Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting Costco Auto Program and for reviewing our Privacy Policy. We want to ensure that you are well informed of the measures we have in place to protect any collected personal information. Your trust is a top priority and is embedded in everything we do. Costco Auto Program is committed to data privacy, data security and transparency in our data practices and processes.
Updated as of: January 1, 2023
Costco Auto Program is operated by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc. (“CAP”, “we”, “us” or “our”). CAP is an independent company, not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco”). CAP respects your right to privacy and your ability to make informed choices about the information we collect and use about you. This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”), which is separate from Costco’s privacy policy, describes our policies and practices regarding the collection, use and disclosure of information about you as part of Costco Auto Program and our technology platforms, including, without limitation, our website, mobile application, call center, text and chat communications, customer surveys, interactive features and social media pages (collectively, the “CAP Site”). This Privacy Policy applies to information collected from the CAP Site and offline unless different terms are specified in an online or other form or contract we provide you.
Additionally, please note that Section 1 of this Privacy Policy, which describes our collection and use of information through the CAP Site, also serves as our Notice at Collection for California residents for purposes of the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”).
This Privacy Policy has been designed to be reasonably accessible to people with disabilities. If you experience any difficulties accessing the information in the Privacy Policy, please contact us at privacyrequests@CostcoAuto.com.
We collect two types of information: Personal Information and Other Information.
Personal Information is any information:
The table and language below summarize the categories of personal information we have collected over at least the last 12 months, the purposes for collection and use of that personal information, and how long we keep each category of personal information.
WE DO NOT “SELL” YOUR INFORMATION as the term “sell” is traditionally understood. NONETHELESS, “sale” under the CCPA interpreted does include the activities set out in this Privacy Policy. To comply with the applicable law of the definition of such activity we have included the following statements. We sell, and share for targeted advertising, the following categories of personal information: commercial information, device, internet, and network activity information, general location data, and inferences. Under certain U.S. State Privacy Laws, you may be able to request that we not sell or share for targeted advertising, Personal Information about you for targeted advertising. If you would like to opt-out of the sale and sharing of these categories of personal information, please click Your Privacy Choices
Categories of Personal Information We Collect |
Our Business or Commercial Purposes for the Collection and Use of Your Personal Information |
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Personal Identifiers, such as your name, email address, telephone number, home address, and Costco Membership Number. |
We use this information:
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Commercial Information, such as the vehicle makes and models you search for, vehicle makes and models purchased, and whether you search for new or used vehicles. |
We use this information:
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Device, Internet, and Network Activity Information, such as imprecise geolocation data derived from a zip code or IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, application version, the pages served to you, previous page views, the site from which you linked, the time and date of your visit to the CAP Site, your use of features on the CAP Site and your inquiries, IP address, cookie ID, and Mobile Ad ID. |
We use this information:
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Inferences drawn from the information identified above to create a profile reflecting your preferences. |
We use this information:
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Additional Uses. We may also use all of the Personal Information noted above:
Vehicle Purchase and Lease Agreement. With your consent, we may collect and use your vehicle purchase or lease agreement in order to conduct price verification and program compliance audits with our dealerships and vehicle manufacturers, customer support, and the Additional Uses noted above.
De-identified Information. To the extent we possess de-identified information, we will maintain and use the information in deidentified form and not attempt to reidentify the information, except that we may attempt to reidentify the information to confirm the information is truly de-identified.
Retention. We will retain your Personal Information for as long as is needed to carry out the purposes we’ve described, or as otherwise required by law. The criteria used to determine the applicable retention period for your Personal Information includes the length of time we have an ongoing relationship with you as applicant or consumer and whether there is a legal obligation to which we are subject that requires us to retain your Personal Information.
