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The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is available exclusively for Costco members, and it earns rewards beyond just Costco warehouses. With solid earning rates on gas, dining, and travel and no annual fee (beyond your Costco membership), the card costs nothing to keep year after year.
To be clear, though, you don't need the Citi Costco Visa to shop at Costco warehouses, but you do need a Costco membership to shop there or get this credit card. Most states have Costco warehouses. So, if the card isn't required for shopping at Costco, why would you get it? Let's check it out to see if this card is worth adding to your wallet.
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Citi Costco Visa Pros
- 4% back on already competitively priced gas purchased at Costco warehouses.
- 3% back on restaurants and travel charges, including Costco Travel.
- No foreign transaction fees or credit card annual fee, and Costco membership fees charged to the card earn rewards.
Citi Costco Visa Cons
- No welcome bonus.
- Gas and Costco rewards earnings are somewhat limited.
Citi Costco Welcome Bonus
Unfortunately, the Citi Costco Visa card does not offer a welcome bonus. If you're looking for a credit card with a welcome bonus, these are the best available welcome offers right now.
While this card doesn't offer extra cash back or points like most other credit cards provide to new applicants, we have seen in-store offers to get items like a tote bag, bucket, or household items when applying for the card.
Costco Credit Card Benefits
Annual Costco membership fee earns rewards
Citi will charge a Costco membership fee to the card annually, on the first day of the renewal month. Luckily, the fee qualifies toward the annual credit card reward certificate. To use a different form of payment to pay a Costco membership fee, head to the Costco Membership Counter in a Costco warehouse or call Costco at 800-774-2678.
The cost of a Costco Membership depends on the membership level:
- $60 annual fee for Gold Star
- $120 annual fee for Executive Members
Tip: Pay attention to your annual membership fee. I live in a state without sales tax (Oregon), so my membership fee isn't taxed. One year, right before my Costco membership renewed, we visited an out-of-state warehouse three times in a row. That prompted Costco to update my home store to that location, adding tax to my membership fee. A quick call rectified the issue, but make sure you pay attention if this applies to you.
Travel benefits
On top of earning 3% booking travel through Costco.com or otherwise, your card provides the following travel coverage:
- Worldwide car rental insurance: To qualify for secondary car rental insurance in the U.S. on this card (and for primary coverage outside the U.S.), pay for the entire cost of a rental car with the card and decline the rental car company collision loss/damage insurance. The card covers up to $50,000 towards repairs or the cash value of the car for theft and covered accidents. Both you and other authorized drivers on the rental car agreement with a valid driver's license are covered by this benefit.
- Roadside assistance dispatch service: In the U.S., if you have car trouble call 866-918-4670 for assistance. You'll be quoted a price for service and charged that amount if you accept and receive assistance. Available services include towing and winching, jump starts, flat tire changes (when a spare is available), lock-out service, and delivery of up to two gallons of fuel. This benefit only covers the cardholder and doesn't cover motorcycles and campers.
- Travel and emergency assistance: You, your family member, and your traveling companions are eligible for this service, even if you aren't traveling or planning to travel on the trip in question. The service connects you with travel and emergency assistance plus medical and legal assistance before or during a trip. While the information and referrals are free, you're responsible for paying for any services used.
- Worldwide travel accident insurance: You, your spouse, domestic partner, and dependents are covered for up to $250,000 per person against travel carrier accidents, exposure to elements after accidents, and more. However, riots or acts of war, rideshare services, boarding or exiting a common carrier while engaging in extreme activities, and death or injury due to natural causes aren't covered.
Shopping benefits
Enjoy damage and theft purchase protection when using your card. If an item purchased on the card is damaged or stolen within 120 days (90 days for New York residents), receive repair or reimbursement benefits. The benefit covers up to $1000 per item and $50,000 per year. A long list of items are not covered, including certain vehicles, spoilable or consumable items, currencies, tickets and more, so check the fine print.
Costco Credit Card Earning Rates
Here's a look at the cash back you'll earn with the Citi Costco Visa card:
- 4% back on gas and EV charging: The best earning category by far, cardholders earn 4% back on the first $7,000 spent annually on gas, then 1% after that. Note that this earning rate applies to all gas stations, not just Costco fuel centers. Not eligible for 4% back is gas purchased at superstores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and warehouse clubs other than Costco, or for gas used for purposes other than automobiles. Anecdotally, we fill our tanks at Costco using our Citi Costco Visa whenever we can. Not only do we earn 4% back, but Costco gas is also competitively priced.
