Best Credit Cards to Use at Costco
Using the right rewards credit card at the popular wholesale club can help you rack up extra cash back or points, and potentially save you even more money.
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Updated · 3 min read
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Consumers love Costco because of the money they can save — and they can get even more value by using one of the best rewards credit cards at the popular wholesale club.
However, while there are cards that can potentially increase your savings, there are some Costco-related conditions to keep in mind that can limit your options:
- Visa only. The only credit cards Costco accepts at its physical U.S. stores and gas stations are ones that run on the Visa network. This means that cards that run on Mastercard, American Express and Discover payment networks won't work at the store. Note that Costco.com accepts Mastercard, but not American Express or Discover. More on Costco payment methods.
- Costco is not a supermarket. Rewards credit cards that offer bonus rewards in the category of “groceries” or “supermarkets” often exclude wholesale/warehouse clubs like Costco. If you use those cards at Costco, you’ll earn the default rewards, typically a lowly 1 cent or 1 point per $1 spent.
- 'Wholesale clubs' are not a common bonus category. The handful of cards that do feature that bonus category typically have annual fees and/or spending caps, and they may require juggling multiple bonus categories, which can be complicated to manage. The cheapest and most straightforward card options on the market that can save you money at Costco are cards that earn a flat rewards rate — typically 2% — on all purchases, including those made at Costco. Even Costco’s own wholesale co-branded credit earns only 2% cash back at Costco and Costco.com.
With those conditions in mind, a credit card might not be able to significantly increase the savings you’re already getting by shopping in bulk at Costco.
Still, here are some options to consider:
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Annual fee: $0 for the card, but you have to be a Costco member to qualify. A baseline Gold Star membership costs $65 per year, while the higher-tier Executive membership is $130 per year.
Welcome offer: N/A.
Rewards:
- 5% cash back on gas at Costco and 4% cash back on other eligible gas and electric vehicle charging. (The 5% and 4% rates are on a combined $7,000 in spending per year, and then 1% thereafter.)
- 3% cash back on restaurants and most travel purchases.
- 2% cash back at Costco and Costco.com.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Costco: The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi earns elevated rewards on gas, dining and travel, which makes it flexible. In fact, the card is more rewarding for gas station purchases — particularly at Costco-branded gas stations — than it is for in-store purchases at the wholesale club itself. That's unusual compared to similar co-branded cards. For example, both Walmart’s OnePay CashRewards Card and the Target Circle™ Credit Card can give cardholders up to 5% back on shopping in their stores, whether in the form of rewards or a discount. Still, 2% back at Costco is decent. Really, the card's main downside is redeeming rewards. Cardholders receive rewards once a year in the form of a certificate that can be redeemed for cash or merchandise. (And to get the card in the first place, you must be a Costco member.)
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.
Welcome offer: Earn a $250 bonus after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
Rewards:
- 6% cash back on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter at two retailers you choose (from a list of 24; see below for full list).
- 3% cash back on your first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter in your choice of one everyday category, including wholesale clubs.
- 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
- 5.5% cash back on prepaid car and hotel reservations booked directly in the Rewards Center.
Full list of 6% merchants
- Ace Hardware.
- Apple.
- Amazon.com.
- Anthropologie.
- Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
- Best Buy.
- Chewy.com.
- Crate & Barrel.
- Disney.
- Home Depot.
- Ikea.
- Kohl's.
- Lowe's.
- Lululemon.
- Macy's.
- Menards.
- Nordstrom.
- Pottery Barn.
- QVC.
- Restoration Hardware.
- Target.
- Walmart.
- Wayfair.com.
- Williams Sonoma.
Why we like it for Costco: Plenty of credit cards earn high reward rates at grocery stores; fewer earn them at warehouse clubs. The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card is an exception. Among its other rewards, it earns 3% cash back up to a $1,500 quarterly cap on one everyday category that you select. (After hitting the cap, you’ll earn an unlimited 1.5%.) To get 3% back at Costco, you’d opt-in to the “wholesale clubs” category. Just remember to make your selection before the new quarter begins because you won’t earn the 3% rate until you do so. While the card can be valuable for Costco savings, its spending caps are limiting — particularly when it comes to bulk-buying at the wholesale club. Plus, unlike some other options on this list, it comes with an annual fee.
U.S. Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee: $0.
Welcome offer: None.
Rewards:
2% to 4% cash back. The base rate is unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase. That rises to:
- 2.5% cash back if you have $10,000 to $49,999 in eligible U.S. Bank balances.
- 3% cash back if you have $50,000 to $99,999 in eligible balances.
- 4% cash back if you have $100,000 or more in eligible balances.
If you qualify for the elevated rates, you earn them on up to $10,000 in spending per billing cycle. For spending above that level, you drop back down to 2%.
