Tiger Brokers

May 2025: The 2 Best Credit Cards for Shopping at Costco

Motley Fool
Yesterday

KEY POINTS

  • Your Costco trips could earn you major cash back, if you play your cards right (pun intended).
  • The No. 1 pick for loyal shoppers is the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi.
  • A killer backup is the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, especially for online Costco orders.

If you're gonna spend big, you might as well earn big too. The average Costco member spends about $150 per shopping trip, and visits at least twice per month, according to Business Insider. This type of spending can earn a pretty decent amount of cash back -- if you use the right credit card.

But here's the catch: Costco doesn't accept just any credit card. They only accept Visa cards in physical warehouse stores.

If you want to earn max rewards, here are the two best credit cards to use.

Oh yeah, and they both have a $0 annual fee!

1. Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (best overall)

Ratings Methodology

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Apply Now for Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

On Citi's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees

Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score:Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)
Apply Now for Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

On Citi's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees

Credit ScoreCircle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Excellent (740-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

19.49% - 27.49% (Variable)

RewardsCircle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back rewards on gas at Costco and earn 4% cash back on other eligible gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging purchases for the first $7,000 combined spend per year, and then 1% thereafter. 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases and eligible travel, including Costco Travel. 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com. 1% cash back on all other purchases

1% - 5% back

Annual Fee Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$0

Welcome Offer

N/A

  • There aren't many cash back cards that earn this much on gas and EV charging. Bonuses at restaurants, on travel, and at Costco and costco.com make this a well-rounded card overall. But there are some frustrating downsides, including a slow cash back redemption process and the lack of a sign-up bonus.

    Read Full Review
    • Bonus gas and EV charging rewards
    • Bonus restaurant and travel rewards
    • No annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fees
    • Purchase protection
    • No sign-up bonus
    • No 0% intro APR
    • Inconvenient cash back redemptions
    • Discover one of Citi's best cash back rewards cards designed exclusively for Costco members
    • Earn 5% cash back rewards on gas at Costco and earn 4% cash back on other eligible gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging purchases for the first $7,000 combined spend per year, and then 1% thereafter.
    • 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases and eligible travel, including Costco Travel.
    • 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com
    • 1% cash back on all other purchases
    • No annual fee with your paid Costco membership and enjoy no foreign transaction fees on purchases
    • Receive an annual credit card reward certificate, which is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses, including Puerto Rico

If you shop at Costco often, this card was basically custom built for you.

Here's why we love it:

  • 5% cash back on gas at Costco and 4% cash back on other eligible gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging purchases for the first $7,000 combined spend per year, and then 1% thereafter
  • 3% cash back on restaurants and travel, including Costco Travel
  • 2% cash back on Costco purchases, in-warehouse and online
  • 1% cash back on other purchases

To qualify for this card, you must be a Costco member. The cash back is rewarded once a year in the form of a Costco rewards certificate. This can be redeemed for cash, but most folks just put it towards their balance at checkout.

Rather earn good ol' fashioned cash back rewards? Check out our list of the best cash back cards to explore some of our favorite options.

2. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (more flexible option)

Ratings Methodology
2025 Award Winner

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score:Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees

Credit ScoreCircle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APRCircle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular APR

19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

RewardsCircle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

2% cash rewards

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome OfferCircle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

$200 cash rewards

  • This card’s unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases is the highest we’ve seen for a flat-rate rewards card with no annual fee. It also has an incredibly easy-to-earn $200 welcome bonus and a decent intro APR offer. We simply haven’t come across this combination of top perks in one card before.

    Read Full Review
    • Unlimited 2% cash rewards
    • Long 0% intro APR offer
    • Generous cash rewards welcome bonus
    • No annual fee
    • Cellphone protections
    • No bonus categories
    • Foreign transaction fees
    • Balance transfer fee
    • Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
    • Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
    • Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
    • 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
    • $0 annual fee.
    • No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
    • Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
    • Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.

If you're a cash back warrior who likes using a single card for everything in life, this one's for you. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees) offers a straight 2% cash rewards rate on all purchases -- no categories, no activation, and no reward limit.

Key perks:

  • Unlimited 2% cash rewards
  • Long intro APR offer
  • $0 annual fee

Better yet, there's a nice little welcome bonus right now: New cardholders will get a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending just $500 in the first 3 months.

A few runners-up

1. Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) is one of my favorite everyday cards and is a solid backup for Costco purchases. You'll earn at least 1.5% cash back on everything, with the potential for more depending on the spending category.

2. Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card (see rates and fees) is a great choice if you spend heavily in just one category. You can choose your 3% cash back category (like online shopping or gas), and still get 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs for the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases. If you're a Preferred Rewards client, your cash back can stack even higher -- making this card surprisingly rewarding at Costco.

Prefer a card where you can earn cash back on all gas and groceries (not just Costco)? Check out the full list of best credit cards for gas and groceries in 2025.

How much can you earn?

My wife and I spend about $800 per month at the grocery store (I'm embarrassed to admit how much of this is beer and wine). Using a 2% cash back card, this earns us almost $200 in rewards each year.

Here are some other potential reward examples:

Annual Spending Cash Back (at 2%)
$5,000 $100
$10,000 $200
$15,000 $300
$20,000 $400
Data source: Author's calculations.

If you love Costco (Let's be honest, who doesn't?), then you'll want to get rewarded for as much loyalty as possible. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is tough to beat for maximizing gas, travel, and store purchases.

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Most Discussed

  1. 1
     
     
     
     
  2. 2
     
     
     
     
  3. 3
     
     
     
     
  4. 4
     
     
     
     
  5. 5
     
     
     
     
  6. 6
     
     
     
     
  7. 7
     
     
     
     
  8. 8
     
     
     
     
  9. 9
     
     
     
     
  10. 10