Costco only takes Visa in the warehouse, and the Costco Anywhere Visa earns just 2 percent on general purchases, paid once a year. A flat 3 percent Visa (Robinhood Gold), a free 2 percent Visa (Wells Fargo Active Cash), and the Executive Membership's own 2 percent stack to earn far more.
Almost everyone pays for their Costco run with the Costco Anywhere Visa. It has "Costco" in the name, so it must be the right card, right? Not quite. On the everyday cart of groceries, household goods, and that rotisserie chicken, the Costco card earns 2 percent, pays it out once a year as a paper certificate, and only really shines on gas. Several plain flat-rate cards match or beat it on the same swipe and pay you every month. Here is what actually earns the most inside a Costco warehouse, with every number checked against the source.
This is the fact that makes the whole question interesting, and it trips up a lot of people at the register. Inside a U.S. Costco warehouse, the only credit-card network accepted is Visa. In Citi's own words: "Costco exclusively accepts Visa credit cards, including the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi, at the checkout counter or gas pump. You may use Mastercard on Costco.com." Costco's accepted-payment page says the same: warehouses take "All Visa Cards," the Costco Anywhere Visa, most PIN debit, and mobile pay, with no Mastercard, American Express, or Discover in the in-store credit list.
So your beloved Citi Double Cash, which earns 2 percent, is a Mastercard. At the Costco register it is dead weight. You can use it on Costco.com, but not in the building. Any "best card for Costco" answer has to start by throwing out every card that is not a Visa.
Here is what the strongest flat-rate Visa cards earn on a normal $1 of Costco merchandise, and how you get paid.
| Card | Earns at Costco | How you are paid | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robinhood Gold Card | 3% cash | monthly | $0 card fee, needs paid Robinhood Gold |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash | 2% cash | monthly | $0 |
| Capital One Venture X | 2 miles per $1 | miles | $395 |
| Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi | 2% | once a year, February certificate | $0, needs Costco membership |
A few notes behind that table, all first-party verified on July 21, 2026:
Here is the part that changes the math for every card above. The Costco Executive Membership pays its own reward, on top of whatever card you swipe. Costco's terms: "The Reward is approximately 2% of pre-tax purchases (less refunds) of most merchandise," capped at $1,250 for any 12-month period, issued as a paper certificate with your annual renewal.
That 2 percent is not tied to a card. It rides on your membership, so it stacks with your card's rewards. The Executive Membership costs $130 a year versus $65 for the basic Gold Star membership. The extra $65 pays for itself once you spend about $3,250 a year at Costco, and the reward is capped at $1,250, which is 2 percent of $62,500 of qualifying spend.
Put the card and the membership together and the real numbers look like this on general merchandise:
| Your setup | Effective back at Costco |
|---|---|
| Executive Membership + Robinhood Gold Card | about 5% |
| Executive Membership + Wells Fargo Active Cash | about 4% |
| Executive Membership + Costco Anywhere Visa | about 4%, as two once-a-year certificates |
| Gold Star Membership + Costco Anywhere Visa | 2%, once a year |
The lesson is not that the Costco card is bad. It is that the card barely matters on general merchandise once the Executive Membership is doing half the work, and a free 2 percent Visa that pays monthly is at least as good as the Costco card, while a 3 percent Visa pulls ahead. The Executive Membership is the highest-leverage move most Costco shoppers are missing.
The Costco Anywhere Visa is not built for the grocery cart. It is built for the pump. Its bonus buckets, straight from Citi:
If you fill up at Costco gas, that 5 percent (paid once a year) beats any flat card. For restaurants and travel, its 3 percent is real. So the honest answer is a split: use the Costco card at the Costco pump, and use your best flat-rate Visa inside the warehouse.