Costco Payment Methods Accepted In Store, Gas and Online

As of 2026, Costco warehouses accept all Visa cards, most PIN-based debit and ATM cards, cash, Costco Shop Cards, EBT, checks from current members, and mobile wallets including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Visa is the only credit card network that works at the register.

Costco payment methods split three ways, and the lists are not identical. The warehouse, the gas pump, and Costco each take a slightly different set of cards. That is why people get waved off at checkout with a card that worked online the week before.

The one thing that trips up most people: Mastercard works on Costco website but not inside the building. American Express and Discover work in neither place.

Costco Payment Methods by Location

Here is every common payment type and where it actually works, based on Costco’s accepted payment list as of July 2026.

Accepted Payment Methods at Costco Warehouses

Costco warehouses take a mix of cards, cash, and store-issued cards. Every payment type has its own rules, so it helps to know the basics before you fill up your cart.

One thing worth knowing before you get to the front: the cashier scans your membership card first, then takes payment. Have both out. And cash and checks are not accepted at every self-checkout lane, so get in a staffed line if that’s how you’re paying.

Visa Cards

Costco warehouses accept every Visa credit and debit card, from any bank. That includes the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi, which a lot of members carry for the cash back.

Visa is the only credit card brand accepted in-store. Mastercard, American Express, and Discover all get declined at the register.

This goes back to June 2016, when Costco ended its long-running American Express exclusivity and moved to Visa. The deal gives Costco much lower interchange fees than a typical retailer pays, and low fees are part of how the warehouse holds its margins down.

Costco doesn’t add a surcharge for using a Visa card. Swipe, insert, or tap and you’re done.

PIN-Based Debit and ATM Cards

Most PIN-based debit and ATM cards are accepted, and the Visa-only rule does not apply to them. A Mastercard-branded debit card works fine at the register as long as it runs with a PIN.

The money comes straight out of your bank account, same as any other debit transaction. Cards without a PIN that only run as credit may not go through.

This is the single easiest workaround if your favorite rewards card isn’t a Visa. You lose the points, but you get through the line.

Cash Payments

Costco warehouses take cash at staffed registers. It works for groceries, electronics, and membership fees at the front desk.

Cash is the one method that stops at the door, though. The gas pumps don’t take it, and neither does Costco.com.

Costco Shop Cards

Costco Shop Cards are prepaid cards that work at any U.S. warehouse, at the gas pumps, and on Costco site. You can buy them in-store or online, and a Costco Shop Card is reloadable rather than single-use.

Here’s the part Costco doesn’t advertise. A member can buy a Shop Card with any card they like, hand it to a non-member, and that person can walk in and use it without a membership. It’s the standard workaround for gifting Costco access.

FSA and HSA Cards

FSA and HSA debit cards on the Visa or Mastercard network are accepted at Costco pharmacies, the optical department, and the hearing aid center.

This is the one place a Mastercard-branded card gets through inside the building.

Costco also lists Filtered Spend Visa and Mastercard products, plus InComm and Optum MedFlex cards, at both the warehouse and the gas station. These are health-benefit cards that restrict what they’ll cover, and Costco says it can’t tell you whether a specific item qualifies before you run the transaction.

If you’re picking up a prescription, the Costco pharmacy counter handles the payment separately from the main registers, so you don’t need to carry your FSA card through the whole shop.

Alternative In-Store Payment Options

Beyond cards and cash, Costco keeps a few older and more specialized options open at the register.

Personal and Business Checks

Costco accepts personal checks, but only from current members with an active membership. Bring photo ID that matches the name on the check.

Business checks work too, as long as they’re drawn on a registered business with a Costco Business Membership and signed by someone authorized on the account. If you’re not sure whether your Costco membership is current, the front desk can confirm it in about ten seconds.

Traveler’s checks are still on Costco’s official list, which is a little surprising in 2026. Third-party checks and money orders are not accepted.

EBT Cards

Costco accepts EBT cards at U.S. warehouse locations for SNAP-eligible food only. Swipe and enter your PIN like any other debit card, and split the rest of your basket onto a second payment method.

EBT does not work at the gas pumps or at checkout on Costco.com. It does work on Costco same-day delivery, because that service runs on Instacart, which takes SNAP. You add the EBT card as a payment method in the same-day portal rather than in your regular Costco.com account.

Eligible items follow your state’s SNAP rules, so the exact list shifts depending on where you live. There’s more detail in our breakdown of using EBT and food stamps at Costco.

Mobile Payment Options at Costco

Costco warehouses take contactless mobile wallets at the register. They’re tied to the cards in your phone, so the Visa-only rule still applies: a tokenized Amex inside Apple Pay gets declined exactly the same way the plastic would.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay works on iPhone and Apple Watch with a Visa card saved in the Wallet app. Hold the device near the terminal and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

Apple Pay is the widest-reaching option Costco offers. It’s the only mobile wallet on Costco’s accepted list for all three places you can spend money: the warehouse, the gas pumps, and Costco.com. Our full guide covers how Apple Pay works at Costco if you want the specifics.