- 3% back on restaurants and certain travel expenses: Earn 3% cash back at restaurants, including cafés, bars, lounges, and fast food restaurants. Ineligible restaurants include bakeries, certain restaurants and cafes inside department stores, and grocery or warehouse clubs. Additionally, earn 3% on travel purchases including airfare, hotels, car rentals, travel agencies, cruise lines, and Costco Travel.
- 2% on all other Costco purchases: Simply swiping your card when you check out at Costco earns you 2% back, which is not very competitive for a store-branded card. For comparison, the Prime Visa earns 5% back on all Amazon purchases.
- 1% on all other purchases
Items that don't qualify as purchases
The fine print indicates that the following do not qualify as purchases earning rewards on the card:
- Use of checks that access your card account
- Balance transfers
- Cash advances
- Travelers checks, foreign currency purchases, money orders, wire transfers, and similar cash-like transactions
- Lottery tickets, gaming chips, and similar betting transactions
- Interest and account fees
- Unauthorized charges
- Items returned for credit
Redeeming Rewards With the Costco Visa
Every year when your February billing statement closes, you'll be issued your rewards for the previous year in the form of a credit card reward certificate. Rewards are redeemable through December 31st of that year. Collect rewards in one transaction for merchandise or cash back at any U.S. Costco warehouse, including Puerto Rico. Instead of redeeming in person at a warehouse, Costco and/or Citi may provide an alternative redemption option. In the past, this has included a statement credit for your account.
We like to cash out our annual rewards check and continue using our Citi Costco Visa purchases. That way, we ensure we're still earning cash back. Your rewards includes all authorized user purchases. Only the cardholder may redeem the rewards, however, unless they authorize someone else who also has a Costco membership.
If your rewards total more than $10,000, Costco and Citi “reserve the right to distribute the rewards in an alternative form.” Options include a check or electronic transfer. Additionally, if your reward is less than $1, or your account is closed at the time your February billing statement closes, all Costco Cash Rewards will be forfeited. Finally, you must have a valid Costco Membership to redeem your credit card reward certificate.
Additional Executive Membership 2%
Executive members earn an additional annual 2% on qualified Costco purchases, up to $1,000 annually. Front-end register transactions through Costco or Costco.com qualify, while gas doesn't, unfortunately. Executive Membership rewards are issued through Costco separately from the annual Citi credit card reward certificate.
Application Restrictions
To apply for the Citi Costco Visa, applicants must have a valid Costco membership and enter that number when prompted during the application process. Applicants must be 18 years old, or 21 if living in Puerto Rico, as well as have an excellent credit score (typically 720 or over).
The Citi Costco Visa is issued by Citi, which is unlikely to approve you for more than two of its credit cards in a 65-day period.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Citi Costco Card
Costco only accepts Visa, so we're recommending two alternate Visas plus another warehouse card:
- If you want a card that earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases (including Costco), try the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Besides earning 1.5% cash back (or 1.5 points) on all purchases, you'll enjoy 5% back on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3% back at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, and 3% back on drugstore purchases. Learn more in our full Freedom Unlimited review.
- If you want a card that earns 1.25 flexible miles on all purchases, consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. With no annual fee, you'll earn rewards transferable to 19 hotel and airline partners, plus 5X earnings on hotels and rental cars in the Capital One Travel portal. Our Capital One VentureOne review has additional details.
- If you want a warehouse card but aren't tied to Costco, the no-annual-fee Sam’s Club® Mastercard® offers up to 5% back at Sam's Club and Walmart. Cardholders with a Plus membership earn 5% back on gas up to $6,000 per year, then 1%), 3% back on Sam's Club and Walmart purchases, 3% back on dining and takeout, and 1% on other purchases. Plus members also get an extra 2% back, similar to Costco's rewards for Executive members.
Keep in mind that you won't earn extra rewards at Costco when using a credit card with bonus earnings at supermarkets. That's because Costco (and other warehouse stores) are excluded from supermarket bonus earnings on most cards. It's also worth mentioning that Costco stores only accept Visa, though you can use Mastercards at Costco.com.
Bottom Line
Not every Costco shopper will benefit from the Citi Costco Visa, but it's worth looking into . While not the most competitive store card on the market, it could benefit Costco shoppers who also want bonus rewards on gas and travel.
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