2026 editorial shortlist
Cards for Wholesale Clubs
Get more back at Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s.
Costco only accepts Visa in-store, which narrows the field considerably. Whether you shop at Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s, the choice usually depends on whether you already hold a Costco membership and how much of your spend is gas versus general merchandise.
These editorial shortlists compare published reward rates, annual fees, spending caps, and practical usage constraints. They are not personalized optimizer rankings, and affiliate relationships do not determine the ordering.
Editorial picks
Featured pick
Costco Anywhere Visa
Citi
$0 (Costco membership required)
2% on Costco and Costco.com purchases, plus 4% on gas/EV charging (5% at Costco fuel) up to $7,000/year combined, and 3% on dining and travel.
BofA Customized Cash Rewards
Bank of America
$0
2% automatically at wholesale clubs (Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Costco) with no enrollment needed — part of the card’s automatic-category set, not the choice category.
Citi Double Cash
Citi
$0
Flat 2% on everything, including warehouse club purchases — works everywhere, not just Visa-accepting stores.
Tips
Costco only accepts Visa cards in-store and online — Amex, Mastercard, and Discover cash-back cards won’t earn their normal rate there even if they’d otherwise be a good fit.
The Costco Anywhere Visa’s own rewards (2% at Costco) are lower than some flat-rate cards, but its gas rate and lack of Costco membership fee markup make it worth holding if you shop there often.
Sam’s Club and BJ’s accept all major networks, so a flat 2% card like Double Cash works there without the Visa restriction.
Membership fees ($65-$120/year) are separate from any card annual fee — factor them in separately when deciding whether warehouse shopping is worth it for you.
Complete setup
Cards selected for one category rarely make the strongest modeled overall wallet.
These editorial picks focus on wholesale clubs, but the modeled combination depends on your total spending across every category. The optimizer models eligible combinations and tells you whether its result was proven optimal within that run's inputs or was the strongest valid setup found before timeout.
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Not financial advice. OptimalCardSetup provides mathematical optimization tools for educational and informational purposes only. This does not constitute financial, investment, or credit advice. Card rates, fees, and benefits shown are last checked as of Aug 2, 2026. Terms may change — always verify current details with the card issuer before applying.