Costco Forms of Payment [Online & Offline Payment Methods]

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I understand there may be some sort of controversy as to what payment method is accepted at Costco or what credit card Costco accepts. 

Costco in the past used to accept all types of credit cards but I guess time has changed and there’s been a little change as to what is accepted as a form of payment at Costco. 

If you’re trying to find out what sort of payment method is currently accepted at Costco then you’ve come to the right place. 

In today’s article I’ll be listing and explaining all Costco payment methods currently accepted and not accepted so you can have a fore knowledge before shopping at Costco. 

Costco Forms of Payment 

What payment methods are accepted at Costco? Below are all Costco forms of payment that can be used to make a purchase at Costco warehouses, Gas stations or even Costco.com

Warehouse	Gas Station	Online (Costco.com)
All Visa Cards	All Visa Cards	All Visa Cards
Most PIN-based Debit/ATM Cards	Most PIN-based Debit/ATM Cards	Visa
Costco Shop Cards	Costco Shop Cards	The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi	The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi	MasterCard
Cash		Discover Cards (Including JCB and Diners Club)
Personal checks		Debit/ATM Cards
Business checks		Costco Shop Cards
Traveler’s checks
Mobile Payment
EBT cards

All Costco Payment Methods

Below are all payment options available at Costco as a means of payment for both products and services rendered by the Costco platform.

#1. All Visa Cards

This form of payment refers to all Visa-branded credit or debit cards that can be used in any of the Costco outlets. Be it warehouses, gas stations, food courts or even online at Costco.com. 

Costco is exclusively accepting Visa cards in all of its warehouses, gas stations and food court. This means if you have any type of Visa cards either debit or credit card can be used to make payment at any Costco location.

In the same manner, Costco does not accept any other card network outside of Visa cards. Meaning you won’t be able to shop and pay with Mastercard, American Express or Discover at Costco. 

However, if you have debit cards, you’ll be able to make payments for your products. Almost all debit cards are still accepted at Costco. This includes American Express debit cards, or Mastercard debit cards. 

#2. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

This payment method option by Costco is a credit card created only for Costco members and its designed to offer cashback on purchases made at Costco. 

If you happen to spend lots of time at your local Costco warehouse then this card might just be the right card for you to shop at Costco. 

Some of the rewards for this card includes 

• 4% gas purchase cashback for the first $7000/year
• 3% restaurant and travel cashback 
• 2% Online purchase cashback at Costc.com
• Finally, 1% cashback on every other purchase. 

This Costco Anywhere Visa Card is particularly good for anyone that shops frequently at Costco because of its cashback benefits. 

#3 Debit/ATM Cards

The Debit cards payment option at Costco is a form of payment tailored to those interested in spending from their savings account and not credit. 

This payment method includes any debit cards with the Visa logo and as well as the ATM card that can be used to make payment at merchants that accept Visa debit cards.

Usually when making payment with your Visa card at Costco, the transaction is processed like a credit card but most times with pin verification.

Costco debit card payment option isn’t limited to Visa debit cards if you have any other debit card outside of Visa can also be used at Costco warehouse. 

A good example is Mastercard debit cards, Discover debit cards etc. 

#4 Costco Shop Card

The Costco shop card is another popular payment method at Costco. This payment card is basically a gift card offered at Costco and can be purchased at both Costco warehouse and online. 

This card payment option can be use to make purchases in Costco warehouses, gas stations and online (Costco.com)

The Costco shop cards are available in different sizes ranging from $25 to $1000 and can also be loaded with more funds. 

I believe this payment option will be particularly good for people on a budget because you’ll only be able to make payment based on what’s  loaded on the card. 

The card however cannot be used to purchase any other form of gift cards and if misplaced you might not be able to recover the loaded funds. 

#5 Cash

Obviously cash is another popular form of payment at Costco and the reason there was a decline from this was because of the Covid19 crisis in 2020. 

But since then cash has been widely accepted again as a part of the payment method for products and services rendered at Costco. 

Using cash as a form of payment at Costco may be a good thing for those that don’t have debit cards or prefer not to use debit cards or trying to limit their expenses to what they have at hand.

