How my Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi is a workhorse when it comes to cash back

If you asked me to choose my favorite credit card, I'd be hard-pressed to pick between my current top two: the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (see rates and fees) and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

When I signed up at Costco, I upgraded to an Executive Membership and applied for the Costco Anywhere Visa. Because I signed up during a promotional period, I also received a cumulative $80 bonus in the form of digital shop cards (that never expire) upon credit card approval.

The Costco Anywhere Visa shines in two areas that my household spends a lot of money on: gas and restaurants. Considering the decent cash back this card offers in categories outside of gas and restaurants, opting to become a cardholder was a no-brainer.

Here are three other reasons why the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi is a top-tier card I use daily.

Cash back in key categories

Most of my family lives between 40 minutes and three hours away from me, so fueling up to drive back and forth to visit them can add up. Fortunately, the generous 4% cash back on gas and electric vehicle charging for up to $7,000 spent per year (then 1% after that) means a chance to earn rewards for every trip I make. Additionally, my household includes a daily commuter who fills up twice a week and is an authorized user on my Costco Anywhere Visa, earning me even more rewards in this category.

Then there's the unlimited 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel categories — including airfare and cruises booked through Costco Travel — which helps me rack up additional rewards. As a hobby chef, I love trying new recipes and hosting friends and family for dinner parties; however, there are nights that I'm short on time or simply not up for cooking, and that's when that 3% cash back on restaurants comes in clutch. My household also enjoys trying new restaurants, and since I'm close to two major metropolitan areas (New York City and Philadelphia), there's no shortage of spots to check out when I'm in the mood for something new.

I also earn 2% cash back on all purchases from Costco and Costco.com, which I constantly browse for flash sales and other deals. Plus, the added benefit of earning 1% cash back on all other purchases is the cherry on top — even when I'm not earning higher rates of cash back in my main categories, I still earn rewards every time I tap my card.

The major caveat with redeeming your cash-back rewards with the Costco Anywhere Visa is that you can only do so once a year, which differs from most cards that make your rewards redeemable at the end of each billing cycle. If you're a fan of redeeming your rewards on a more frequent rolling basis, this card may not be the best for you.

Pays for my Costco membership

I love Costco, but because the closest one to me is 30 minutes away, I typically shop at the warehouse every five to six weeks. This means my Costco trips are hauls where I get groceries like produce and meat in bulk (much of which gets frozen and stored for future meal prep use) and sometimes bigger items like kitchen appliances, cookware and even indoor-outdoor furniture.

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Within the first two months of opening my Costco Anywhere Visa, the cash back I accumulated in addition to the digital shop cards I earned more than paid off my $120 annual Costco Executive Membership fee (not to be confused with an annual fee, which this card does not have).

Essentially, this credit card pays for your Costco membership while boosting your cash-back earning power across multiple categories — some of which you can even combine, but more on that in just a bit.

Doubles as a decent travel card

While most people don't consider the Costco Anywhere Visa a travel card in the traditional sense, it offers users awesome perks, including no foreign transaction fees wherever Visa is accepted and 3% cash back on rental cars, hotel stays and other eligible travel categories.

But one of my favorite perks — which I also think is one of the best and love to tell people about — is that cardholders get to combine the 3% cash back on eligible travel with the 2% cash back that everyone with Costco's Executive Membership gets for a total of 5% cash back on travel rewards. This is especially exciting for me because my family takes a group trip every couple of years, and our 2024 adventure will get booked using my Costco Anywhere Visa. This will result in a nice lump-sum cash-back payout next year.

Bottom line

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi makes it easy to maximize cash-back rewards. I'm a huge fan of its multifunctionality and killer cash-back offers in my most frequently used categories.

In addition to doubling as a great travel card, the Costco Anywhere Visa also acts as your Costco membership card, so it's not a big deal if you forget your physical membership card at home. It's also nice to know that no matter what you purchase, you still earn 1% cash back each time you use your card.

Because it's such a workhorse for earning me cash-back rewards, this card has become a permanent part of my go-to rotation and one I plan to use for the foreseeable future.

To learn more, read our full review of the Costco Anywhere Visa Card.

Apply here: Costco Anywhere Visa