We collect or receive information from the following sources:
During at least the past 12 months, we have disclosed your Personal Information outlined in the table above to the following categories of entities:
You have specific rights with respect to Personal Information under certain U.S. state privacy laws. For purposes of this subsection, the terms “consumer”, “Personal Information”, “business purpose”, “third party”, “sell”, and “share” have the meanings ascribed to them respectively in the applicable state law. To the extent provided for under the applicable laws, you may have the right to:
You may unsubscribe from certain email communications by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link provided at the bottom of an email sent to you by CAP. Please note that we reserve the right to send you certain communications relating to your use of the CAP Site and these transactional messages may be unaffected if you choose to opt-out from marketing communications.
We may communicate with you regarding any matter related to Costco Auto Program via mail, via telephone or via electronic communications, including via email to the email address you provide, via text message to the mobile phone you provide, or via the CAP Site.
To opt-out of receiving text messages, please follow the instructions in the body of the text message. Note that in order for you to receive communications via text message, you must maintain, at your own cost, a mobile device capable of sending and receiving text messages. Message and data rates may apply to each text message sent and received in connection with Costco Auto Program. Please see your wireless provider to review your wireless plan details.
We take information security seriously and use certain reasonable security measures designed to help protect your Personal Information. However, no electronic data transmission or storage of information can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Please note that we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you use the CAP Site and provide us with information at your own risk.
The CAP Site may contain links to other websites or online services that are operated and maintained by Costco or third parties, and that are not under the control of or maintained by CAP. The inclusion of a link on the CAP Site does not imply endorsement of the linked site or service by us or by our affiliates.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to Costco’s activity or to any Personal Information you may disclose directly to Costco. We encourage you to review Costco’s privacy policy, available here.
The CAP Site is operated in the United States. If you are located in the EEA, Canada or anywhere else outside of the United States, please be aware that information we collect, including, without limitation, Personal Information, will be transferred to, processed and stored in the United States. The data protection laws in the United States may differ from those of the country in which you are located, and your Personal Information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in the United States according to laws of the United States. By using the CAP Site or providing us with any information, you consent to this transfer, processing and storage of information about you in the United States. Where required by law, we will transfer your personal data subject to appropriate or suitable safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
Please note, we may change information on the CAP Site and/or this Privacy Policy at any time without prior notice to you, and any changes will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Privacy Policy on the CAP Site. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.
The CAP Site is a general audience website and we do not knowingly collect any Personal Information from children younger than the age of sixteen (16). We will delete any Personal Information collected that we later determine to be from a user younger than the age of sixteen (16).
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: Costco Auto Program, 10590 W. Ocean Air Drive, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92130, Attn: Privacy Policy.
Again, this CAP privacy policy and practices are separate from Costco’s practices. Please visit Costco’s privacy policy for information about how Costco uses information.
Terms Of Use
Updated as of: Feb 2019
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.
The Costco Auto Program is operated in the United States by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., doing business as “Costco Auto Program” (“CAP”, “we”, “us” or “our”), which is an independent company, not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco”).
This document sets out those terms and conditions (the "Agreement") under which we allow you ("you", "your") to use our website ("Website"), whether you do so just to find out about us and our services or to provide us with information in order to participate in the Costco Auto Program or in any other activities through the Website.
If you are visiting our Website as a Visitor (see below for definitions), your use of the Website confirms that you agree to this Agreement. To access other services or parts of the Website, you may have to confirm that you have read, accepted and agreed to this Agreement by clicking on "Accept" or you will not be able to view or use those portions of the Website.
THIS AGREEMENT LIMITS THE LIABILITY OF COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM, DISCLAIMS CERTAIN WARRANTIES, GRANTS YOU A LIMITED LICENSE AND GIVES THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM CONTROL OVER THE INFORMATION YOU ELECT TO PROVIDE TO US. ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY INDIVIDUALS ALSO BECOMES SUBJECT TO THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM'S PRIVACY POLICY https://www.costcoauto.com/privacy.aspx DO NOT USE THE WEBSITE OR PROVIDE US WITH ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS,
1. Help and feedback
If you require assistance using the Website or wish to provide us with feedback, please call us at 1-877-500-1470
2. Agreement May Change
We may change any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement from time to time without notice. You should revisit the Website periodically to review the terms and conditions of the then-current Agreement. Any revisions to this Agreement are effective once posted on or accessible from or through the Website.
