Adding an Authorized User to Citi Costco

[imaximous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@imaximous wrote:

Then, another thing to consider is what other Visa cards he has already. Costco Visa isn't really the greatest in terms of earnings for purchases at Costco (except for certain promotional offerings). There are other Visa cards that offer a better return.  

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Not to derail the conversation too much, but which Visa cards offer better than 2% at Costco? I don't spend a lot at Costco, but every little bit helps

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Quite a few, but some are dependent on banking relationship or combination with premium cards, and obviously, your own goals for redemptions. From experience:

- USB Altitude Reserve: 3x using mobile pay, but effective 4.5x based on my redemptions. This is my main card at Costco.

- Chase FU: 1.5x but I have CSR, so at minimum, it's 2.25x if I redeem points for travel on the portal. But, I usually transfer to Hyatt and I can get at least 2cpp, if not much better, so basically 3x minimum by transferring points.

- Chase Freedom: Varies depending on categories, but they've had wholesale clubs and Chase Pay frequently. 5x during those quarters.

- Chase Ink Cash: You may need to go a little out of your way for this, but you can buy a few Visa cards at Staples during their no-fee sales. That's 5x with Ink Cash or 3x if you have Ink Preferred.

- BofA cards based on banking relationship: Premium Rewards up to 2.625x. If you got a Cash Rewards card before they switched to MC, it goes up to 3.5x at wholesale clubs. Again, BofA is based on relationship and assets.

I'm sure there are others, but that's based on cards I hold (or had). That's also assuming that you're purchasing in-store. If you shop at Costco online, then there's even more options because you can use Visa, MC & Discover on costco.com. But again, it all depends on your own goals for your points.

[Anonymous]

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@KLEXH25 wrote:
That’s a good point about PCing. I think we had discussed it a while back but he mentioned that the banks don’t have any other cards he’s interested in or don’t have PC options. I know one is a Barclays, one is a Capital One card through his Union, and another is from his credit union.

I brought up becoming an AU tonight and how it works and I think he’s interested. Just wondering about one thing. When he gets his card, will he also get a Citi login account and be able to access the account and statements, or is that just me as the primary? In other words, can he also make payments or just me?

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PC would be good but just be aware you cannot PC out of the Costco card.  If you ever quit Costco the card is lost for good.  

[Anonymous]

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@imaximous wrote:

I'm sure there are others, but that's based on cards I hold (or had). That's also assuming that you're purchasing in-store. If you shop at Costco online, then there's even more options because you can use Visa, MC & Discover on costco.com. But again, it all depends on your own goals for your points.

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Thanks for your help. I'm pretty much limited to cards without a banking relationship and annual fee. I only keep a few hundred in US banks. Chase Freedom would be an option, but I can't see myself ever getting below 5/24

My US Costco purchases amount to perrhaps $300 a year, so realistically we're looking at $3-9 no matter what.

[eastsea]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@imaximous wrote:

I'm sure there are others, but that's based on cards I hold (or had). That's also assuming that you're purchasing in-store. If you shop at Costco online, then there's even more options because you can use Visa, MC & Discover on costco.com. But again, it all depends on your own goals for your points.

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Thanks for your help. I'm pretty much limited to cards without a banking relationship and annual fee. I only keep a few hundred in US banks. Chase Freedom would be an option, but I can't see myself ever getting below 5/24

My US Costco purchases amount to perrhaps $300 a year, so realistically we're looking at $3-9 no matter what.

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As far as I know no bank requires you to have a deposit relationship to give you a card though it helps in some cases.  And I would imagine most people do not want to open bank accounts just to get credit cards.  

Amex and Discover should be perfect for you but not sure of their acceptance rate in other countries.

If you only spend $300 a year in Costco, I would even say the membership is not worth it.  Unless you get it for free somehow.