How Much Is a Costco Membership With the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi?
The cost of a Costco membership is not reduced by having the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. A Costco membership is required to have the card, and the current membership price is $65 per year for Gold Star Membership or $130 per year for Executive Membership, plus applicable sales tax. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi itself has no annual fee when you maintain a paid Costco membership.
Affiliate Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review and recommend. If you click on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened, we may earn a commission. We are independently owned, and the opinions expressed here are our own.
Does the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi Reduce the Costco Membership Fee?
No. Having the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi does not lower the price of your Costco membership. You must maintain a current Costco membership to have the card, and the membership fee is based on the Costco membership level you choose.
Citi states that the card has no annual fee with a paid Costco membership. That means you do not pay a separate annual fee to Citi for the card, but you still have to pay Costco for your membership.
How Much Is a Costco Gold Star Membership?
A Gold Star Membership costs $65 per year, plus applicable sales tax. Gold Star is Costco's standard personal membership level.
Gold Star members receive the basic Costco membership benefits and can also apply for the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, subject to Citi's credit approval requirements.
How Much Is a Costco Executive Membership?
An Executive Membership costs $130 per year, plus applicable sales tax. The Executive price consists of the $65 Gold Star membership fee plus a $65 Executive upgrade fee.
Executive Membership includes additional benefits and an annual 2% Reward on qualified Costco, Costco.com and Costco Travel purchases, subject to Costco's terms and exclusions. The Executive 2% Reward is separate from the cash back earned with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi.
Does the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi Pay for the Membership?
No. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi does not automatically pay or reimburse your Costco membership fee.
However, if you use the card to pay your membership fee, the charge can be made to the card just like other eligible transactions. Citi also provides an option for eligible primary members to have their Costco membership fee automatically charged to the card when the membership renews.
The important distinction is that charging the membership fee to the card is not the same as getting the membership for free. You are still paying the Costco membership fee.
Do You Need a Costco Membership to Get the Citi Card?
Yes. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is exclusively for Costco members. You must have a current Costco membership in your name to apply for the card.
If you stop maintaining your Costco membership, Citi says it may cancel the card account and your participation in the cash back rewards program. You must also maintain your Costco membership to redeem cash back rewards earned with the card, unless prohibited by law.
Is Executive Membership Worth the Extra $65?
That depends on how much you spend on qualifying Costco purchases. Executive Membership costs $65 more per year than Gold Star Membership, and the Executive 2% Reward can help offset that additional cost if you make enough qualifying purchases.
Costco says the Executive 2% Reward can be worth up to $1,250 per year, although the reward is subject to qualifying-purchase rules and exclusions. Membership fees themselves do not qualify for the Executive 2% Reward.
The Executive 2% Reward is also separate from the rewards earned with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. In other words, an Executive member who uses the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi for a qualifying Costco purchase may be receiving value from both programs.
If you have both an Executive Membership and the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, the two rewards programs can work together. For a closer look at how to use the card with an Executive Membership and potentially maximize your savings, see our guide to using your Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi with an Executive Membership.
Is the Costco Membership Fee the Same With or Without the Citi Card?
Yes. The Costco membership price is based on the membership level, not on whether you have the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi.
You pay the same $65 Gold Star membership fee or $130 Executive membership fee whether or not you have the Citi card. The difference is that the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi has no separate annual fee when you maintain the required paid Costco membership.
Interested in the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi?
➤ Check for Costco Credit Card Prequalification
If you want to see how the current soft-pull process works before submitting a formal application, read our guide to Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi prequalification.
For a more complete look at the card's rewards, benefits, drawbacks and ways to maximize your cash back, see our Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi guide.
Found this guide helpful? Save this for later as you continue your financial journey!
Compare a variety of credit card offers.
FICO® Credit Scores
A FICO® Score is a proprietary credit score created by the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). About 90% of top U.S. lenders use it to make lending decisions.
FICO® Score Ranges:
- Exceptional: 800–850
- Very Good: 740–799
- Good: 670–739
- Fair: 580–669
- Poor: 300–579
FICO categorizes scores as Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, and Exceptional.
What is a Credit Score?
A credit score is a three-digit number (300–850) predicting your creditworthiness. Lenders use it to evaluate risk and determine rates and terms for credit.
Why it matters: A higher score can help you qualify for loans and lower interest rates. A lower score can lead to higher borrowing costs or application denials.
FICO® Credit Score Facts
- Three-Digit Number: Summarizes your credit risk.
- Range: 300–850; higher scores = lower risk.
- Data Source: Uses your credit reports from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
- Industry Standard: Lenders rely on FICO for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.
Note: Credit scores reflect your creditworthiness but do not guarantee approval for any credit product.
Security Notice: All participating issuers use secure application systems protected by Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption to help protect your information.
*See the online credit card applications for details about terms and conditions of credit card offers. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the " Apply Now " button you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the credit card issuer's web site.
Advertiser Disclosure: The card offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Gettingacreditcard.com may receive compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Gettingacreditcard.com does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace.