Does Costco take Visa credit cards?

Costco takes Visa credit cards, Visa debit cards and Visa gift cards. In fact, Costco only takes Visa cards. You cannot use Mastercard, Discover or American Express cards at Costco. If you don’t have a Visa card, you will have to pay by cash or check. This has been the case since June 2016, when Costco switched from only accepting American Express cards.

It’s not common for retailers to have an exclusive relationship with one card network. Most stores that accept Visa also take Mastercard. It’s more common for stores to not take Discover or American Express.

Does Costco take Visa? Here are the facts:

• Costco takes all Visa credit cards, debit cards and gift cards.
• Costco only takes Visa cards. They won’t accept Mastercard, Discover or American Express.
• You can tell if your card is a Visa by looking for the Visa logo (usually on the front).
• If you don’t have a Visa card, you’ll only be able to pay with cash, a check or a prepaid Costco Cash Card.
• Costco has its own co-branded Visa credit card, the Costco Anywhere Visa. You can use it not only at Costco but anywhere in the world Visa is accepted.

The Costco Anywhere Visa card is one of the best Visa cards to use at Costco. However, you will need to have a Costco membership ($60+ per year) in order to get it. That shouldn’t be an issue, though, as you have to be a Costco member to make purchases there anyway. But if Costco’s credit card doesn’t interest you, you can use any Visa you want.