The Best Credit Cards Accepted At Costco [2025]

Costco, the shopper's paradise of bulk everything and $1.50 hot dogs, has its own culture and specific way of doing things. One quirk is the limited range of credit cards the wholesaler accepts.

In fact, Costco only accepts cards from one issuer. 

What credit cards does Costco accept?

U.S. Costco warehouse locations and U.S. Costco gas stations don't accept American Express, Discover, or Mastercard; they only accept Visa credit cards.

For years, Costco accepted only American Express credit cards due to an exclusive partnership. But in 2016, the retailer made the switch to Citi Visa. The branded cards also switched over at that time, and cardholders received the Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi. Fortunately, cardholders enjoyed more perks with this card than were previously provided with Costco's Amex cards.

These days, non-Visa cards no longer work at Costco, so you'll need a Visa card to pay and earn rewards.

Thankfully, given Visa's prominence, there's still a pretty wide range of cards you can use at Costco. And if you have to use a Visa card at Costco, you may as well use one that will optimize rewards earnings on your spending with the chain.

The chain's Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi is an obvious choice, but cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited^®(Rates and fees) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card(Rates and fees) can help you earn valuable rewards when shopping at your favorite warehouse club.

Does Costco gas take Mastercard?

U.S. Costco gas stations don't accept Mastercard. However, you can still use Mastercard cards to make purchases on Costco.com.

Does Costco gas take American Express?

U.S. Costco gas stations don't accept American Express cards, and you can't use American Express to make purchases on Costco.com. U.K. Costco locations, however, do accept American Express.

Best credit cards to use at Costco

Card	Welcome offer	Rewards rate	Annual fee
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi 4.6 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Receive an annual credit card reward certificate, which is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses, including Puerto Rico	Earn 5% cash back rewards on gas at Costco and earn 4% cash back on other eligible gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging purchases for the first $7,000 combined spend per year, and then 1% thereafter; 3% on restaurants and eligible travel purchases; 2% on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com; and 1% on all other purchases	$0
Chase Freedom Unlimited®(Rates and fees) 4.7 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening	5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases	$0
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card(Rates and fees) 4.9 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases	$95
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 4.9 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25	$395

Here are some of the top contenders that can help you earn generous rewards on Costco purchases:

Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi

While there's no sign-up bonus on the Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi, the 3% back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases is an impressive benefit for a card with no annual fee. 

You'll also earn the best cashback rewards for Costco purchases of any of the cards on our list. However, in terms of a rewards card, you may get more value from one of the best cash back credit cards, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited - especially when paired with a Chase premium card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

If you don't have a Chase premium card, this card can be an excellent choice for your Costco purchases. Take advantage of member savings on big-ticket items like furniture and appliances since the more you spend with your card, the more you'll earn. You should also make a point of purchasing your gas from Costco in order to maximize the rewards.

Apply now or check out our Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi(Rates and fees) review.

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

If you're looking to rack up your cashback with one of the best rewards credit cards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited^® can be a great way to earn up to 5% cash back. The opportunity to earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening is an added bonus, especially since this card has no annual fee.

This is a great card to use for Costco purchases, and the savings you'll receive at the wholesale club are a great way to maximize the value of your membership.

Apply now or check out our Chase Freedom Unlimited® Review.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card has an impressive welcome bonus that gets you up to $1,125 toward travel if you redeem your points through Chase Travel℠. The generous bonus points on travel and dining make this card a great choice if you enjoy traveling and could take advantage of the extra perks, as it's a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.

Since you'll need to spend a fair amount within the first few months of having the card to earn the bonus, you may want to funnel all your Costco purchases (and other purchases, especially Lyft, travel, and dining purchases) onto your new card to help you get there faster.

That said, you could potentially earn more points by using a card with a higher cashback value, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited^®, and then moving the points to your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Then, once you've racked up enough points, you can redeem them for travel or other rewards instead of cash back, since your points could stretch further that way.

Apply now or read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a generous early spend bonus after qualifying for the card. The miles earned from this bonus can be used in the Capital One travel portal for flights, hotel stays, and more. Or you can transfer them to over a dozen travel partners. 

To help fulfill the requirements of the welcome offer, it might make sense to start using your Venture X for all eligible purchases (including at Costco) once you receive it. This card has no rotating bonus categories, which means you'll earn at least 2 miles per dollar miles on all your non-travel-related spending. 

For rewards credit cards, this is one of the highest general rates out there. This equates to being able to earn a large number of rewards at all times without any specific categories to worry about. Not many premium travel cards offer this same type of convenience.

Learn more in our Venture X review.

Alternative ways to pay at Costco

While a Visa credit card is the best payment method to use if you want to earn rewards on purchases you would make anyway, there's no need to fret if you leave your card at home or are still waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

Costco also accepts cash, checks, debit/ATM, EBT, and Costco Shop Cards. Note that you'll need a valid government-issued ID to pay by check.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Costco gas stations and car washes don't accept cash, checks, or EBT, so you'll need to pay with your Visa card, debit/ATM card, or Costco Shop Card to complete a transaction.

Does Costco take Apple Pay?

Yes, Costco accepts Apple Pay along with Samsung Pay and Google Pay. However, your linked card on any of these digital wallets must still be a Visa for in-store and gas station purchases.

FAQs

Bottom line

Costco's list of accepted credit cards may be a bit restrictive, but you've still got plenty of options for earning rewards on your spending with the store.

If you do enough Costco shopping, the Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi will earn you the most back for your spending at the wholesaler and even a little extra on the side for restaurants and eligible travel purchases.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited^®(Rates and fees), meanwhile, is a strong choice for its base cashback rate that sets you up to earn a little extra even on non-Costco purchases.

Regardless, you're going to have to use a Visa card if you want to shop in-person at Costco, so check out our list of the best Visa credit cards for more options.

Unlimited Cash Back

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

4.7

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

Apply Now

Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Base rewards rate of 1.5%
• $0 annual fee
• Ability to transfer cash back to other Ultimate Rewards cards
• Intro APR offers for purchases and balance transfers

Drawbacks

• Has a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
• No bonus categories for gas or groceries

Card Details

• Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.99% - 28.49%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
• Member FDIC