Google Pay

Google Pay works at U.S. Costco warehouses on any NFC-capable Android phone. Link a Visa card, unlock the phone, and hold it to the terminal.

Your actual card number never reaches Costco, since the wallet passes a token instead. Google Pay is on Costco’s warehouse list but not its gas station list, which is worth knowing before you pull up to a pump with nothing but your phone.

Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay works on compatible Samsung phones and watches at U.S. warehouses, again with a Visa card attached.

Open the app, pick your card, authenticate, and tap. Like Google Pay, it’s approved for the warehouse but doesn’t appear on Costco’s list of accepted payments at the fuel stations.

Costco Pay and the Digital Membership Card

Costco now lets you add any Visa card to the Digital Membership Card in the Costco app and pay with it at warehouse registers. The cashier scans one QR code and it handles both your membership and your payment.

The feature started with the Costco Anywhere Visa and expanded to any Visa card in 2026. Costco’s Digital Membership Card payment FAQ spells out the setup: open the card in the app, tap Add Payment, and enter the card’s expiration date, CVV, and ZIP code, then confirm with a verification code.

There are real limits. It only takes Visa cards with a U.S. billing address, it only works for warehouse purchases, and it specifically excludes the food court. Your phone also needs an internet connection at the register so the payment token can refresh, which is not a given in the middle of a metal-roofed warehouse.

Honestly, I’d stick with Apple Pay or the physical card for now. Costco Pay saves you one motion at checkout and then fails you at the food court and the gas pump, which are the two places a phone-only payment would actually be handy. It’s worth setting up as a backup, not as your main method. Our guide to the Costco digital membership card covers the rest of what it does.

Payment Methods for Costco Gas Stations

U.S. Costco gas stations accept any Visa card, most PIN-based debit and ATM cards, Costco Shop Cards, and Apple Pay. Cash, checks, EBT, Mastercard, and American Express all stop at the pump.

You’ll need your membership card to activate the pump before payment. The Costco Anywhere Visa is the obvious pick here since it pays extra cash back on Costco fuel, and a Shop Card is the fallback if you don’t carry a Visa at all.

Google Pay and Samsung Pay are the messy part. Costco lists Apple Pay as the only accepted mobile wallet at fuel stations, though plenty of Android members report tapping through with Google Pay without a problem. Treat it as location-dependent and carry a card. We go deeper on this in our guide to paying at Costco gas stations.

How to Pay at Costco Online

Costco.com accepts all Visa cards, Mastercard, most PIN-based debit and ATM cards, Apple Pay, Costco Shop Cards, and Affirm. It’s the only place Costco takes a credit card that isn’t a Visa.

American Express and Discover don’t work online either, despite what a lot of older pages still claim. Neither does PayPal, cash, or EBT. If you’re ordering for delivery inside the U.S., you need a U.S. or Canadian billing address on the card.

Affirm is the buy-now-pay-later option, added through a multi-year Costco and Affirm partnership in May 2025. At launch it covered eligible online purchases from $500 to $17,500, with plans running 3 to 36 months at 10% to 36% APR. That top rate is worse than most credit cards, so read the plan before you accept it.

Payment Methods Costco Does Not Accept

The rejected list is shorter than the accepted one, but it catches people out regularly:

• American Express and Discover credit cards, anywhere, including online
• Mastercard credit cards inside the warehouse or at the pump
• PayPal, in any form Costco processes directly
• Gift cards from other retailers, and most third-party prepaid cards
• Third-party checks and money orders
• Manufacturer coupons that Costco didn’t issue

All of the above applies to U.S. warehouses. Costco locations in other countries run their own card agreements, so a Mastercard that gets rejected in Seattle may be fine in Toronto or London. Check the local Costco site before you travel with one card.

How to Pay at Costco Without a Visa Card

You have four decent options, and they aren’t equally good.

Use a PIN debit card. This is the simplest one and it costs you nothing except the rewards you’d have earned on credit. Any network works as long as it takes a PIN.

Buy a Costco Shop Card on Costco.com with your Mastercard, then spend it in the warehouse. You keep your card’s rewards and sidestep the Visa rule entirely. It’s two steps instead of one, but it works at the gas pump too.

Buy a prepaid Visa gift card with your Amex somewhere else and use that. This technically works, but activation fees eat the rewards, and I wouldn’t bother.

Or just get a no-annual-fee Visa. If you shop Costco more than a few times a year, this is the answer. A card that earns 2% everywhere costs nothing to hold and beats every workaround above. The Costco Anywhere Visa is the default choice because it’s free with membership, but any Visa in your wallet solves the problem.