Does Costco Print Photos? Not Since 2021
Short answer: not in the warehouse. Costco closed every in-store photo center on February 14, 2021, and shut its own photo website in January 2023. Today costco.com/photo sends members to Shutterfly, where they get 51% off regular prices and free shipping on orders of $30 or more. Prints come by mail only: in-store pickup isn't part of the Costco deal.
If you remember picking up prints at Costco, you're not imagining it. Here's what changed, what the Costco deal on Shutterfly works out to, and where to go when you need prints today.
What happened to the Costco photo center
In January 2021 Costco emailed members that the photo department at all Costco locations would close on Sunday, February 14, 2021, saying "the continued decline of prints no longer requires on-site photo printing" (as quoted by PetaPixel). Some warehouses had already closed theirs in 2019. The online Costco Photo Center kept taking orders until late January 2023, when it shut down too and pointed members to Shutterfly.
How the Costco deal on Shutterfly works
- 51% off regular prices, applied automatically when you start from costco.com/photo.
- Free economy shipping on orders of $30 or more, to US addresses.
- Not on sale prices, not on 4x4 or 4x6 prints ordered in the Shutterfly app, and not on orders for in-store pickup.
- The math: Shutterfly's regular 4x6 price is 39 cents, so with the member discount a 4x6 ordered on the website works out to about 19 cents, plus shipping under $30.
Terms and prices as listed on costco.com/photo and shutterfly.com on October 21, 2026.
Where to print photos the same day
Since Costco prints only arrive by mail, these are the places to go when you need them today:
| Where | 4x6 print | Ready |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart Photo | $0.18 | 1-hour pickup at the store, or shipped in 3 to 5 business days |
| Walgreens Photo | From $0.29 | Same-day pickup at most stores, often in about an hour |
| CVS Photo | From $0.32 | Same-day pickup on select products ordered by 7 pm |
| Office Depot / OfficeMax | From $0.29–0.39 | Next day if ordered by 2 pm; not every store |
Prices as listed on Walmart Photo, Walgreens Photo, CVS Photo and Office Depot on October 21, 2026. Sales and coupons change weekly, so the price at checkout may be lower.
What Costco sells for instant photos
Costco's site doesn't carry Fujifilm Instax film or cameras. It sells Polaroid instead: a Polaroid Go Generation 3 camera bundle for $99.99 with 32 photos, and Polaroid Go film at 80 photos for $89.99 (about $1.12 a photo), which only fits the Polaroid Go. It also lists a Canon IVY 2 mini photo printer bundle for $99.99, which makes 2x3 sticker-backed prints.
As listed on costco.com on October 21, 2026; warehouse stock varies.
Want them to look like polaroids?
If what you're really after is the instant-film look, the white frame and the glossy, slightly dreamy picture, a regular 4x6 won't do it. You have three routes:
- Paper retro prints. Walgreens prints Retro Mini Prints, two polaroid-style photos on a 99-cent 4x6 sheet that you cut apart, and Walmart sells a set of 25 retro prints by mail. Cheap and fast, but it's printed paper, not film.
- Your own Instax printer. A Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 3 prints phone photos on real Instax film. It pays off if you'll print a lot; our Instax printer math has the break-even.
- Order real film prints. We print your phone photos on genuine Fujifilm Instax film and mail them: $18 for 5 Mini prints with free US shipping, shipped within 2 business days. We can send them straight to someone else, too.
Every option, drugstore to film, is laid out with prices on where to print polaroid-style photos.
Real instant film, from your phone
Upload, crop and filter, and we print on genuine Instax film. From $18 for 5, free US shipping.
Create Your Prints →FAQ
Does Costco print photos?
Not in the warehouse. Costco closed its in-store photo centers on February 14, 2021, and its photo website in January 2023. Members now order through Shutterfly from costco.com/photo, with 51% off regular prices and prints delivered by mail.
When did Costco stop printing photos?
Costco closed the photo department in all its warehouses on February 14, 2021. Its online Costco Photo Center stopped taking orders in late January 2023 and sent members to Shutterfly.
How do Costco members order prints now?
Start at costco.com/photo, which links to Shutterfly. Members get 51% off regular prices and free shipping on orders of $30 or more. The discount doesn't apply to sale prices, to 4x4 or 4x6 prints ordered in the app, or to in-store pickup.
Can I pick up Costco photo prints the same day?
No. The Costco deal on Shutterfly is mail only. For same-day prints, Walmart Photo offers 1-hour pickup on 18-cent 4x6 prints, and Walgreens and CVS offer same-day pickup.
Does Costco sell Instax film?
Not on costco.com as of October 21, 2026. Costco sells Polaroid Go cameras and Polaroid Go film instead. Target, Walmart and Walgreens carry Instax film.