January 30, 2025: The recently-refreshed Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi offers up to 5% cash back rewards on gas at Costco. But the card’s 2% rewards at Costco warehouses, plus its byzantine rewards scheme means it probably isn’t the best card to use at Costco.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card.
Our review of the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card
Cards and Points Rating: 3.0/5.0
Read more about our star ratings.
Costco heavily promotes its Costco Anywhere Visa® Card to its members. The card recently increased its rewards on gas at Costco gas stations to 5% and it still offers a market-leading 4% rewards on gas purchases and EV charging. Those rewards are limited to $7,000 in spending each year, but most families are likely to spend much less than this on gas.
But when it comes to general purchases at Costco, there are absolutely better cards to use. Not only can you earn greater cash back with other no-annual-fee cards, but other cards offer extended warranty benefits that could come in very handy if you’re buying appliances or other durable goods. Many cardmembers (and Costco employees, in our experience!) mistakenly believe that the card offers an extended warranty—but Citi dropped that benefit from the card several years ago. And while the card offers 3% rewards on a variety of travel purchases, it isn’t a great travel card, given its relative lack of substantive travel insurance benefits.
Further, the card’s “cash back” rewards are among the least flexible of any cash back card we’ve seen. Instead of being able to cash out your rewards whenever you like, you’ll need to wait until after your February statement to receive a paper certificate which must be cashed in-person at a Costco warehouse. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through when other cash back cards simply let you redeem for a statement credit at any time.
Likes
- Up to 5% rewards on gas at Costco.
- Up to 4% rewards on other eligible gas and EV charging.
- 3% rewards on travel.
Dislikes
- Only 2% rewards at Costco.
- Limited travel and consumer insurance benefits.
- Rewards come as a paper certificate that requires an in-person visit to a Costco warehouse to redeem.
Sign-up bonus:
Annual fee: annual_fees
Requires a paid Costco membership.
Best sign-up bonus: The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card does not currently offer a new cardmember welcome bonus.
Learn how to apply.
When Costco offers a new cardmember bonus, it is usually earned as a statement credit. Be aware that the rewards on this card are granted as a certificate that is issued once a year and must be cashed at a Costco warehouse.
Costco and Citi have occasionally offered a (small) new cardmember bonus on this card. See our coverage of the Costco Visa sign-up bonuses for details.
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi at a glance
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
All information about the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi offers 2% rewards at Costco and Costco.com, plus 5% on gas at Costco and 4% on eligible gas and EV charging, up to $7,000 per year, but it is far from the best card to use at Costco.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card does not currently offer a new cardmember welcome bonus.
Learn how to apply.
When Costco offers a new cardmember bonus, it is usually earned as a statement credit. Be aware that the rewards on this card are granted as a certificate that is issued once a year and must be cashed at a Costco warehouse.
Costco and Citi have occasionally offered a (small) new cardmember bonus on this card. See our coverage of the Costco Visa sign-up bonuses for details.
Rewards
- 5% on gas at Costco and 4% on eligible gas and EV charging for the first combined $7,000 spent per year. 1% thereafter.
- 3% at restaurants.
- 3% on eligible travel, including Costco travel.
- 2% on all other purchases at Costco and Costco.com.
- 1% on other purchases.
Rewards are marketed as cash back, but you will only receive your rewards once a year as a paper rewards certificate.
In your February billing statement, you will receive a reward certificate for your accumulated rewards. This reward certificate is redeemable at U.S. Costco warehouses for cash or merchandise.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Purchase protection.
Travel insurance benefits
- Worldwide car rental insurance.
- Travel accident insurance.
- Travel and emergency assistance services.
Our experiences: How we use our Costco Visa
We have one Costco Visa in our household and we use it solely for filling up on gas at Costco. The recent increase to 5% rewards at Costco gas is a win for us that will keep the card in the Honda Odyssey.
But we typically use other cards at Costco that earn more rewards and offer useful benefits like extended warranty. Here’s what we end up using.