3. Definitions
Many of the words and phrases in this Agreement have specific meanings so we have provided those for you to read:
“Agent” means any person who provides Personal Information to the Costco Auto Program in any manner on behalf of another individual.
“CAP Service(s)” means any one or more of the services or benefits offered by the Costco Auto Program from time to time; which may include a referral to a participating CAP dealer, issuance of a dealer parts and service coupon, or issuance of an authorization number to register to participate in an OEM promotion or any other service or benefit offered by the Costco Auto Program.
"Data" means any and all records, documents, data and information collected by CAP related to any Guest’s use of any CAP Service from a Guest, an Agent, a Participating Dealer or an OEM; including, without limitation, certain non-Personal Information about vehicle purchases (such as a vehicle make, the vehicle model and model year, purchase date and price paid or capital cost of lease), Personal Information related to Guests, and related matters.
“Guest” means an individual who submits information to the Costco Auto Program to participate in one of more of the CAP Services. A Guest may access the Website as a Visitor on a different occasion without disclosing information or requesting a CAP Service. A Guest may provide certain Personal Information personally and/or directly, or they may use instruct an Agent or representative to do so.
"OEM" an original equipment manufacturer.
"Personal Information" means all information about an identifiable individual; including, without limitation, name, email address, telephone number, home address, geolocation, demographic information (such as postal code, gender and age), contact information, Costco membership number, and certain information about vehicle purchases whether provided by a Guest, Agent, Visitor Participating Dealer or OEM (such as the vehicle purchase agreement or a vehicle sales file which may include the vehicle identification number, model and model year, purchase date, price paid or capital cost of lease, MSRP and invoice price).
“Visitor” means anyone who visits the publicly available parts of our Website, but who is not asked to provide information related to a request to use one or more of the CAP Services. Visitors can access information from the Website's publicly available areas without creating an account or otherwise submitting information about themselves. However, by using the Website, Visitors agree to accept all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. A Visitor may not utilize a CAP Service and cannot request to access the Data.
Please note that CAP collects and archives your IP address as provided in our Privacy Policy.
4. Purpose for access
You agree that the purpose for our providing you with access to the Website is to (i) allow you to obtain information and (where applicable) upload, download, create, and add to the Data for purposes reasonably connected to a request to participate in one or more of the CAP Services on behalf of yourself or on behalf of another person for whom you have the authority to do so, and (ii) to allow CAP to generate and review reports on your activities, or those of Guests you act on behalf of as may be permitted by CAP from time to time. Once received by CAP, the Data becomes part of a database, which CAP owns. Any Personal Information in the Data will be collected, used and disclosed by CAP pursuant to the CAP Privacy Policy.
5. Your warranty and representations to CAP
You warrant and represent to CAP as follows:
6. Compliance with rules and regulations
You agree that you will follow all of the rules, requirements and regulations set forth by CAP from time to time. Those rules, requirements and regulations are currently as set out in this Agreement. These rules, requirements and regulations will apply to any use of the Website and access to the Data and will apply to you whether you are a Guest, Visitor or Agent.
You agree and confirm that:
7. Privacy
We respect your personal privacy. We will collect, use and disclose personal information as described in our Privacy Policy, which is available at www.costcoauto.com/privacy. By using or accessing the Website, you consent to the collections, uses and disclosures of your personal information for the purposes described in our Privacy Policy.
8. Your agreement
You agree that at all times:
9. Prohibited Activities
You will not use the Website for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by this Agreement.
In addition to, and without limiting, any other prohibitions set out in this Agreement, you may not do any of the following when accessing, using or interacting with the Website:
10. Relationship
You agree that by using the Website or by submitting personal information on your own or a Visitor or Guest's behalf, you and CAP are not entering into:
11. Withdrawal of access for cause
This Agreement grants no rights, only privileges and permission. You agree that CAP, in its absolute discretion, will be the sole judge of whether you have breached any provision of this Agreement and that any privileges or permission granted to you under this Agreement may be revoked, suspended or terminated by CAP at any time without notice.