However, I think it’s wise to know that not all Costco warehouses will accept large bills like $100 as your payment option. As such, you might be required to have some means of identification if you try to make cash payment for an expensive item.

#6 Personal Checks (From Current Costco Members)

Personal checks is another form of payment at Costco that can be used for purchase of goods and services rendered by the Costco platform. 

You can use a personal check at Costco by simply writing a check for the amount of product purchase and handing it over to the cashier at Costco. 

I believe it’s worth knowing that some Costco warehouses might have different limits on the amount of product that can be bought with personal checks. 

To use your personal checks at Costco, customers must have a valid photo ID, such as driver’s license  or even passport. Also important is the fact that the name on the personal check must match the name and address on your Costco membership account. 

In the case where your check is returned unpaid, you might be subject to a penalty fee from your bank and Costco. 

#7 Business Checks (From Current Costco Members)

Just like personal checks, business checks are another payment option at Costco that requires you to write a check for the product bought at Costco. 

This also requires a valid ID such as passport or driver’s license and the name on the business check must match the name and address available on your Costco membership profile. 

This payment option is particularly good for those that prefer not to use credit or debit card as a means of payment at Costco.

Overall, this payment option is convenient and widely accepted as one of the payment methods at Costco. It helps reduce expenses and avoid accruing interest charges.

#8 Traveler’s Checks

The Costco traveler check is another payment method accepted at Costco and considered a safe and convenient way to make payment when traveling. 

These kinds of checks are pre-printed and fixed-amount checks that can be used at any Costco warehouse or gas station. 

However, I believe it’s always important to check first with your local store before making a purchase because not all Costco warehouses might accept the Traveler’s check. 

While trying to make payment with the Travelers check, you’ll be required to sign the check in the presence of the cashier and in some cases you may be required a valid ID. 

Unlike Costco shop cards, when you misplace your traveler’s check, you can easily get them replaced with the original purchase receipt and the check’s serial numbers. 

#9 EBT Cards

EBT cards are another accepted payment method at Costco. Electronic Benefits Transfer Cards are issued by the government to provide assistance to low income families and individuals by helping them purchase food and other necessities. 

It is worth knowing that your EBT cards can only be used to purchase food items and are limited to non-food items. 

Another rule of thumb is to check with your local store and confirm if they accept EBT cards before making any purchase. This is because not all Costco warehouses accept it. But generally it’s acceptable at Costco worldwide.

#10. Mobile Payments

Mobile payments are one of the secure payment methods at Costco. This doesn’t require you bringing your debit card, all you need to make payment is your mobile device. 

This payment method simply refers to using your mobile device to make payment for your purchase via mobile payments apps like Google pay, Apple pay, or Samsung pay. 

To pay for your purchase through mobile payment, you’ll need to set up the mobile payment app on your smartphone. So when it comes to paying, simply hold your device near the Costco payment terminal and the product’s payment will be processed automatically. 

However, not all mobile payments are accepted at Costco, the few accepted includes Google pay, Apple pay and Samsung pay.

What Payment Methods Does Costco Accept?

Below are all payments method accepted at Costco warehouses, gas station and Costco online (Costco.com)

Payment Method	Costco Warehouses	Costco Gas Stations	Costco Food Court	Costco.com
Visa Credit Cards	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Visa Debit Cards	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Costco Shop Cards	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cash	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Checks	Yes	No	Yes	No
EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer)	Yes	No	No	No
Mobile Payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
American Express Credit Cards	No	No	No	No
Mastercard Credit Cards	No	No	No	No
Discover Credit Cards	No	No	No	No

What Credit Cards Does Costco Accept?

What type of credit cards is accepted across Costco outlets? Let’s check them out below.

Payment Method	Costco Warehouses	Costco Gas Stations	Costco Food Court	Costco.com
Visa Cards	✓	✓	✓	✓
Mastercard Cards	–	–	–	–
American Express Cards	–	–	–	–
Discover Cards	–	–	–	✓
Costco Shop Cards	✓	✓	✓	✓

Conclusion 

To wrap it up on Costco forms of payment, Costco only accepts Mastercard or Discover at Costco online (Costco.com). Your Mastercard or Discover won’t be accepted at any Costco warehouse, Food Court or even gas station. 

But all debit cards are accepted at Costco worldwide!