Based on my experience, you do not need to be a Costco member - when I added it to the cart and checked it - they charged me a 5% surcharge for not being a member - $9.
I bought one yesterday. Hoping I made the right decision. The Venture CX is $199 from WalMart.com before the $50 rebate. I'm a newbee to all of this, but I borrowed a Meridian Gold and enjoyed caching.