Costco Selling Private Jet Membership for $17,500

Next time you're at Costco, after you buy the obligatory 50 rolls of paper towels, you might want to plunk down a small fortune at checkout for a private jet membership.

Yep, it's a sign of the terrible times. Costco is hawking access to the world of private jets for the very reasonable cost of $17,500.

It's another acknowledgment during COVID times ... lots of people are afraid to hop on a commercial jet with hundreds of passengers.

Here's how it works. Costco hooked up with Wheels Up, a charter jet company offering 1- year memberships. The company touts its service as being as easy as ride-sharing.

So here's what you get for $17.5k -- in addition to the 1-year membership, you get a $3,500 Costco Shop Card and $4,000 in-flight credits. The package includes a 1-year membership to Inspirato, which offers luxury vacation rentals.

Wheels Up has more than 300 planes in its fleet and 1,250 more with partner companies, so there's access to an aircraft pretty much year-round.