Costco Restricts Gas Sales to Members Only in New Jersey

New Jersey's Costco gas stations are limiting sales to store members only as gas prices continue to soar across the country.

From July 5, only those who pay for a Costco membership—which starts at $60 a year—will be allowed to purchase gas at the chain's 15 gas stations in the state, according to NJ.com. The news will be disappointing for non-members who have relied on Costco, where gas is usually cheaper than elsewhere.

The policy change was announced on signs at the pumps last month, the outlet reported, but Costco has yet to formally announce it. Details about the switch were not available on the company's website. Newsweek reached out to Costco for comment.

The national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.80 on Tuesday, according to the American Automobile Association. New Jersey's average was slightly higher at $4.812. But Costco's gas stations in the state were selling a gallon of regular gas for between $4.39 and $4.75 on Tuesday, according to the Costco website.

Costco had tried to limit gas sales to only those who paid for membership in 2004, but New Jersey lawmakers said the move violated state fuel laws. But state officials said last month that no consumer protection laws prohibit Costco's members-only policy this time.

"The practice of offering members-only gasoline sales does not violate any of New Jersey's consumer protection laws," Steve Barnes, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, told NJ.com last month.

Meanwhile, a new survey found soaring gas prices are causing financial hardship for a majority of Americans. The survey, conducted by Gallup, asked 1,015 people across the U.S. over a 20-day period in June if the recent spike in gas prices had caused any financial hardship in their household.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said the price rises had caused some degree of hardship—22 percent said the hardship was "severe" while 45 percent said it was "moderate."

Drivers have felt the pain at the pump as the cost of gas has skyrocketed in recent months due to a global increase in oil prices amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and inflation at 40-year highs.

President Joe Biden last month called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months. He also urged states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide similar relief.

"I fully understand that a gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem, but it will provide families some immediate relief—just a little bit of breathing room—as we continue working to bring down prices for the long haul," he said.