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Costco credit card payments: What credit cards does Costco accept?

September 30, 2024: Credit card payments at Costco can be complicated because Costco does not accept every type of credit card payment.

Here’s a quick guide to what payment methods are accepted at Costco, Costco.com, and Costco gas stations.

At a glance: Costco credit card payments accepted in-store, online at at Costco gas

Here’s a quick table outlining what credit cards Costco accepts in-store at its U.S. stores, online, and at U.S. Costco gas stations.

Costco accepts Visa credit cards in its stores, at its gas stations, and through Costco.com. Costco.com also accepts Mastercard credit cards. Costco does not accept American Express or Discover.

U.S. in-store locationsCostco.comU.S. Costco gas stations
Visa credit cards
Mastercard credit cards
Mobile paymentApple Pay
Google Pay
Samsung Pay
Apple Pay OnlyApple Pay Only
PIN-based Debit/ATM cards
Costco Shop Cards
Personal and business checks
Travelers checks
EBT Cards
Cash
What credit cards does Costco accept?

The best card for Costco: Why the Costco credit card isn’t the best card to use at Costco.

Costco heavily promotes its Costco Anywhere Visa® Card for its 2% cash back rewards on Costco purchases and 4% on up to $7,000 of gas purchases, including at Costco. But the Costco Visa is not the best card to use at Costco.

The card no longer carries an extended warranty benefit and you can earn more rewards with other cards. When we looked for the best cards to use at Costco, we found a handful of cards that were better for Costco purchases:

Learn more in our feature about the best credit cards to use at Costco.

Frequently asked questions

Does Costco take Amex?

Costco does not take American Express cards. The store’s partnership with Amex ended in 2016.

Does Costco take Discover?

Costco does not accept Discover cards.

Should I use a debit card at Costco?

Using a credit card for purchases is almost always a better choice than using a debit card. Credit cards offer better consumer protections and frequently come with valuable benefit like extended warranty.

Can I use a Mastercard credit card through Apple Pay at Costco in-store?

No. Even if you use Apple Pay, Costco will only accept Visa credit cards in-store. You can use Apple Pay with a Mastercard online.

About the author

  • Aaron Hurd

    Aaron Hurd is a credit card, travel rewards, and loyalty program expert. Over the past 15 years, he has authored over a thousand expert contributions published by leading outlets including WSJ, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, NerdWallet, The Points Guy, Bankrate, CNET, and many others. He has also served in consulting roles for many of these same outlets, designing content strategy, hiring teams of teams of editors and contributors, developing thought-leadership pieces, and ghost-editing for senior editors. Aaron is well-known in the miles and points community and regularly presents about travel rewards at conferences like the Chicago Seminars and Minnebar. Aaron has enjoyed the game of optimizing credit card rewards since getting his first credit card shortly after he turned 18. He started learning about credit cards and travel rewards from the (now defunct) FatWallet Finance forums and FlyerTalk. He holds more than 40 open credit cards and has first-hand experience with almost every major credit card product.

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