Costco’s U.S. warehouses and gas stations take only one kind of credit card: Visa. Amex, Mastercard and Discover credit cards won’t work at the register or the pump. Costco.com adds Mastercard. Most issuers also code Costco as a warehouse club, not a grocery store, so grocery bonuses usually don’t apply. That leaves a short list. The Costco Anywhere Visa pays 5% on Costco gas and 2% on everything else at Costco, with no annual fee while your membership is paid. A flat 2% Visa matches it in the warehouse. Transfer cards can pay more if you’ll use the points.
Enter Costco gas under Gas, and warehouse and costco.com spend under Other, in the free MaxPoints credit card rewards calculator. Grocery bonuses don’t apply there.
Visa only in the warehouse and at the pump. Costco.com also takes Mastercard. American Express and Discover aren’t accepted anywhere at Costco U.S.
How much will a Costco run earn?
Costco gas, the warehouse and costco.com are separate lines. Grocery rates don’t apply, and Mastercard earns nothing in the warehouse or at the pump.
Points are valued at The Points Guy’s October 2026 figures: Amex Membership Rewards 2¢, Chase Ultimate Rewards 2.05¢, Citi ThankYou (Strata Premier) 1.9¢, Capital One 1.85¢ and Bilt 2.2¢. Cash back is valued at 1¢, and so are points from no-fee cards that only reach their program’s value when paired with a premium card (Chase Freedom Unlimited, Citi Strata, Citi Double Cash).
Net subtracts the card’s full annual fee from rewards on this category alone. Most people also earn on other spending, so the full calculator is the better test for fee cards.
Welcome bonuses are left out so the numbers reflect an ordinary year.
Costco Anywhere Visa: 5% on this Costco-gas line, capped at $7,000 a year of combined gas and EV spend, then 1%. Citi’s 4% on other gas shares that cap and isn’t on this page’s gas line. Warehouse and costco.com earn 2%.
Citi Double Cash earns 2% on costco.com only. The warehouse and the pump don’t take Mastercard.
The full calculator cannot store 5% at Costco gas or 2% at Costco, so it understates the Costco Anywhere Visa.
Earn rates checked with issuers in October 2026. Offers change, so confirm terms with the issuer before you apply. Educational estimate, not financial advice.
These lines use Costco’s own rates, including 5% on Costco gas and 2% at Costco. The full calculator still has no Costco line: it pays the Costco Anywhere Visa 4% on all gas and 1% on other, so it understates that card. Put gas under Gas and the rest under Other, not Groceries.
{"focus":"","inputs":[{"key":"gas","prefill":"gas"},{"key":"warehouse","prefill":"other"},{"key":"online","prefill":"other"}],"path":"/credit-card-rewards-calculator","picks":[{"key":"costco-visa","name":"Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi","fee":0,"cpp":0.01,"base":1,"earn":[{"inputs":["gas"],"rate":5,"cap":7000,"above":1},{"inputs":["warehouse","online"],"rate":2}],"cash":true},{"key":"wf-active-cash","name":"Wells Fargo Active Cash","fee":0,"cpp":0.01,"base":2,"cash":true,"pooledCpp":0.0175,"unlock":"wellsfargo"},{"key":"citi-double-cash","name":"Citi Double Cash","fee":0,"cpp":0.01,"base":0,"earn":[{"inputs":["online"],"rate":2}],"cash":true,"pooledCpp":0.019,"unlock":"citi"},{"key":"capital-one-venture-x","name":"Capital One Venture X","fee":395,"cpp":0.0185,"base":2}]}
Costco cards compared
Issuer terms as of October 19, 2026. Costco codes as a warehouse club, so grocery rates don’t apply. Network decides where a card works.
Costco rewards by card: network, warehouse, gas and online rates, fee and source.
Card
Network
Costco warehouse
Costco gas
Costco.com
Annual fee
Source
Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi
Network: Visa
Costco warehouse: 2%
Costco gas: 5% (shared $7,000 gas/EV cap, then 1%)
Points are shown as earned. At The Points Guy’s October 2026 values: Venture X’s 2× is about 3.7¢ per dollar, Sapphire Preferred’s 3× about 6.15¢, Autograph’s 3× about 5.25¢ and Bilt Palladium’s 2× about 4.4¢. Freedom Unlimited, Active Cash and Double Cash are worth their face value on their own. Pooled with a transfer card, Freedom Unlimited is worth about 3.08¢ per dollar and Double Cash about 3.8¢. “If coded as gas” means the issuer pays its gas rate on the merchant code, and Costco’s fuel stations usually code as gas, so check your statement.
Our top picks, and who should skip them
Earn rates checked with issuers in October 2026. The best card still depends on the rest of your spending, so treat this as a shortlist.
