Each year, Kiplinger surveys our readers to find out what their favorite financial products are for the annual Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards. For this year’s awards, over 4,200 readers rated products across 13 categories – including their favorite cash back credit cards.
One of the most recommended cash back credit cards by Kiplinger readers was the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi. Readers praised the generous rewards and the card’s simplicity, with one reader telling Kiplinger, “This card has always offered a great rewards system with multiple cash-back tiers, appropriately high credit limits, and easy fraud alerts and resolution.”
I’m not surprised the card earned such high praise from our readers. It’s also one of my favorite (and most swiped) credit cards in my rewards card mix. I earn hundreds in cash back every year just by swiping this card when I’m buying the gas or groceries I need to pay for one way or the other anyway. Here are three things that make the credit card worth adding to your wallet.
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1. You can stack cash back rewards on top of your existing discounts
By far, my favorite thing about this credit card is that I get to stack the cash back earned by using the card on top of the discounts I already get as a Costco member. When gas prices were soaring over the past few months, I consistently paid well below the national average price per gallon because the Costco gas station near me was always about 15 cents cheaper than nearby stations (and I live in a state that temporarily suspended the gas tax).
Since this card offers 5% cash back on Costco gas, I earn a couple of bucks per tank each time I fill up. Between the couple of bucks in savings on each tank and that cash back, Costco (and this credit card) definitely helped ease the strain of rising fuel prices on my wallet.
I also appreciate the 2% I earn inside the store itself. Since I can’t use my American Express that earns 6% on groceries at Costco – the warehouse club accepts Visa only – it’s the next best option. I’ve even set up this credit card as my payment method for the annual membership fee, so I’m earning some cash back on that, too.
2. There’s no annual fee
For a credit card with a rewards program as generous as the one you get with the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi, you’d expect to pay an annual fee. But this card has none. The catch is that you do need to be a Costco member to get this cash back credit card.
If you already have a membership, there’s absolutely no reason not to have this card. Even if you only ever use it on Costco gas and groceries, you’re still coming out ahead. In fact, having this credit card is what makes my Costco membership worth it for my smaller household. Without the hundreds in cash back I earn every year, I’d be hesitant about keeping the membership.
If you aren’t a member yet, pairing the everyday savings with the cash back perks of this card makes the basic Costco Gold Star membership more than worth the $65 annual fee.
3. You get better cash back rewards at other gas stations, too
Maybe you don’t live close enough to a Costco location to make that your primary gas station. Even then, you get 4% at most other gas stations.
My next best credit card for everyday spending (the American Express Blue Cash Preferred) tops out at 3% back on gas. So, even when I’m on a road trip or just too far from my regular Costco station, I’m still swiping my Costco card to pay for gas.