Costco warehouses are popular for their relatively low prices whether doing bulk shopping for electronics, furniture, personal merchandise or even groceries. Costco gift cards are great alternatives to carrying around cash or credit cards because they never expire, and they can be recharged.
However, for a guarantee to reap from your savings, you will need to purchase a yearly Costco membership. Plus, you need a membership to enable you to buy Costco gift cards. Unfortunately, because of this requirement, Costco does not sell its gift cards through third-party retailers like Target, Walmart or Kroger.
Let us find out where you can buy your Costco gift cards.
Table of contents
1. Costco Warehouses
As a Costco member, you can purchase gift cards in the Costco warehouse, located at any register or on one of the gift card stands throughout the warehouse. Find out which Costco warehouse is near you.
2. Costco’s Website
If you are not a fan of the physical purchase, you can still order your Costco gift cards online by simply visiting Costco.com. Also, this option works if you do not have a Costco warehouse near you or if you want to shop the card for someone as a gift.
To order a Costco gift card online, follow these steps:
- Visit the Costco website.
- Sign in to your account or create an account if you don’t have one yet.
- Search for “Costco Shop Card”.
- Select the Costco Shop Card Item and select the amount ($25-200) that you would like to add to the card.
- Select “add to your cart”.
- Click on your “cart” in the upper right-hand corner and Checkout.
Your Costco gift cards will be shipped between 7-10 business days to the address you specified in your order. Shipping is with a zero balance. Once you receive your card, call the toll-free number included with your card to activate it. As a member, you may reload Costco gift cards at any Costco warehouse.
3. Online
If the Costco warehouse or wait in shipping does not work for you, you can still find Costco gift cards on sites like Amazon or<a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057. (teachworkoutlove.com) m570.l1313.TR4.TRC1.A0.H0.Xcostco+cash+card.TRS0&_nkw=costco+cash+card&_sacat=0″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”> eBay. Since you do not need a Costco membership to redeem the gift card, individuals will buy them and then sell them online, but with an upcharge.
You however need to be careful about purchasing these resales because you have no guarantee that the money is actually on the card.
In the event you wish to redeem a Costco Gift Card online, you can still do so whether you are a member or not. After completing your shopping online, follow the steps below:
- Select “cart” to checkout.
- At the checkout, select “add” in the Costco Shop Card section.
- Enter your Costco Gift Card number located on the back of your card.
- Enter in the 4-digit security PIN also located on the back of your card.
Some cards may have a silver security feature covering your 4-digit PIN. Simply scratch the security feature off to access your PIN number.
The amount left on your card will be deducted from your gift card balance. If you still have money available on your gift card after purchase, your remaining balance will be displayed after checkout.
If you used all the money left on your gift card, you would need to enter a second payment method to pay for the remaining total. It’s also important to note that you can reload money onto your Costco Gift Card at a register in any Costco warehouse, but not online.
Read more: Can You Buy Gift Cards With A Credit Card? Find Out How
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Even though only Costco members can buy Costco gift cards, nonmembers can still use the cards. As a nonmember, you may use Costco gift cards to shop at any Costco location in the U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico and online as well at Costco.com and Costco.ca. You need to show your Costco gift card at the door (with a balance on it) and you will be allowed into the store.
Purchasing Costco gift cards directly from Costco assures you of zero additional charges and the gift cards will almost always be in stock. Plus, you get the chance to save a few dollars on Costco gift cards through their regular Costco specials for members.
All said and done, purchasing Costco gift cards directly from Costco is the wiser and more assured option. You can buy gift cards in denominations from $25 to $2,000 in Costco stores or online.
You have to use the gift card to purchase merchandise instead, because Costco gift cards (physical and digital) are not redeemable for cash, except as required by law.
Find out states that allow for cash back when your balance drops below a certain amount from the costco.com website.
Unfortunately at the moment, there is no way to reload a Costco gift card online. So you will have to stop by your local Costco and ask an employee to help you reload your Cash Card.
Yes. However, Costco policy states that you have to use the gift card first and then use cash or debit for the rest of the balance. Some supervisors will tell you that you need to cash out the remaining balance on the gift card, but this isn’t quite the policy.
Even though they are a wonderful way to save money, gift cards come with their inconveniences too, one of which is keeping track of the balance. Fortunately, it is super easy and convenient to check the balance of your gift card online.
Costco Gift Cards never expire and can be reloaded with cash at any Costco warehouse location. They also cannot be redeemed for cash unless required by law and this varies by state.
You can check the balance remaining on your gift card on Costco’s website. First, under the “ Customer Service” heading, near the bottom of the homepage, select “Costco Shop Card Balance”.
Next, enter your gift card number and the 4-digit pin, both located on the back of your card. After you select “check balance”, the total balance on your card will be displayed immediately.
Unfortunately, Costco is not responsible for lost or stolen gift cards and they cannot therefore get replaced. If you misplace your Digital Costco gift cards however, you need to click on the link in the original email to access it. If you no longer have the original email, contact Costco for further guidance.
Costco members can gift a Gold Star Membership to someone by purchasing a “Gift of Membership” card at Costco warehouse or on Costco website. The card costs $60 for a one-year Gold Star Membership and can be renewed by the recipient at the end of the year.
Costco members can also gift someone an Exclusive Membership by purchasing two “Gift of Membership” cards which totals $120. The giftee can redeem the two gift cards for an Exclusive Membership.
The recipient of the “Gift of Membership” card must visit a Costco warehouse to redeem their membership at the membership counter. The membership associate will swap out the gift card for a Gold Star Membership card.
If the recipient is already a Costco member, they can use the “ Gift of Membership” card to renew their membership or upgrade to an Executive Membership.
Yes. You can take your Digital Costco gift card to your local warehouse, where you can use it to purchase a physical gift card of the same value.
Costco members can purchase discounted restaurant gift cards located at the gift card stand in the Costco warehouse or online. They sell anywhere from 1-5 restaurant gift cards in a pack at a discounted price.
Your local Costco warehouse will often only carry gift cards to restaurants near you. You can purchase any gift card package online at restaurants including O’Charley’s Restaurant and Bar, Daniel’s Broiler Restaurant, Texas de Brazil, Sullivan’s Steakhouse Restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, to mention a few.
References
- shopfood.com/grocery-stores/
- costco.com/
- customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/
- costco.com/warehouse-locations
- firstquarterfinance.com/
- querysprout.com/
- giftcardgranny.com/
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