- Whichever Visa card we’re earning a sign-up bonus on.
- The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card for 5.25% cash back at Costco.com and 3.5% cash back in Costco warehouses, thanks to my Preferred Rewards status with Platinum Honors.
- Capital One Venture X, which earns 2x transferable points everywhere.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Ink Business Unlimited®, which both earn 1.5x Ultimate Rewards® points everywhere.
As long as we drive a gas car, the card will have enough value for us to keep it around, but when we eventually make the transition to all-electric vehicles, it will be hard to justify this card with so many better cards for Costco out there.
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card rewards
The Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi awards 1% cash back point per dollar spent on general purchases. The card offers increased rewards for gas and EV charging, restaurants and travel, plus 2% cash back for Costco purchases. Here are the details:
| + | 4% | Eligible gas and EV charging, for the first $7,000 per year, then 1% |
| 3% | Restaurants | |
| 3% | Travel | |
| 2% | All other purchases from Costco and Costco.com | |
| 1% | All other purchases |
Cash back is is issued as an annual credit card reward certificate once per year after your February billing statement closes. Certificate must be redeemed for cash or merchandise at a U.S. Costco store.
Redeeming Costco Anywhere Visa® Card rewards
Unlike many other cash back rewards cards, the rewards you earn on your Costco credit card come in the form of a credit card reward certificate. Rewards are earned during the calendar year (January-December) and you receive accumulated rewards once your February statement closes. Your credit card reward certificate must be redeemed in a single transaction at a Costco warehouse as a merchandise credit or cash back.
Benefits of the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card
Here is a summary of the benefits offered with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card.
Travel insurance benefits
Cards targeted toward travelers often offer travel insurance benefits that can protect you when you are traveling away from home. Terms and restrictions apply to all benefits.
Worldwide car rental insurance – Worldwide car rental insurance protects you against damage or theft to your rental vehicle. For coverage to apply, you need to reserve and pay for your vehicle using your card and decline your car rental company’s collision damage waiver. The coverage provided by the Costco Visa is secondary to your personal auto insurance within the United States. This means that you will be required to make a claim against your personal auto insurance before this policy will pay. Outside the United States, the benefit is primary insurance. Additional terms apply. See your card’s guide to benefits for details.
Travel accident insurance – Travel accident insurance typically covers you for things like accidental death or dismemberment when you are traveling. Policy terms vary, so see your card’s guide to benefits for details.
Consumer insurance benefits
Many cards offers consumer insurance benefits that can protect the things you buy. Terms and restrictions apply to all benefits.
Damage and theft protection – Damage and theft protection protects the things you buy with your card from damage or theft for a certain amount of time after you buy them. The protection on the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card provides protection on many items for 120 days from the date of purchase, up to $1,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
Bottom line: Good for Costco gas, mediocre for everything else
If you buy gas at Costco, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card can give you market-leading rewards. But for your other purchases, including purchases at Costco warehouses, there are many other cards that will give you better rewards and benefits.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Costco credit card worth it?
For most Costco members, it’s worth getting the Costco credit card. The card has no annual fee and offers some of the best rewards on gas available. But the card isn’t the best card to use at Costco. The card offers no extended warranty benefits and other cards can earn you up to 4.5% back toward travel in-store.
What are the disadvantages of the Costco Visa?
The Costco Visa doesn’t include any sort of extended warranty benefit, meaning you won’t get an extra year of warranty protection on the things you buy with the card. The card also offers only 2% rewards at Costco and for Costco.com purchases. Other cards offer better rewards for Costco purchases.
Is the Costco card an Amex?
In the United States, the Costco credit card is a Visa card issued by Citibank. Costco ended its partnership with American Express in 2016.
Does the Costco card offer a free Costco membership?
No. You cannot get a free Costco membership by holding the Costco Visa card. You must have a paid Costco membership to get the Costco Visa.
