How to Use ANY Credit Card You Want at Costco

Have you ever wished you could use a card other than your Visa card at Costco? Maybe you’re trying to trigger a “spending bonus” with a new credit card, or maybe you have a MasterCard or Discover card with great perks. So…if that’s you, we’ve got a hack that will completely change the game for you at Costco. Let’s break it all down.

How hacking actually works

First, Costco only accepts the following in its warehouse:

• Visa credit card
• Most debit cards, cash, checks, EBTcostco shop card

But on costco.com and in that costco appyou can use:

• visa
• master card
• discover
• most debit cards

This means that you can indirectly pay for your Costco purchases even if you have a 2% to 5% cash back card that you can’t use in-store. To achieve this, just add the following simple steps:

Step-by-step: Turn your card into a “Costco Card”

1. Open the Costco app or visit Costco.com. – Log in as a Costco member. Don’t have the app? worth downloading Just for this trick.

2. Search “Shop card” – These are essentially Costco’s version of gift cards. You can purchase for the following fixed amount: $25, $50, $100, $250, $500.

3. Buy a shop card online using any credit card – Use your favorite cashback, points, and miles credit cards. Even if it is Mastercard or Discover.

4. Wait for shop card

• Physical shop card: You can have it mailed to you, so you can use it like a gift card in-store or online. It will take 7-10 business days.
• Digital shop card: will be sent by email within 2 hours You can add and save to. costco wallet on the app. To achieve that, tap account after that Add shop card. You can scan your card or manually enter your card number and PIN.

5. Use your shop card in the warehouse – When you check out at Costco, simply swipe or scan your store card. Even better, add your store card balance to your “Wallet” within the Costco app. Then select your cash card Default payment method and tap “Enable auto-apply” Skip on-screen confirmations at the warehouse.

When shopping in-store, just ask an employee. Scan the QR code for payment within the Costco app at checkout. register I don’t Be mindful of the credit card you used first.

Pro tip: Costco wallets have limitations

This may not be relevant to you, but please note that the maximum amount you can put into your Costco wallet on the app is: $2,000.

This means the maximum number of $500 Costco Shop Cards you can purchase and add to the app is 4. My family is nowhere near that number, so it’s not an issue for me, but it might be for some people.

Why this is such a good move

– Earn rewards in places Costco normally blocks – Even if your grocery or everyday card isn’t a Visa, you can use this hack to earn credit card rewards on your Costco purchases.

– Built-in budget management – Load up your store card with $200 or $300 and challenge yourself to keep your Costco bill to that amount each month. When the card is empty, you are done. There is no “Costco cart mess” at the register.

– Ideal for joint households – One person can use their points card to purchase a shop card online and give the physical or digital card to a spouse, college student, or roommate who actually makes the purchase.

There are a few things to note

– If the card does not include a gift card, there is no bonus – Some rewards cards offer lower rewards (or no rewards at all) for gift card purchases. If you have a large bonus, check your card details.

– If you need it today, it won’t work right away. – If you don’t want to go the digital shop card route, physical shop cards take longer to ship. If you’re planning on making a big purchase at Costco, order ahead instead of trying to figure out this hack from the parking lot.

– Don’t exceed your budget – It’s easy to justify a $100 store card as “just one more card” because you’re looking for rewards. Make sure the math still works in your favor and you’re not spending too much just to get points.

Pro tip: Shop cards are invalidated after transfer

When you add funds to your wallet from your Costco Shop Card, That card is no longer useful..

This means that if you want to add money to that card later, you won’t be able to do so. You will need to purchase a completely new shop card.

Ask our readers: Have you ever tried this hack to take advantage of credit card bonuses and perks? Let us know how much money you made.

Written by Kyle James

I founded Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save money at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Costco. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and The New York Times for my money-saving tips. (learn more)