12. Waiver
You acknowledge that the Internet and websites accessed by you are inherently dangerous and subject to computer, system and network failure as well as malicious human activity. While CAP will take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to maintain the security of this Website and the Data and your privacy and confidentiality with respect to information you provide, you agree that you use this Website completely at your own risk and that in no event shall CAP be held liable for any loss or damages, however caused, except as expressly provided in this Agreement, even if caused by the negligence or reckless behavior of CAP.
13. Disclaimer
THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS WEBSITE WILL OPERATE ERROR-FREE OR THAT IT AND ITS SERVER OR SERVERS ARE OR WILL BE FREE OF COMPUTER VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR OTHER HARMFUL CONTENT, DEVICES OR PROGRAMS. THIS WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENT AND MATERIAL, AND ACCESS TO THE DATA, ARE ALL PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS, WHERE IS", AND "AS AND WHEN AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS, GUARANTEES, CONDITIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE LAW, THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL CONDITIONS AND WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE CONDITION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND THE CONDITION OR WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM FURTHER MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS CONCERNING THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, COMPLETENESS, OR TIMELINESS OF THE DATA ACCESSED BY USE OF THE WEBSITE.
CAP strives to ensure information is accurate and current. However, we make no representations to you about the accuracy of the information contained on the CAP Website. This includes, without limitation, the availability of any CAP Service to you on a local or national basis.
14. Limitation of damages
You further agree THAT THE COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM will not be liable to you for any damages you may suffer and that IN NO EVENT WILL COSTCO AUTO PROGRAM BE LIABLE FOR indirect, general, special, economic, consequential, EXEMPLARY or punitive damages resulting from the use of (or inability to use) this Website or any cap service, whether in tort (including negligence), contract or any other cause of action, including without limitation, for availability of any cap service, loss of data, information or programs, or damage to computers or networks, or from breach of privacy and similar personal rights, or from infringement of intellectual property rights, OR FROM DEFAMATION, LIBEL OR SLANDER, or any other damages whatsoever, whether or not CAP shall have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
15. Exceptions to disclaimers and limitations of damages
THIS AGREEMENT DOES NOT EXCLUDE OR LIMIT CAP’S LIABILITY (IF ANY) FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY CAP’S NEGLIGENCE, FRAUD, FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION OR ANY MATTER WHICH IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR CAP TO EXCLUDE OR ATTEMPT TO EXCLUDE CAP’S LIABILITY.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DAMAGES; AS A RESULT, ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
16. Further disclaimer of CAP
Except as provided in the Privacy Policy, while CAP will make reasonable commercial efforts to make access to review the Data available on a reasonable basis, CAP accepts no obligation to do so on any pre-agreed basis or at all. CAP may interrupt access to the Data, or terminate access to the Data at any time, without notice or liability. Access to the Data shall in all cases be a privilege and not a right or proprietary interest of any kind. Subject to its privacy policies and applicable law, CAP shall be free to modify, change, delete, share the Data with Costco Wholesale, Participating Dealers and OEM’s and generally deal with the Data as it sees fit. Other parties may have access to the Data and can change, modify, amend or delete the Data. CAP has no control over such third parties and no event will CAP be liable for any reliance by you on the Data.
17. Events Outside our Control
CAP will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations under this Agreement that is caused by events outside our reasonable control. CAP’s performance will be deemed to be suspended for the period that any such event continues, and we will have an extension of time for performance for the duration of that period or such longer period as we may reasonable require. We will use our reasonable efforts to end the event or to find a solution by which our obligations may be performed despite the event.
18. Enforcement
CAP's performance of its obligations under this Agreement is subject to all applicable laws and regulatory requirements. Nothing contained in this agreement is in derogation of CAP’s rights and obligations to comply with law enforcement requests or requirements relating to your use of the Website or information provided to, or gathered by CAP with respect to such use.
