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Costco wants to make shopping easier with its new digital membership card

As long as customers have a smartphone, they'll never need a card again.
In this photo illustration the Costco Wholesale Corporation
In this photo illustration the Costco Wholesale Corporation logo is seen displayed on a smartphone.Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY

Forgot the Costco card again? Now, that pesky issue won't be a problem if you want to shop at the big-box retailer.

The warehouse store has just launched a digital membership card so customers will no longer need to present their physical Costco cards at the door and in the checkout line.

The new "card," which still needs to be downloaded to a smartphone through the Costco app, makes shopping easier for digital savvy millennials — and the many folks who may have forgotten to bring their Costco ID along with them on a trip to store.

On Thursday, the retailer officially announced the new feature on Instagram (how 2019!). The instructions for how to create a digital card are also available on Costco's website. The new card, available nationwide and in Canada, can be set up in six steps but it does requires an existing membership to download.

A Costco membership services employee based in New Jersey confirmed to TODAY that store memberships may be started or renewed online or in-store.

According to the employee (who requested not to be named), new and returning shoppers have always been able to sign up and renew their memberships on Costco.com — at least since Costco launched its online services. But a physical card was always required for those who wanted to shop.

People looking to begin shopping for giant Nutella tubs quickly, however, may want to visit a physical store to get the membership sorted, as online renewals can take up to a week to be processed (versus within 24 hours at the membership services desk). Regardless of whether you signed up online or are renewing, customers still have to stop by the membership desk to take a photo and get their ID card issued — even for their digital card

While the change may not be radical, at least carrying around a Costco card will be one less thing you need to worry about while doing errands in the future.