Free, helpful information about Bank Cards and related Citibank Credit Card Costco topics.
Get clear and easy-to-understand details about Citibank Credit Card Costco topics and resources.
Answer a few optional questions to receive offers or information related to Bank Cards. The survey is optional and not required to access your free guide.
If you're a Costco shopper wondering whether Citibank issues the Costco credit card, the short answer is: Citibank does not currently issue a Costco-branded credit card. The relationship between Costco and its credit card partner has shifted over time, and understanding how it works today will help you decide whether the available options fit your situation.
For many years, Citibank was the exclusive issuer of the Costco Visa card. That partnership ended in 2020. Since then, a different major bank has held the exclusive partnership to issue Costco-branded credit cards. This means if you're looking for a card branded specifically for Costco with Costco-exclusive benefits, you'll need to look beyond Citibank.
If you previously held a Citibank Costco card, it may still be active in your wallet—older cards aren't automatically canceled when partnerships end. However, new Costco cardholders cannot apply for a Citibank version of the card.
Existing cardholders weren't forced to switch. Citibank continued to honor cards already issued under the old partnership, though no new applications were accepted. Many cardholders have since migrated to the new Costco card issuer, either voluntarily or because their old card reached its expiration date and wasn't renewed.
If you hold an older Citibank Costco card, you can continue using it at Costco and elsewhere—it functions as a regular Visa card. However, you won't have access to any refreshed benefits or features associated with the current Costco card partnership.
Warehouse membership clubs like Costco negotiate exclusive partnerships with credit card issuers for several reasons:
These partnerships are competitive and periodically renegotiated. Banks bid for the exclusive relationship, and the partner can change—as it did for Costco in 2020.
| Your Situation | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| You want Costco-specific rewards | Apply for the current Costco-branded card through the active partner |
| You have an old Citibank Costco card | Keep using it if still active, or migrate to the new card when yours expires |
| You want a Citi card for other reasons | Citibank offers general-purpose and category-specific cards; they work at Costco but don't have Costco-specific perks |
| You prefer Citibank but shop at Costco | A non-branded Citi card can earn rewards at Costco, but you won't access exclusive member cardholder benefits |
The right choice depends on:
If you're loyal to Citibank for other financial products or accounts, you don't need to abandon the bank to shop at Costco. You can use any Citibank card there and earn rewards according to that card's terms. You simply won't access the bonus cash back or other perks designed specifically for Costco cardholders.
Conversely, if maximizing Costco rewards is your priority, the current Costco-branded card (issued by the active partner) will likely offer benefits tailored to your warehouse spending that a general Citibank card won't match.
The landscape matters more than the brand: Understanding how credit card partnerships work helps you see that card choice isn't about loyalty to one bank—it's about alignment between your spending habits, the rewards you value, and the terms that serve your situation.