19. Evidence
Computer records stored in reasonably secure conditions by CAP with respect to the Data, the Website and your access to them will be accepted as conclusive evidence of your conduct, communications and dealings with the Data and the Website. Computer records will be deemed to be stored in reasonably secure conditions if systematically recorded on a durable and inalterable medium, including a write-protected disk, tape, CD or DVD or similar medium, or, if upon an alterable medium, upon reasonable proof that such record has not been altered.
20. Injunctive and similar relief
You agree that any breach by you of this Agreement will not be fully compensable in damages and you therefore agree that CAP shall be entitled to immediate equitable, injunctive and other similar relief against you without notice and without the necessity of proving damages or the likelihood of damages.
21. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and save harmless CAP for any damages sustained should you breach your warranties and representations or any term or condition of this Agreement.
22. Ownership and Grant of limited license
The Website, its organization and design (including all software code and architecture and the look and feel of the Website and its user interfaces), and all information, images, artwork, text, video, audio, pictures and other material and content on the Site, all of which CAP owns or has the right to use, are protected by copyright and other proprietary rights.
CAP grants to you a non-exclusive, limited and revocable license to download and view the content available on this Website on your computer for the purposes stated in this Agreement and no other purposes.
23. Feedback
If you send any communications, comments, questions, suggestions, or related materials to us by any method of communication suggesting or recommending changes to the Website, any CAP Service or any product, services or materials offered through the Website or that you would like to see offered through the Website (“Feedback”) then:
24. Assignment
CAP may assign this Agreement to any affiliate or any third party at any time. You may not assign this Agreement or any rights or benefits offered to you by CAP. This Agreement shall remain personal between you and CAP.
25. Termination
In its absolute discretion, CAP may terminate this Agreement at any time with or without notice to you. You may not terminate this Agreement or any provision. This Agreement will remain in force between you and CAP unless and until terminated by CAP and CAP may enforce any and all provisions of this Agreement against you, and, if you are an Agent, against any organization you are employed with or on whose behalf you access the Website or the Data.
26. Entire agreement
This is the entire agreement, contract and understanding between you and CAP and supersedes any prior terms and conditions, agreement or understanding between you and CAP.
27. Other sites and Linking
You agree that (i) CAP has no control over the content or performance of any website linked to or from this Website, (ii) CAP expresses no opinion concerning the content or performance of any such linked website, and, (iii) CAP shall not be held liable or responsible for the content or services of any such linked website. CAP provides all such links for your convenience only; they are not an endorsement or referral by CAP. You access and use those linked sites at your own risk. Those linked sites may have terms of use and privacy policies different from ours, and those terms and policies will apply to your activities on those sites.
If you wish to provide a link to our Website from your own web site, you may only link to our home page at www.costcoauto.com. You may not use any of our icons or logos on your web site without our prior written approval, and you may not use the link to suggest that we sponsor, endorse, approve of or are affiliated with you or your web site.
28. Modifications and Updates
We may from time to time add new features to the Website, remove existing features from the Website, or otherwise modify the Website, the CAP Services and any of the products, services and content made available through the Website (including their functionality, “look-and-feel”, universal resource locators and software components), all without notice to you or any liability to you.
29. Governing law
This Agreement shall in all respects be governed by the laws of State of Delaware. You agree that any and all disputes will be adjudicated by the Delaware courts. You expressly submit to the jurisdiction of such Delaware courts. The use of the Website in any jurisdiction not giving effect to all provisions of these terms and conditions is unauthorized.
30. Severance
Should any term or provision of this Agreement be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, then such term or provision shall be severed from this Agreement; provided, however, that the remaining provisions terms and provisions of the Agreement shall continue to be valid and enforced.
31. Copyright and trademark notices
All contents of the Website are: Copyright © Affinity Auto Programs, Inc. Other trade-marks of third parties displayed on the Website are the property of such parties, used with permission. All rights are expressly reserved.
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