Costco shop cards & how they work: Everything you need to know | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

A Costco Shop Card—the warehouse club’s version of a gift card—is the perfect holiday or birthday gift for the big-box enthusiast in your life, whether they have a Costco membership or not. Here’s everything you need to know about how Shop Cards work, how to get them, and what you can use them for.

What is a Costco Shop Card?

A Costco Shop Card is a digital or physical payment card that can be used to make purchases at Costco’s retail warehouses and on its website, Costco.com. In other words, Shop Cards are essentially reloadable Costco gift cards.

Costco Shop Card quick facts

Minimum price: $25
Max balance: $2,000
Valid at: Costco retail stores, Costco.com
Not valid at: Food court kiosks, cell phone kiosks
Refundable: No
Reloadable: Yes
Transferrable: Yes
Expiration: None

Can you use a Costco Shop Card if you’re not a Costco member?

Only Costco members can purchase Costco Shop Cards, but anyone, including non-members, can use them to make in-store or online purchases. A Costco Shop Card works like a membership card in terms of store access, which makes it a great gift for anyone who enjoys visiting the warehouse club but isn’t a member. Simply scan the card at the entry kiosk like you would a membership card, or show it to the employee at the entry post.

Why Costco Shop Cards make the perfect gift for non-members

As most Costco enthusiasts know, much of the value of a membership comes from the joy of visiting the brand’s iconic, high-ceilinged warehouses, enjoying free food samples, and exploring the store’s corridors in search of the latest seasonal deals. A Costco Shop Card is a great way for a non-member to get in on the action, especially if they are considering getting a membership of their own. If they do decide to get their own membership, they can even use the funds on their Shop Card to purchase it.

If you’re considering buying a Shop Card for someone as a gift, you can add a personalized gift message for the recipient during the checkout process if you purchase the card online.

Unfortunately for non-members, though, Shop Cards cannot be used at Costco’s food court kiosks or to pay for same-day delivery, which is serviced by Instacart.

Physical vs. digital Costco Shop Cards: What’s the difference?

Physical Costco Shop Cards look and function like credit cards. You can scan them to get into Costco warehouses, and you can swipe them at checkout to pay for purchases.Digital Shop Cards can be displayed on a smartphone or printed out on paper, and they function the same way. When checking out, show your Shop Card (whether on your smartphone or printed out) to your cashier, and they’ll input the details to complete your purchase.

What are the downsides of a Costco Shop Card?

Shop Cards are non-refundable, so they can’t be returned for cash or credit (although small remaining balances may be redeemed for cash in some states).
Their value must be spent at Costco or Costco.com.
Shop Cards cannot be used at Costco’s food courts.
Shop Cards cannot be used to pay for same-day delivery orders because these are conducted through Instacart, a third-party service that does not accept Costco Shop Cards.
If you lose a physical Costco Shop Card, there is no way to recover the funds stored on it.
Costco Shop Cards cannot be reloaded online, so the only way to increase your card’s balance is to visit a Costco location in person.

How to use your Costco Shop Card: A step-by-step guide

Costco Shop Cards are relatively easy to purchase, activate, and use. If you’ve just received one, here are your next steps.

1. Activate the card

Shop cards must be activated before you can spend them. To activate online, visit costcoshopcard.com, then enter the card’s 16-digit number and the last four digits of your Costco member number. Alternatively, you can call 1-866-781-1014 and enter the same information when prompted. Next, you’ll create a unique PIN to use with your card.

If you received a shop card as a gift and it has not yet been activated, you may need to ask the person who gave it to you for the last four digits of their member number in order to activate the card yourself.

2. Use the card

Once your card is activated, you can begin spending your balance. Show or scan your physical or digital Shop Card to get into the store, then swipe it or show it to your cashier to make purchases.

Alternatively, you can shop online at costco.com by entering your card number and PIN at checkout. You can also add your shop card to your digital Costco wallet on the Costco app for a more expedited checkout process.

3. Check your balance

Once you’ve used your card, it can be helpful to check your remaining balance before your next visit so you know how much you have left to spend. To do this, visit costco.com/costco-shop-card and enter your card number and PIN. Alternatively, you can ask a Costco employee to check your balance for you when you visit the store in person.

4. Reload your Shop Card

As you deplete the funds on your Shop Card, you may decide you want to top up its balance. Unfortunately, you can only do this if you are a Costco member, and it cannot be done online. The only way to reload a card’s balance is in person with the help of a Costco cashier. Up to $2,000 can be loaded onto an individual Shop Card.

Costco Shop Card FAQs

Here are answers to some of the most common questions consumers have about Costco Shop Cards that were not already addressed in the sections above.

Can you use a Costco Shop Card to pay for gas at Costco gas stations?

Physical Costco Shop Cards are accepted for payment at Costco gas stations, but digital Shop Cards are not. In some cases, however, the gas station attendant may have a card they can swipe to authorize the use of a digital Shop Card at the pump. Check with your local Costco gas station for details.

Can Costco Shop Cards be redeemed for cash?

Costco Shop Cards are non-refundable, so they cannot be returned for cash or credit, but some state laws require that gift cards with balances under a certain threshold be redeemable for cash:

Balance under $1: RI, VT
Balance under $2.50: TX
Balance under $3: CT
Balance under $5: CO, HI, ME, MA, MT, NJ, OR, WA
Balance under $10: CA