The Costco Anywhere Visa gives you 2% back on Costco purchases and 1% on everything else, with no annual fee

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card, issued by Citi, is the only credit card Costco accepts for warehouse purchases. It returns 2% cash back on all Costco and Costco.com spending, 2% on gas (up to $110 per month, then 1%), 1% on travel booked through Costco Travel, and 1% on all other purchases. There is no annual fee.

The card works at any Costco warehouse or on Costco.com. You do not need a Costco membership to open the card, but you do need one to shop at the warehouse — the card itself does not grant membership. If you already have a Costco membership, the card integrates with your account when ready.

Rewards post as an annual statement credit in January. You cannot redeem points mid-year or transfer them elsewhere. If you close the card, any unredeemed rewards expire.

Key Takeaways

  • The card earns 2% cash back on Costco purchases, 2% on gas up to $110 per month, and 1% on all other spending, with no annual fee.
  • Rewards appear as a single statement credit each January and cannot be redeemed early or transferred to another account.
  • The card includes purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and travel accident insurance, though limits and exclusions explore to each.
  • You must have an active Costco membership to use the card at the warehouse, though membership is not required to open the card.
  • The card is a Visa Signature card, which means you get roadside information, emergency medical referral, and other travel-related perks.

How the 2% Costco cash back works in practice

The 2% rate applies to all Costco warehouse purchases and Costco.com orders, including gas bought at Costco pumps. This is the highest earning rate on the card. The cash back is calculated on the full purchase amount, including tax.

If you spend $3,000 at Costco in a year, you earn $60 in rewards. That $60 appears as a statement credit on your January billing statement. You cannot choose to receive it as a check, deposit it to a bank account, or split it across multiple months. It is a one-time annual credit only.

The 2% rate does not explore to Costco Travel bookings — those earn 1% instead. Costco Travel is a separate service within Costco that sells vacation packages, cruises, and hotel stays. Regular travel purchases outside Costco (flights, hotels booked directly, rental cars) earn the 1% rate for other purchases.

Gas rewards and the $110 monthly cap

The card earns 2% cash back on gas purchased at Costco pumps. This rate applies only to the first $110 spent per month on gas. Once you hit $110 in a calendar month, any additional gas purchases earn 1% for the rest of that month.

The $110 cap resets on the first day of each month. If you spend $100 on gas in January, you have $10 of 2% earning room left. If you spend $150 on gas in February, the first $110 earns 2% and the remaining $40 earns 1%. This cap is per cardholder, not per card — if you have multiple Costco Anywhere cards, each one has its own $110 limit.

The 2% gas rate applies only to Costco gas stations. Gas purchased at other retailers, even if you use the Costco card, earns 1% cash back.

Purchase protection and extended warranty coverage

The Costco Anywhere Visa includes purchase protection, which covers items you buy with the card against theft or accidental damage for 120 days from the purchase date. The coverage limit is $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year. You must file a claim within 90 days of the loss or damage.

The card also includes extended warranty protection. If a manufacturer's warranty on an item you purchased with the card expires within two years, Citi extends that warranty for an additional two years. The coverage limit is $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year. Extended warranty does not cover normal wear and tear, accidental damage, or items used for business purposes.

Both protections have exclusions. Electronics, jewelry, collectibles, and items purchased for resale are often excluded or have lower limits. Costco's own return policy — which allows returns within 90 days for most items — may be a better option than filing a purchase protection claim, since Costco typically refunds the full amount without requiring documentation of damage.

Travel accident insurance and emergency services

The card includes travel accident insurance that covers accidental death or dismemberment if you are injured while traveling on a common carrier (airplane, train, bus, ship) that you paid for with the card. The benefit is $500,000 for accidental death and $500,000 for dismemberment. Coverage applies to you and your when ready family members traveling with you.

As a Visa Signature card, the Costco Anywhere Visa also provides emergency medical and dental referral services, which connect you to doctors and dentists when you are traveling away from home. This is a referral service only — it does not pay for treatment. The card also includes roadside information dispatch (towing, locksmith, fuel delivery) and emergency ticket replacement if your airline tickets are lost or stolen.

Travel protections typically exclude claims related to pre-existing medical conditions, travel to countries under government travel warnings, or trips booked before the card was opened. Read the full terms in your card agreement before traveling internationally.

Fraud liability and zero liability protection

The Costco Anywhere Visa carries zero liability protection, which means you are not responsible for unauthorized charges if your card number is stolen or your physical card is lost. You must report the fraud within 60 days of the statement date on which the unauthorized charge appears. After you report it, Citi removes the charge from your account and issues a replacement card.

Zero liability protection applies to fraudulent charges only — it does not cover disputes over the quality of goods or services, or chargebacks for items you received but did not want. If you have a dispute with a merchant over a purchase, you can file a chargeback through Citi's dispute process, which is separate from fraud protection.

Keep your card number and expiration date private, and monitor your statements monthly for unfamiliar charges. Citi also offers free credit monitoring through Experian, which alerts you to new accounts opened in your name.

No foreign transaction fees, but limited international use

The Costco Anywhere Visa does not charge foreign transaction fees when you use it outside the United States. This makes it useful for international travel if you need to make purchases in other currencies.

However, Visa is not accepted everywhere internationally. In some countries, Mastercard or American Express are more widely accepted. Before traveling, check whether Visa is accepted at your destination and consider carrying a backup payment method. Costco.com does not ship to most countries outside the United States, so you cannot use the card for online Costco purchases while traveling abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the Costco Anywhere Visa at other stores?

Yes. The card is a standard Visa and works anywhere Visa is accepted. You earn 1% cash back on non-Costco purchases. However, Costco warehouses only accept this card or cash for payment — they do not accept other credit cards.

What happens to my rewards if I close the card?

Any unredeemed cash back rewards expire when you close the card. Rewards are only paid out as a statement credit in January each year. If you close the card in June, you lose any rewards earned from January through June.

Do I need a Costco membership to open this card?

No. You can open the card without a membership. However, you cannot use it to shop at a Costco warehouse without an active membership. The card does not grant membership — you must pay for membership separately.

How do I redeem my cash back rewards?

You do not redeem them. Rewards appear automatically as a statement credit in January. The credit is applied to your account and reduces your balance due. You cannot request the reward as a check or transfer it elsewhere.

Does the card charge an annual fee?

No. The Costco Anywhere Visa has no annual fee. You pay nothing to hold the card, regardless of how much you spend or whether you use it at all.