Costco Announces Major Change to Beloved Deal for the First Time in 40 Years
Costco's beloved hot dog combo has stayed the same for 40 years. Fans can get a hot dog with soda for $1.50. It's a Costco deal staple.
And now there's something new. "The Costco food court formerly only allowed people to pair their hot dog with a 20-oz. soda," wrote People. Customers can now get the combo with a bottle of water instead, and People noted that this is the first change to the popular combo in four decades. Added People, "The hot dog combo has a devoted fan base, and the brand has promised in turn not to raise its price."
Fans Had Mixed Reactions to the Costco Hot Dog Combo Change
A fan shared a screenshot on Instagram revealing the change. "I love that Costco is now also offering the hot dog combo with water!" the fan wrote.
Customer response on the fan's Instagram thread was swift. Not everyone was thrilled. "There’s a water button on the fountain drinks. So hmmmm. Stupid move," wrote one person.
Some fans quibbled over the $1.50 price, with one writing, "This doesn’t make sense. I noticed they removed the bottled water vending machine that was 25¢ so shouldn’t it be $1.25? Just sayin'." Wrote another, "It's bizarre they took the machines w/bottled water away...I always got a bottle or 2 on my way out...no forewarning or sign...BIZARRE!!"
There's even a Reddit thread devoted to the change. "They've had this option in Canada for a while. I don't drink pop, so I was stoked for the new option as I used to just get the hot dog with no drink before haha," a fan noted on that thread.
According to Fox Business, the typical combo consists of a "$1.50 quarter-pound all-beef hot dog and 20-ounce soda." The change allows customers to instead get a "16.9-ounce bottle of Kirkland Signature water," Fox Business reported.
Fox noted that people can still get the original combo with the soda instead, which also comes with free refills. So, the combo isn't really changing unless people desire the healthier option.
The Costco Hotdog Combo Change Has Also Made the Rounds on TikTok
(Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
One fan shared a TikTok showing the new water and hot dog combo.
"Let’s go to Costco and pick up the hot dogs. They now offer water choices with a hotd og. They used to only give me the soda cups without the soda because I couldn’t carry 200 cups of soda. Now I can get the water," that customer wrote, going up to the counter at a Costco, while pushing a shopping cart.
That video generated almost 500,000 likes. It was posted in November 2025, showing that the change has actually been available to customers for some time. It's just that the change is suddenly creating a social media buzz, meaning that more people are finding out about it. The change was made without fanfare.
Some people liked the change. "So happy to see water bottles available for the hotdog combos you get now!! That seems a lot more helpful than the empty cups," a woman wrote on the TikTok video.