The warehouse store chain's Gold Star Membership normally retails for $65.
The same offer is also available for Costco's premium Executive Membership, which costs $130 per year and gives members 2% cash back on all Costco purchases.
Factoring in the $45 gift card, you can get an Executive Membership for an effective annual rate of $85 for your first year.
Costco recently increased its membership rates from $60 and $120 for the Gold Star and Executive memberships, respectively.
The offer is only eligible to new members or to people whose Costco membership expired more than 18 months ago, meaning that if you already have a Costco membership, you're out of luck.
Persons:
StackSocial, Jan
Organizations:
Costco, Gold Star, StackSocial