Is There a Credit Card That Earns 5% Back at Costco?

When you're trying to maximize your credit card rewards, Costco is a tough beast to wrangle. The wholesale club only takes Visa cards, which excludes many of the best cards out there, including Discover, American Express, and Mastercard.

The best Visa cards earn 2% and 3% back at Costco, which isn't bad. But if you're looking for 5% back on a credit card, you'll be disappointed to know there isn't one that earns that much consistently.

And yet -- yet! -- there is still some hope. Two credit cards, while they don't earn 5% back all the time, have rotating bonus categories that sometimes include wholesale clubs. Neither card is a Visa but they are accepted at Costco.com to snag the higher cash back earnings. Let's take a look at both cards separately and see if they're worth applying for.

1. Chase Freedom Flex

The Chase Freedom Flex® has 5% bonus categories that rotate every quarter and must be activated (on up to $1,500 in quarterly spending). Unlike the Discover it® Cash Back, which we'll discuss shortly, it has other cash back rates that make it a more well-rounded credit card.

As a cardholder, you'll earn cash back in the following ways.

• 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 5% back on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025
• 3% back on dining at restaurants, which includes takeout and orders through eligible delivery services
• 3% back at drugstores
• 1% back on other purchases

These rates make the Chase Freedom Flex® a powerful card to have in your wallet. Click here to learn how you can earn a $200 bonus as a new cardholder.

Chase frequently includes wholesale clubs as a rotating category. Since the Chase Freedom Flex® is a Mastercard, it isn't accepted at Costco warehouses. But using the trick above, you can order your items from Costco's website, where Mastercard is accepted.

2. Discover it® Cash Back

The Discover it® Cash Back is one of the best cash back credit cards on this planet. That might be an exaggeration, but few credit cards offer the opportunity to earn as much cash back as this one.

For one, the card earns 5% back on bonus categories that rotate every quarter (up to $1,500 in spending each quarter). You have to activate these. If you max out your spending in these categories, you can earn $75 each quarter or $300 each year. They often include shopping you're already doing, like groceries, gas, and restaurants. And yes -- it has included wholesale clubs in the past, too.

But the most exciting part of this card, in my opinion, is the welcome bonus. Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. If you earned $300 in your first year, Discover would give you another $300 as a bonus. This offer isn't guaranteed to last forever, so click here to learn more before Discover realizes how much money you could earn and changes it.

As for Costco, again, the card does have wholesale clubs as a category. While you can't use Discover in the warehouse, Costco accepts it as payment for online orders. That could help you snag 5% back at Costco, as well as at other wholesale clubs like Sam's Club and BJ's.

All in all, if you're looking to earn 5% back at Costco, you don't have many options. However, you can earn up to 3% back at warehouses regularly. If you're not currently earning 2% to 3% back at Costco on a credit card, you're missing out. Click here to review our curated list of best credit cards that offer huge rewards at Costco and start saving money that is duly yours to keep.