Best overall at the Costco warehouse
1. Costco Anywhere Visa Card by CitiWarehouse + online
2% at Costco, 5% on Costco gas, 3% restaurants and travel · $0 while your Costco membership is paid
Why choose it
✓5% on Costco gas and 4% on other gas and EV charging, with a combined $7,000 yearly cap, then 1%. At 5%, $7,000 of Costco gas earns $350 a year.
✓3% on restaurants and travel, 2% on Costco and costco.com purchases, and 1% on everything else.
✓No annual fee while your Costco membership is paid, and no foreign transaction fee.
Why skip it
✗Rewards arrive once a year as a certificate after your February statement closes. You redeem it at a U.S. Costco warehouse, for cash or merchandise, in a single transaction, by December 31.
If you’d rather have cash back on your own schedule, the Wells Fargo Active Cash is a Visa with unlimited 2% cash rewards and no annual fee. In the warehouse it ties the Costco card. Outside Costco it gives up the 5% gas and 3% dining. At the pump, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95) earns 3× at gas stations with no cap. At The Points Guy’s 2.05¢ value for Chase points, that’s about 6.15¢ per dollar if you transfer, or 3¢ as cash. Chase defines its gas category as merchants that sell automotive gasoline and doesn’t name Costco, so check your first fill-up. The Wells Fargo Autograph ($0) earns 3× on merchants whose Visa code is “gas stations, automated fuel dispensers, and electric vehicle charging stations,” with no cap. At The Points Guy’s 1.75¢ value, that’s about 5.25¢ per dollar if you transfer, or 3¢ as cash. Past the $7,000 cap, either one beats the Costco card’s 1%. See the card page.
Flat 2% cash on a Visa
2. Wells Fargo Active CashWarehouse + online
Unlimited 2% cash rewards · No annual fee
Why choose it
✓Flat 2% cash rewards on a Visa, paid as cash rather than a once-a-year Costco certificate.
✓In the warehouse it ties the Costco card. It works at the pump and on costco.com too.
Why skip it
✗Outside Costco it gives up the Costco card’s 5% gas and 3% dining.
2% on costco.com (1% when you buy, 1% as you pay) · No annual fee
Why choose it
✓A Mastercard that earns 2%: 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. No annual fee.
✓Online, that ties the Costco card’s 2%, and you get the rewards as ThankYou points you can cash out any time.
Why skip it
✗Costco.com takes Mastercard. In the warehouse and at the pump, this card won’t work at all.
If you hold a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite, Double Cash points pool at The Points Guy’s 1.9¢ value, about 3.8¢ per dollar online. Is the Citi Double Cash worth it? · Card page.
Best if you transfer points
4. Capital One Venture XWarehouse + online
2× miles on every purchase · $395 annual fee
Why choose it
✓A Visa Infinite card, so it works in the warehouse, at the pump and online. It earns 2× miles on every purchase.
✓At The Points Guy’s 1.85¢ value for Capital One miles, that’s about 3.7¢ per Costco dollar, compared with 2¢ on the Costco card.
Why skip it
✗The annual fee is $395, so Costco alone won’t justify it. It makes sense if you already carry it for travel.
On costco.com only, the Bilt Palladium ($495) earns 2× on everyday purchases. At The Points Guy’s 2.2¢ value for Bilt points, that’s about 4.4¢ per dollar. It’s a Mastercard, so it works only online. Is the Venture X worth it?.
How Costco codes on your card
Card issuers pay bonus rates by merchant code, not by what’s in your cart. Costco’s warehouses and costco.com code as a warehouse club. Most grocery categories leave warehouse clubs out by name.
Chase’s grocery category excludes “larger stores that sell a wide variety of goods and groceries, such as warehouse clubs.” Its online grocery category names Costco and BJ’s as exclusions. Capital One defines a grocery store as “a supermarket, meat locker, freezer, dairy product store and specialty market,” which doesn’t include warehouse clubs.
Amex, Citi’s Strata cards and Bilt grocery exclusions are quoted on the best credit cards for groceries page. Amex isn’t accepted at Costco anyway.
Gas works differently. Costco’s fuel stations usually code as gas stations, not as the warehouse. Chase’s wholesale-club category says outright that “gas, fuel … will not qualify” as wholesale-club spend. Wells Fargo’s Autograph pays 3× on the Visa codes for “gas stations, automated fuel dispensers.” If the bonus matters, look for it in your rewards activity after the first fill-up.
Costco’s food court and Costco Travel are separate questions. Citi’s Costco card pays 3% on Costco Travel and lists warehouse clubs among the merchants that earn only 1% under its restaurant category.
Costco Executive membership: a second 2%
Costco’s own reward stacks on top of any card. Executive members get about 2% back on most pre-tax purchases at Costco warehouses, costco.com and Costco Travel. The reward is capped at $1,250 in any 12-month period. It arrives as a certificate with your renewal notice, about two months before you renew.
