Where can I find the Citi Costco Visa Guide to Protection Benefits?

There are many Costco Visa travel benefits, even though it’s marketed more as an everyday cash back credit card than as a travel card. In addition to 3% cash back rewards on travel purchases, you’ll also get travel insurance, roadside assistance and various other perks. Together, these factors make the Costco Anywhere Visa a solid choice for travel, especially domestically. … read full answer

Here are the Costco Visa travel benefits:

• 3% to 4% cash back in key spending categories. You’ll get 3% cash back at restaurants and on other eligible travel expenses (airfare, hotels, cruises, etc.). You’ll also earn 4% cash back on the first $7,000 you spend on eligible gas every year. So both big and small travel costs get great earning rates. All other purchases earn just 1% back (or 2% at Costco itself).
  
• Trip Cancellation Insurance. When you have to cancel a trip or stop it early because of situations out of your control (e.g. injury, sickness, severe weather), you may be compensated. You need to pay for your trip with your Costco card.
  
• Travel accident insurance. This covers you for death or dismemberment (fun stuff to think about, right?). You need to charge the cost of your fare to your Costco card.
  
• Auto rental insurance. You are protected against having to pay for damage resulting from theft or collision when you rent certain types of cars, pay with your Costco Visa and don’t buy insurance through the rental agency.
  
• Travel Notification. Tells you about any suspicious activity on your account while you’re gone.
  
• Citi Concierge. Acts like a personal assistant to help you plan your trip (e.g. will book restaurants for you).
  
• 24/7 roadside assistance. If your car breaks down, you can call Citi for help.
  
• International card replacement. If you lose your card while you’re abroad (or it’s stolen), you can call 1-800-950-5114 to get a new one.
  
• Great exchange rates. Since this card is a Visa, you can use it anywhere in the world that credit cards are accepted. And you’ll get some of the best exchange rates too.

At the end of the day, the Costco Visa has a lot of travel appeal, from its great rewards to its secondary benefits. But it’s not the right choice if you’re planning to travel abroad or buy things from international sellers, thanks to a 3% foreign transaction fee. Fortunately, there are lots of cards with no foreign fee to choose from.

The Costco Credit Card’s rental car insurance will cover most car rentals purchased with the card, as long as you decline any insurance offered by the rental agency. If the car is stolen, or you get into an accident with the car, you’re covered for up to $50,000 in either repair costs or the cash value of the car (whichever turns out to be less). And because it’s free with the Costco Credit Card, it’s a lot cheaper than the rental car insurance offered by the rental agency.… read full answer

There are some rules, however. The maximum length of a covered rental is 31 days, so your car won’t be covered if the rental agreement is longer than that. Covered issues include damage due to an accident, natural disaster, or vandalism; or theft of the vehicle. Towing expenses to the nearest collision center are also covered. The Costco Credit Card rental car insurance covers rentals worldwide – and outside of the U.S., it’s considered primary insurance, which means it covers the car before any other insurance policy takes effect.

Costco Credit Card rental car insurance does not cover rentals used as a “car for hire,” rentals from peer-to-peer car sharing companies, or damage done by operating the car in a way that violates the rental agreement. It also won’t cover bodily injury expenses.

If you need to file a claim, call 866-918-4670 as soon after the incident as possible. You can also visit the Citi Costco claims website to download a claim form.