Costco shoppers may be eligible for payout after email settlement. Here’s how to qualify
FILE-People arrive and depart at a Costco Wholesale store on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
Consumers in Washington state who received certain promotional emails from Costco over the previous five years might be eligible for a cash payment under a proposed $14 class action settlement.
While denying any misconduct, Costco agreed to pay $14 million to settle the lawsuit, Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corp, FOX Business reported.
What was the Costco email lawsuit about?
Dig deeper:
The massive financial settlement resolves a lawsuit that accused Costco of disseminating commercial emails with false or misleading subject lines that advertised limited-time sales or last-day offers, even though some promotions were allegedly extended past the deadlines. Plaintiff asserted that the emails violated Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act and Consumer Protection Act.
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Examples of the email subject lines referenced in the lawsuit include "Today is the last day to access Member-Only Savings" and "Hot Buys available for 5 Days Only."
Washington’s Commercial Email Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) regulates commercial email marketing and the act; recipients can recoup up to $500 per qualifying email. But the actual payout from the settlement is currently unknown and will depend on the number of valid claims submitted, FOX Business reported.
Who is eligible for a payment?
Why you should care:
The settlement covers anyone who was a Washington resident and received a qualifying commercial email sent by Costco, or on its behalf, between June 2, 2021, and July 7, 2026, may be eligible to file a claim.
To receive a share of the settlement, eligible class members must submit a claim form by Aug. 24, 2026.
Each class member can submit only one claim form, regardless of how many qualifying promotional emails they received from Costco.
Individuals may also choose to opt out of the settlement to preserve their right to sue separately or object to its terms by Aug. 24. Furthermore, those who don’t take action will not receive compensation and will be prohibited from pursuing future legal claims related to the allegations covered by the Costco settlement, which still requires final approval and will be decided in a court hearing on Oct. 2, 2026, in Seattle.
FOX Business reported that settlement payments may be issued via paper check, Venmo, PayPal or other electronic payment methods.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corp. lawsuit and FOX Business. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.