Does Costco Accept MasterCard? (2022 Facts)
Does Costco accept MasterCard? MasterCard is a global payments and technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone.
What is Costco?
Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that offers its members a wide variety of merchandise, ranging from groceries and electronics to furniture and apparel. Costco also provides services such as optical, pharmacy, and travel. Membership requires the purchase of an annual membership fee. Currently, there are two types of membership: Business and Gold Star. Business memberships are available to businesses and organizations that sell products or services, while Gold Star memberships are available to individuals and families.
Costco was founded in 1976 by James Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman. Sinegal had previously worked for Sol Price at FedMart and later at Price Club, which was acquired by Costco in 1993. Costco's first store was located in Seattle, Washington. The company has since grown to include more than 760 locations worldwide, including in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Costco is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington.

How do you become a Costco member?
In order to become a member of Costco, one must purchase an annual membership fee. Currently, there are two types of membership: Business and Gold Star. Business memberships are available to businesses and organizations that sell products or services. These memberships allow business owners to purchase products for their business at Costco prices.
Does Costco Accept MasterCard?
Costco stores do not accept MasterCard credit cards as a form of payment in-store, at the pump, or online at Costco.com in 2022. Costco members can use their MasterCard PIN debit card in-store only to make purchases. The change in policy applies to all Costco stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. MasterCard credit cards will still be accepted online when shopping at Costco.com.
Costco's current policy is to accept Visa credit cards, cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards, and Discover cards. Costco has not disclosed why they are no longer accepting MasterCard credit cards as a form of payment in their stores.

Why is this?
However, some speculate that it may be due to high fees that MasterCard charges merchants for credit card processing. Others believe that it may be because Costco is now partnered with Citigroup, who issues the co-branded Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi. Regardless of the reason, shoppers who typically use MasterCard credit cards will need to find another form of payment when shopping at Costco stores in 2022.
Does Costco Accept Visacard?
Many people are unaware that when they go to shop at Costco they are not able to use their MasterCard credit card. The reason for this is because Costco has an exclusive deal with Visa. This agreement came about because in June of 2016, Costco and American Express were not able to come to an end of their contract agreement. Because of this, the only credit card that Costco is able to accept from customers is Visa. There are many people who do not enjoy this part about the store and it often prevents them from becoming members.
When Costco decided to switch from American Express to Visa as its exclusive credit card provider, it was a risky move. American Express had been a longtime partner of Costco, and the change meant that shoppers would no longer be able to use their American Express cards at the store.
This created frustration for many customers, who had to either switch to a Visa card or pay with cash or check. While the switch may have caused some short-term pain for shoppers, it was a gamble that has paid off for both Costco and Visa. The new partnership has been beneficial for both companies, and it has allowed Costco to offer its customers more competitive pricing on credit card transactions. In the end, the switch was a good move for both Costco and its customers.
Will costco accept debit cards from other carriers?
Costco has an exclusive partnership with Visa for credit card transactions, but the store happily accepts debit cards from any company. This is great news for people who don't have a Visa credit card or who prefer to use debit cards. Costco's acceptance of all major debit cards makes it easy and convenient for customers to use their preferred payment method. In addition, customers can also use their Costco membership card as a debit card. The store's willingness to accept different types of payment methods is just one more way that Costco makes shopping easy and convenient for its customers.
The forms of payment that are accepted at Costco include the following:
- Any credit card that Visa has issued
- Cash
- Most pin-protected debit cards pin-protected regardless of what company issues them
- EBT cards
- Checks from current Costco members
Costco's recent partnership with Visa does not limit the warehouse store from accepting a broad range of payment forms. This is good news for frustrated customers who do not use Visa credit cards, as it offers them several alternatives to pay at checkout.
Even though Costco now accepts several forms of payment at their locations, customers are still experiencing irritation at this serious inconvenience. Many people choose to do their grocery shopping with credit cards to maintain healthy credit activity each month. If their credit cards are not Visa, they will have to find new ways to shop at Costco or forego the benefits of using a credit card altogether. This change has been frustrating for loyal Costco customers who have come to rely on the convenience and rewards of using their credit card at the store.
Does costco canada accept PayPal?
Even though there are a large number of Costco stores in Canada, none of them accept PayPal as a form of payment. This applies to both in-store and online purchases. You must use one of the other listed methods of payment to make Costco purchases in Canada.
These include credit cards, debit cards, or cash. While it may be slightly inconvenient not to be able to use PayPal at Costco, there are still options available that should work for most people. Hopefully, this policy will change in the future and PayPal will become a valid form of payment at Canadian Costco stores. until then, you will have to plan accordingly and use one of the other methods to complete your transactions.
List of payment does costco accept?
Even though Costco does not accept PayPal as a valid payment method either in-store or online, it does accept several other payment methods.
Here is a list of accepted payment methods at Costco warehouse locations:
- All types of Visa credit cards
- PIN-based debit/ATM cards
- Personal checks
- Business checks
- Cash
- Costco shop cards
- Traveler’s checks
- Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards
- Apple Pay
- Samsung Pay
- Google Pay
Conclusion
Costco's decision to partner exclusively with Visa has created an unnecessary inconvenience for customers who prefer to use another type of credit card. While the change may not be a significant deterrent for those who already use Visa, it could be a deciding factor for customers who are considering shopping at Costco but don't have a Visa card.
In today's world, people want the easiest and most convenient shopping experience possible. By creating this obstacle, Costco is making it more difficult for customers to shop at their store. Hopefully, when the current partnership expires, Costco will reconsider its policy and once again allow customers to pay with the credit card of their choice.
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