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Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi review: A gas-centric wholesale clubcard

 /  11 min
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Snapshot

2.5

Bankrate rating
Info
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Bottom line

This card’s outstanding gas rewards rate makes it one of the best gas credit cards on the market, but you’ll need to be OK with an inconvenient, annual in-store redemption process.

Image of Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
*

2.5
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Bankrate score
Info
Excellent (740 – 850)
Info
Recommended Credit

N/A

Intro offer

Info

1% - 4%

Rewards rate

Info

Annual fee

Regular APR

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi overview

The Costco Anywhere Visa has a few nice features that help it stand out from some of the best credit cards for shopping. It earns 2 percent cash back on all Costco and Costco.com purchases. This is a nice perk since few rewards cards offer bonus rewards on wholesale club purchases and these stores are typically excluded on grocery rewards cards. But more impressively, it earns 4 percent back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases(for the first $7,000 per year and then 1% thereafter), beating out most gas credit cards. This makes it one of the most lucrative gas rewards cards on the market and is reason enough for some consumers to consider it.

But out of the handful of wholesale club credit cards, the Costco card may be the least accessible, as it’s open only to Costco shoppers with excellent credit scores. Plus, with the required Costco membership and cash back restrictions lurking in the fine print, this co-branded store card may not be worth it for people who qualify.

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • 4 percent cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases including gas at Costco (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 
    • 1 percent cash back on all other purchases

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis 

  • Rewards

    Welcome offer

    • This card doesn’t have a welcome offer

    Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
    See our expert analysis 

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • Annual fee: None ($60 Costco membership required to apply)
    • Interest rate: 20.49 percent variable 
    • Foreign transaction fees: None

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

  • Congrats

    Other cardholder perks

    • Serves as your Costco ID
    • Purchase protection
    • Access to Citi Entertainment

    Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
    See our expert analysis

Costco Anywhere Visa pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees mean you don’t need to justify carrying a co-branded store card, especially when on the road

  • Checkmark

    Offers one of the highest rates for gas purchases available

  • Checkmark

    Eligible travel and dining earning rates provide more value for the card

Cons

  • Can only redeem cash back once per year in a physical Costco store for a rewards certificate that you must use within a year

  • Requires a Costco membership to apply (at least $60 annually)

  • No welcome offers and limited benefits make the card relatively one-note

Why you might want the Costco Anywhere Visa

The Costco Anywhere Visa has a few strengths that help it stand apart from the competition. 

Rewards: One of the stronger gas rewards rates available 

With its 2 percent earning rate on Costco and Costco.com purchases, the Costco Anywhere Visa does a respectable job of earning rewards on your wholesale shopping needs. But despite its role as a co-branded shopping card, Costco’s card earns more cash back on other expenses like gas, EV charging purchases, restaurants and travel. You’ll earn a whopping 4 percent on eligible gas and EV charging purchases on up to $7,000 in purchases per year, then 1 percent. This category doesn’t limit you to Costco gas stations, which makes it one of the most powerful gas rewards cards on the market, second only to the Sam’s Club® Mastercard®. The card also earns 3 percent on dining and travel purchases.

It’s worth noting how flexible the Costco category is, considering it could include automotive services, pharmacy needs, optical department purchases and more you’ll find in-store. However, you’ll find a few caveats in the terms and conditions. For instance, though the category extends beyond just Costco gas purchases, you can’t earn 4 percent cash back at other store-brand gas stations — like Walmart or Harris Teeter — or for non-vehicle gas purchases.

With that said, you’re only allowed to redeem your cash back once per year, after your February billing statement. You’ll receive your rewards as a single “credit card reward certificate,” which you can only redeem for purchases, cash or a combination of the two before Dec. 31 of that year, or you forfeit those rewards.

Rates and fees: No annual fees or foreign transaction fees

Though you need to be a Costco member to apply for the card — a $60 annual fee — the Costco Anywhere Visa otherwise carries no annual fee itself. This makes the card a cheap and valuable addition to your wallet, as the annual fee doesn’t cut into your card rewards.

The card also lacks foreign transaction fees, which could be useful if you travel abroad. Though more valuable travel rewards cards are available, it always pays to have a backup card on hand.

 

Why you might want a different shopping card

Unfortunately, the Costco Anywhere Visa has a few weaknesses that you’ll want to consider before applying. 

Intro and welcome offers: Doesn’t provide up-front value

The Costco cash back card is one of the few retail credit cards that doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus. It shares this in common with the Sam’s Club Mastercard, though typically, you’ll at least see bonus store credit or introductory rates on co-branded store cards.

The card’s lack of intro APR also hurts its up-front value. Intro purchase APRs on shopping cards are particularly useful for holiday shopping and other instances when you want to carry a balance for several months and save on interest.

Limited perks: No significant Costco benefits 

Store credit cards often sweeten their appeal to store shoppers by offering some additional benefits for cardholders. These can include automatic loyalty program status, early sales access or even annual store credits. The Costco Anywhere Visa is short on substantive Costco benefits outside its solid rewards rate.

Though it offers a few general card benefits, like purchase protection, roadside dispatch, 24/7 customer support and emergency card replacements, these are standard for most major credit cards. While you can access a few Citi perks, like Citi Entertainment, these aren’t enough to sell the Costco Anywhere Visa over a competing card.

How the Costco Anywhere Visa compares to other cash back cards

The Costco card’s bonus categories are competitive across the board compared to other cash back cards with no annual fee. However, many rewards credit cards have greater flexibility and are available to more shoppers.

Image of Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

1% - 4%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Excellent (740 – 850)
Info
Image of Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock
on Bank of America's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 3%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
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Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200 cash rewards
Info

Rewards rate

2%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info

Best cards to pair with the Costco Anywhere Visa

You have a few solid pairing options for the Costco Anywhere Visa, depending on where you prefer shopping outside of Costco.

Who is the Costco Anywhere Visa right for?

The Costco Anywhere Visa best fits the following type of person. 

Bankrate’s Take — Is the Costco Anywhere Visa worth it?

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card is a solid pick if you’re a Costco member looking for a way to earn cash back on your gas purchases, Costco, and dining purchases.

Unfortunately, the meager benefits and inconvenient once-per-year cash back redemption process can make the card a tough sell unless you shop at Costco often. And even then, you may be able to earn more cash back at Costco with several other cash back credit cards. If you’re considering a Costco membership just for the card’s bonus category coverage, then the impractical redemption process may be more trouble than it’s worth.

*All information about the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®, and Sam’s Club® Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

How we rated this card

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We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest). 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

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Written by
Steve Dashiell
Editor, Credit cards

Steven Dashiell is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com with expertise in rewards credit cards, financial literacy, and helping consumers build and maintain their credit.

Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards
Reviewed by Contributor, Personal Finance

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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.