How to Use Any Credit Card to Buy Stuff at Costco

One of the restrictions which frustrates a lot of Costco members is the fact Costco doesn’t allow members to use just any credit card when shopping at their warehouses. The choices are limited to cash, a check, a debit card, or American Express. Since most people don’t have American Express as their primary credit card, this means most people believe they have to shop at Costco without getting any credit card rewards. This simply isn’t true.

There is a simple Costco hack which will allow you to use any credit card you want to pay for all the stuff you buy at Costco. This can be great if you have an airline credit card or other reward credit card, and you want to get miles or rewards for all the money you spend at Costco. So, how can you use your Visa or MasterCard when shopping at Costco? By shopping online first.

Get a $10 Costco Shop Card

If you don’t already have an online account, you’ll need to register at Costco.com. Once registered, you will purchase a Costco Cash Card. While you can’t use Visa or MasterCard when shopping at the warehouses, the Costco website does allow you to make purchases with Visa and MasterCard credit cards when you buy online. There’s no shipping fee for purchasing cash cards, so you get the full value of the amount you purchase. The cash card usually takes 3 to 5 days to arrive. A phone call will activate the card, and then you can use it to make your purchases at Costco. While there is an extra step to the process, it’s fairly easy, painless, and can be worthwhile for those who like to maximize their credit card rewards.

It’s that simple. This works great for those who have a standard Costco membership. For those with an Executive membership, using the American Express card that comes with your Executive Membership and the 2% cash back is probably the way to go. The value there is usually more than the airline miles or other rewards you can get for other credit cards (but not always). For those who don’t have an Costco Executive Membership, this is a great alternative which will allow you to accumulate rewards you would otherwise miss out on getting.

The more shopping you do at Costco, the more valuable this hack becomes. It can be especially lucrative to your airline miles or other rewards if you buy your gas at Costco gas stations as well. Unfortunately, this hack only works if you do have a Costco Membership. It’s possible to shop at Costco without a membership, but you must have a membership to buy the cash cards so it’s not possible to to both.

Give the gift of savings! Learn more

For more info on Costco check out these articles.

Is the Costco Membership Fee Worth it?

Is a Costco Executive Membership Worth the Price?
Costco Gas Calculator: Will I Save Money Buying a Membership if All I Buy is Fuel?

Costco Return Policy

Costco Holiday Schedule

Costco Tires

You can check out our articles for Target as well.

Target Christmas Store Hours

Target Holiday Schedule and Store Hours