a Costco member for $60 yearly.
• Online ordering is unavailable. You need to follow the whole process in person.
• May require multiple appointments. Appointments may have a long waiting period.
• Must pay up-front and at once. No payment plans are available.
• No audiologist services are provided at Costco.
• Hearing aids may be “defeatured”, some features may be locked or inaccessible.

Bottom Line

Thanks to technology, people with hearing loss can now use hearing aids for a better hearing experience. Shopping for hearing aids can be confusing. We hope this detailed guide about buying hearing aids at Costco has helped you clarify some confusion and understand the process better.

Have any more questions? Let us know!

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