Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: Review

Great Card If

• You are a regular Costco shopper
• Your household spends a lot on gas

Don’t Get If

• You rarely shop at Costco
• You prefer a flat-rate, cash-back rewards card

Costco Anywhere Visa^® Card by Citi: Is It Worth It?

The Costco Anywhere card is excellent for frequent Costco shoppers, especially those with a large family to feed or high gas expenses each month. With it, you earn 4% back on gasoline and EV charging on your first $7,000 in spend per year and then 1% thereafter, 3% back on restaurants and eligible travel including Costco Travel, 2% back at Costco and Costco.com, and 1% back on all other purchases.

While you might overlook the 2% cash-back at Costco in lieu of other grocery credit cards with a higher cash-back rate, keep in mind that Costco usually does not code as a grocery store purchase on these cards. Additionally, only Visa-branded cards are eligible to be used at Costco, further limiting your card options for Costco fans.

Given that, if you love shopping at Costco to take advantage of its bulk pricing, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more well-rounded card for these purchases over the Costco Anywhere card, especially since it also offers bonuses on gas, dining, and travel.

Beyond rewards, the card also offers damage and theft protection, rental car insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and no annual fee with an active Costco membership.

Costco Anywhere Card Benefits

Travel and Purchases Protections

• Damage and Theft Protection: Eligible purchases paid with your card include damage and theft protection up to 120 days of purchase (90 days for New York residents). The coverage per item is $1,000, and the coverage limit per calendar year is $50,000.
• Rental Car Insurance: This is secondary rental car insurance that covers up to $50,000 in accidental damage to your rental car.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: Use your card overseas without additional fees.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Cash-Back

The easiest way for you to rack up the cash-back with your Costco Anywhere card is to use it for as many purchases as you can, especially at Costco and on the other bonus categories of gas and EV charging, restaurants, and travel.

With the Costco Anywhere card, you don’t redeem your cash-back the same way as other cash-back cards you might be used to. Instead, your cash-back rewards are distributed once per year in February for the previous year, and you receive your cash-back rewards in the form of a credit card reward certificate, (unless your annual reward amount is greater than $10,000). Once you have your certificate, you can then redeem it at any Costco warehouse for cash or use it as a payment method for Costco purchases.

Alternatives to the Costco Anywhere Card

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

If you don’t want to deal with keeping track of bonus categories and prefer a simple card that earns rewards, the Wells Fargo Active Cash card is a solid option. The card earns an uncapped 2% cash rewards on all purchases and is a Visa card, so it can be used to pay for your Costco runs.

The card offers other great perks like up to $600 of cell phone protection, an auto rental collision damage waiver, and a $0 annual fee (rates and fees).

Plus, the card is also perfect for those who plan on making large purchases or transferring a balance, since the card offers a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% Variable APR thereafter (rates and fees).

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

INTRO OFFER

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!

Welcome Offer

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Up to $300 cash-back

Annual Fee

$0

APR

0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Freedom Unlimited^® is easily one of the best cash-back credit cards on the market. There aren’t many no-annual-fee credit cards that offer multiple great bonus categories like 5% back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% back on all other purchases.

When paired with other Chase cards in the Ultimate Rewards family, you can transfer that cash back into points if you wish – making it one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases

Cons

• 3% foreign transaction fee

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Card Highlights

• INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
• Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
• After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited^® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Freedom Unlimited card is another great Visa card for those looking to maximize their cash-back, thanks to its bonus categories of 5% back on Chase Travel, 3% back on dining and at drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases.

Additionally, the card has purchase protection, rental car insurance, and no annual fee. It pairs well to pool your rewards together if you also hold a card like the Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve^®.