Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi review: A superstore card like no other

As one of the few credit cards to offer cash back at wholesale clubs, plus impressive cash back rates on other bonus categories, the Costco business card is one of the best cards for shopping in the industry. But once you read into the fine print and consider the required Costco membership fee and limited redemption options and benefits, you’ll have to judge whether getting a store credit card is worth it.

Quick highlights

• Rewards rate: 4 percent cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases (for the first $7,000 per year, then 1 percent), 3 percent cash back on restaurant and eligible travel purchases, 2 percent cash back on all Costco and Costco.com purchases and 1 percent cash back on all other purchases
• Welcome offer: N/A
• Annual fee: $0 (not including a Costco membership)
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 20.24 percent variable

Current welcome offer

Disappointingly, the Costco business credit card doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus.

This is surprising since many other cash back business cards extend bonuses worth $300 to $500. Other retail credit cards may even offer store credit, like the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and its up to $150 Amazon gift card upon approval.

Rewards rate

The Costco business card offers bonus category cash back, which may help earn rewards on other business expenses. Since it’s co-branded, you can use this card with other merchants that accept Visa credit cards.

Earning cash back

Although you may have initially looked into this card for its 2 percent cash back on Costco and Costco.com purchases, the Costco Anywhere Business card also holds one of the highest cash back rates on gas. You can earn 4 percent cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases (up to $7,000 in purchases per year, then 1 percent), except for other store-branded gas stations like Walmart. Another strange restriction worth noting — you won’t earn 4 percent back on fuel for non-vehicle purposes either.

In case your business needs call for travel and dining, you’ll also earn unlimited 3 percent back on restaurant and travel purchases, plus 1 percent back on all other purchases. The travel category covers airfare, hotels, car rentals, travel agencies, cruise lines and Costco Travel purchases.

These are fantastic reward rates even compared to non-branded cash back cards. Ironically, the Costco cash back is a bit lower than other store cards typically offer.

For instance, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature earns unlimited 5 percent cash back on Amazon purchases. The Capital One® Walmart Rewards® Card earns unlimited 5 percent cash back on Walmart.com purchases (cash back earned at their brick-and-mortar stores is limited to 2 percent).

How to redeem

Here’s the kicker to the high rewards rate: Cash back is only redeemed once per year after your February billing statement as one “credit card reward certificate.” You must then redeem your certificate at a physical U.S. or Puerto Rico Costco store before December 31 of that year, or you lose those rewards.

Like other cash back cards, each percentage back earns you 1 cent in rewards. For example, $100 worth of gas at Costco will earn you $4 in cash back.

Costco credit cards are remarkably light on benefits outside the stellar rewards structure. In fact, there is hardly any difference between the consumer and business card. Both allow you to use your credit card as your membership card, and both offer standard Citi credit card purchase protection.

Purchase protection

By purchasing an item with your card, you could receive purchase protection that covers the cost of repairs or provides a refund if your item is damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase.

Citi Entertainment

Every Citi card (including debit cards) that uses the Visa, Mastercard or American Express network has access to the Citi Entertainment program. This feature grants you access to exclusive “experiences” like presale concert tickets, travel activities, dining opportunities and more.

Although the Costco Business credit card advertises no annual fee, you need a Costco membership to apply, which starts at $60 per year. Depending on your business needs, the membership could be worth it, especially for items bought frequently. Even if your business doesn’t shop at Costco often, you can easily offset the membership fee if you at least spend $125 per month on eligible gas and EV charging purchases in the 4 percent cash back category.

There aren’t any zero-interest offers — like many business cards — but the ongoing APR is surprisingly low for a retail card at 20.24 percent variable. More good news — there are also no foreign transaction fees in case any business expenses pop up while you’re abroad.

The Costco business card seems to be in a class of its own since many other business cards don’t offer cash back on wholesale club purchases. However, certain limitations like the required Costco membership can be a turn off. If you don’t often shop at Costco or need office supplies regularly, other cards may be better suited for you.

Costco Anywhere Business vs Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

A close rival to the Costco Anywhere Business card is the Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card. It offers 3 percent cash back on categories of your choice, including gas stations and travel. However, the 3 percent rate is also tied to the 2 percent dining cash back category — capped at up to the first $50,000 in combined purchases per year, then 1 percent afterward.

Bank of America’s consumer-friendly sibling, the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, is also a good choice as it provides 2 percent cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (limited to $2,500 per quarter in combined 3 percent choice category and 2 percent category purchases, then 1 percent). While the Costco Anywhere Business card’s spending caps can seem initially lower than either Bank of America card, the lack of spending caps on categories like restaurants and travel leave room for higher earning potential.

Costco Anywhere Business vs Ink Business Unlimited

Other non-branded business cards may offer more flexible cash back and better benefits as well. For example, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card offers unlimited 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases, employee cards and more travel benefits for no annual fee. Not only that, but the Ink Business Unlimited also offers other generous perks. There’s a welcome bonus of $750 cash back when you spend $6,000 (within the first three months of opening the account) and 0 percent intro APR on new purchases for the first 12 months (then 17.99% - 23.99% variable APR).

However, what the Costco Anywhere Business card lacks in offers, it makes up for in higher rewards rates like 4 percent cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases and percent cash back on travel. The Ink Business card is excellent for businesses just starting and exploring their needs. However, the Costco Business card may be a better fit for companies who know what they need and where their budget is going.

Best cards to pair with the Costco business credit card

Since the Costco business card’s reward redemption options are pretty rigid and the bonus categories are relatively broad, the best partner cards will introduce flexibility or additional coverage. In this case, the Ink Business Unlimited’s flat-rate cash back could act as a one-size-fits-all solution.

But suppose you have a lot of traditional business expenses. In that case, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card delivers 5 percent cash back on the first $25,000 you spend in combined purchases at eligible office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each year.

The Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card by Citi offers fantastic bonus category coverage and top-notch cash back rates on expenses like gas and travel. However, the cash back rate on actual Costco purchases is relatively low, and there aren’t many travel or business benefits to round out the card’s value. It would help if you also weighed whether the inconvenient rewards redemption method and annual Costco membership are worth it compared to more flexible non-branded business cards.

“If you’re already a Costco member, getting a no-annual-fee business credit card with great cash back rewards makes sense,” says finance expert Sally Herigstad. “If you’re not a Costco member, check out their prices on items you use in your business, consider the cash back rewards with this card, and decide if the membership and card would benefit you.”

All information about the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi, Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, Capital One® Walmart Rewards® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.