Why we like it for Costco: With the U.S. Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card, you can potentially earn up to 4% on all purchases, including those made at Costco. That’s a rare, hard-to-beat rate. Even the card’s potential for 2.5x and 3x is top-of-class among similar cards. The stipulation here, however, is that you must have a significant amount saved — at least $10,000 — across eligible U.S. Bank accounts to boost your rewards beyond the baseline 2% back. But even that rate is comparable to some of the best flat-rate cards on the market — and the same rate you'd get when you shop at Costco using the brand's own credit card.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Annual fee: $0.
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Rewards: Unlimited 2% cash rewards on all eligible purchases.
Why we like it for Costco: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers the same bonus rewards you'd get with Costco’s own credit card when shopping at the wholesaler. What’s more, you’ll also get 2% back on shopping outside of the retailer, without having to think about it. And a generous welcome offer? Icing on the cake.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Anyone who shops at Costco knows how easy it is to spend $200, $300 or even $400 or more. If you’re trying to earn a sign-up bonus on any Visa card, a few trips to Costco could help you spend the required amount to snag that offer. (Just don't spend beyond your budget to do so.) Robinhood Gold card
Annual fee: $0. (However, you must be a Robinhood Gold member, which costs $5 monthly or $50 annually.)
Welcome offer: None.
Rewards:
- 5% back on travel bookings completed through Robinhood’s travel portal
- 3% cash back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Costco: The Robinhood Gold card is a Visa that earns an industry-leading 3% cash back on most purchases, including at wholesalers like Costco. That’s a better rate than you'd get with the Costco-branded card when you shop there. That said, the Robinhood Gold card comes with some big caveats: It’s not widely available to the public (you must "reserve your spot" online to join a waitlist); rewards can only be redeemed within the Robinhood ecosystem; and to get the card, you must pay for a Robinhood Gold membership.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Similar to the Robinhood Gold card, the $0-annual-fee Aven Rewards Card earns a generous 3% cash back on all purchases, though there's a $10,000 annual spending cap on that cap. (After that, it earns an unlimited 2% back on all purchases with no yearly cap.) But this card, too, has some caveats: It’s not available in all U.S. states, and uniquely, the language in the card's terms and conditions describes those 2% and 3% rates as "promotions that can be terminated at Aven’s discretion.” Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Annual fee: $0.
Welcome offer: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Rewards:
- 3% back on a category of your choice (select options) and 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs for the first $2,500 of combined bonus category/grocery store/wholesale club spending per quarter; after hitting that threshold, you’ll earn 1% back on these purchases.
- 1% back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Costco: With the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, you'll automatically get 2% back on spending at wholesale clubs like Costco until you hit the quarterly spending cap. That’s in addition to having a choice of your 3% rewards category; options include gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drugstores, and home improvement and furnishings. Note that the spending cap can be limiting for those who drop a lot of money at Costco, which again is easy to do.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card and Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card for Students currently earn elevated rewards during the first year you have either card. Rather than earning 3% on the category you choose, you'll earn 6% back. After the first year, this reverts back to 3%. (You'll earn these elevated rewards, plus 2% back on groceries and wholesale clubs up to $2,500 in combined spending per quarter.) 
Chase Freedom Flex®
Annual fee: $0.
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
- 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter. Activation of bonus categories is required. (See the quarterly 5% bonus calendar below.)
- 5% back on travel booked through Chase.
- 3% back on dining, including takeout and delivery services.
- 3% back on drugstore purchases.
- Through September 2027, 2% back on qualifying Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app.
- 1% on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Costco: Right upfront, we'll acknowledge that the Chase Freedom Flex® is a Mastercard, so it won't be of any use to you inside physical Costco stores (which accept only Visa credit cards). However, Mastercards are accepted online at Costco.com, which can be useful when the Chase Freedom Flex® features wholesale clubs as one of its 5% quarterly rotating bonus categories, which it historically has quite often. Plus, you can potentially turn the card’s rewards into more value if you also have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card. (Learn about the Chase trifecta.)
Payment methods accepted at Costco
Costco accepts different payment methods depending on where you’re making a purchase. Per the retailer's website:
Costco warehouses:
- Visa cards.
- Most PIN-based debit/ATM cards.
- Costco gift cards (called Shop Cards).
- Cash.
- Personal checks from current Costco members.
- Traveler's checks.
- EBT cards.
- Mobile payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay).
Costco gas stations:
- Visa cards.
- Most PIN-based debit/ATM cards.
- Costco gift cards (called Shop Cards).
Costco.com:
- Visa cards.
- Mastercard.
- Most PIN-based debit/ATM cards.
- Costco gift cards (called Shop Cards).
- Visa Click to Pay.
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