$14 Million Costco Email Settlement: How to Claim (No Proof)

What happened

Class period: June 2, 2021 through July 7, 2026

• A class action lawsuit called Michael Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corporation, Case No. 25-2-16392-0 (Wash. Super. Ct. King Cnty.), claims Costco broke Washington's Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) and Consumer Protection Act (CPA)
• The lawsuit says Costco sent marketing emails with false or misleading subject lines to people in Washington. Subject lines advertised limited-time deals, such as "Today is the last day to access Member-Only Saving" and "Hot Buys available for 5 Days Only," when Costco allegedly already knew it would extend those promotions past the stated end date
• Under CEMA, a person can recover $500 for each email sent in violation of the law, and the plaintiff argued that amount could be tripled under the CPA
• Costco denies any wrongdoing and does not admit fault. The company agreed to settle to end the case
• Costco will pay $14,000,000 into a settlement fund. The money is split evenly among everyone who files a valid claim, after fees and costs are taken out
• This affects Washington residents who received Costco marketing emails between June 2, 2021 and July 7, 2026

What you can get

Key dates

Who may qualify

• You received a commercial marketing email sent by Costco or by someone acting for Costco between June 2, 2021 and July 7, 2026
• You were a Washington resident when you received that email
• You received the email at an address that appears in Costco's records
• You do not have to receive a notice by email or mail to file. People without a notice can still file if they meet the rules above
• You are not eligible if you are Costco, a company with a controlling interest in Costco, or a current or former Costco director, officer, or lawyer, or an immediate family member of one

How to file

1. Go to the official settlement website at washingtoncommercialemailsettlement.com
2. Click "File Your Claim" to open the claim portal
3. Enter your Claim ID and PIN if you got an email notice. Both appear at the top of that email. You can still file without them
4. List the email address or addresses where you received the Costco emails
5. Enter your contact details and confirm the three eligibility statements
6. Choose how you want to be paid: paper check, PayPal, Venmo, or another listed option
7. Submit online by August 24, 2026, or mail a paper claim form postmarked by that date to: Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corporation, Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 301134, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134
8. Do not send both an online claim and a mailed claim. Duplicates are rejected

Proof required

• No receipts, screenshots, or documents are required
• Provide your Claim ID if you received a notice by email. If you do not have one, you can still file
• List the email address or addresses where you received the Costco emails
• Confirm that you received one or more Costco marketing emails between June 2, 2021 and July 7, 2026, that you were a Washington resident at the time, and that you owned the email address on that date
• If the administrator cannot verify your email address, it may contact you and ask for a different one

Payment timing

Payments go out after the Court approves the settlement at the October 2, 2026 hearing and the approval becomes final. Appeals can delay payment. You choose your payment method on the claim form, including paper check, PayPal, or Venmo. If checks go uncashed or come back undeliverable, that money may be split again among people who did cash their payments, or sent to the Legal Foundation of Washington.

Important links

• Official website
• Claim form
• Important dates
• FAQs
• Documents

Contact

Extra details

• You get one claim, no matter how many Costco emails landed in your inbox
• Payments are not automatic. If you do nothing, you get nothing and you still give up your right to sue Costco over these emails
• The release is broad. It covers all claims about commercial emails sent to any email address that were brought or could have been brought in this lawsuit, plus claims from the same set of facts
• Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys' fees of up to $4,620,000, expenses of about $16,500, and a service award of up to $2,500 for the class representative. Those amounts come out of the $14 million before payments are split
• The final per-person amount is unknown until the claim period closes, because the fund is divided by the number of valid claims
• To opt out or object, you must mail or email a signed written request postmarked by August 24, 2026 to the settlement administrator
• Watch for scams. File only through the official settlement website. No one should ever charge you a fee to file

FAQ

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