Executive costs $130 a year: the $65 membership plus a $65 upgrade. The upgrade pays for itself once you spend about $3,250 a year on eligible purchases, roughly $271 a month. Gasoline, the food court, Costco Shop Cards, membership fees and tobacco don’t count.
Paired with the Costco Anywhere Visa, that’s about 4% back in the warehouse: 2% from Costco and 2% from Citi.
Cards that won’t help at Costco
Any American Express card. Costco doesn’t accept Amex at the warehouse, the pump or online.
Mastercard cards in the warehouse. That includes Citi Double Cash, Citi Strata Premier, Bilt cards, Chase Freedom Flex and most Capital One Savor cards. They work only on costco.com.
Chase Freedom Flex’s Q4 grocery bonus. The October–December 2026 5% grocery category excludes wholesale clubs. The card is also a Mastercard. See Chase Freedom Flex Q4 2026.
Grocery cards in general. A 3×–6× grocery card usually earns its base rate at Costco, because Costco doesn’t code as a grocery store.
The Robinhood Gold Card is a Visa that earns 3% on eligible purchases. That would beat every card above in the warehouse. It needs a $50-a-year Robinhood Gold membership and is invite-only from a waitlist, so it isn’t a ranked pick.
How MaxPoints helps
The full calculator has no Costco line. Costco gas belongs under Gas. Warehouse and costco.com spend belong under Other, not Groceries, because grocery bonuses don’t apply at a warehouse club. The catalog can’t store the Costco Anywhere Visa’s 5% at Costco gas or its 2% at Costco, so that card comes out low on a Costco budget.
1
Enter monthly Costco gas under Gas. Rough numbers are fine.
2
Enter warehouse and costco.com spend under Other, not Groceries.
3
Compare cards after annual fees, and read the Costco card’s real rates above. The full calculator understates them.
The network decides where the card works. Visa works in the warehouse, at the pump and on costco.com. Mastercard works on costco.com only. American Express and Discover aren’t accepted.
Cash on your schedule versus a yearly certificate. A flat 2% Visa ties the Costco card in the warehouse and pays cash back instead of a certificate you redeem at Costco once a year.
Watch the gas cap. The Costco card’s 5% and 4% gas rates share one $7,000 yearly cap, then gas earns 1%. An uncapped Visa gas rate can win after that.
Executive membership stacks. Costco’s own reward is separate from the card. See Executive membership for the second 2%.
FAQ
What credit cards does Costco accept?
In U.S. warehouses and at Costco gas stations, Visa is the only credit card accepted. Debit cards, cash and EBT work in the warehouse too. Costco.com takes Visa and Mastercard. American Express and Discover aren’t accepted.
What’s the best credit card for Costco?
For most members it’s the Costco Anywhere Visa: 2% at Costco and costco.com, 5% on Costco gas (up to $7,000 a year of combined gas and EV spend), and no annual fee while your membership is paid. The Wells Fargo Active Cash ties it at 2% in the warehouse and pays cash instead of a yearly certificate. If you transfer points, Venture X’s 2× is worth about 3.7¢ per dollar at The Points Guy’s value.
Does Costco count as a grocery store for credit card rewards?
Usually not. Costco codes as a warehouse club. Chase, Amex, Citi and Capital One grocery categories all leave warehouse clubs out, so a grocery card earns its base rate there. The details are in How Costco codes on your card.
Does Costco gas count as gas for credit card rewards?
Usually yes. Costco’s fuel stations typically code as gas stations, and Chase says gas and fuel don’t count as wholesale-club purchases. The pumps take Visa only, so the card has to be a Visa. Check your rewards activity after the first fill-up.
Can I use a Mastercard at Costco?
Online, yes. Costco.com accepts Mastercard. In the warehouse and at the pump, a Mastercard credit card won’t work.
Is the Costco Executive membership worth it?
It is if you spend about $3,250 a year or more on eligible Costco purchases. The $65 upgrade returns about 2%, up to $1,250 a year, and it stacks with your card’s rewards. Gas, the food court and Shop Cards don’t count toward it. See Executive membership.
The calculator has no line for Costco, so enter it where it codes. Put your Costco gas under Gas. Put warehouse and costco.com spend under Other, not Groceries, since grocery bonuses don’t apply there. Then compare cards after annual fees. The calculator doesn’t yet model the Costco Anywhere Visa’s 2% at Costco or 5% on Costco gas, so it understates that card for Costco spend.
Important notice. This tool is provided for educational purposes only. The information and recommendations presented here are not intended to constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with qualified professionals for personalized financial guidance. Credit card terms, rewards, and benefits are subject to change and may vary based on individual circumstances.
