Does costco accept american express?

Debit cards are OK, whether they're Mastercard or Visa. Costco cash cards are also OK, as are checks, cash, and EBT. But not the spurned American Express. Costco has, in effect, taken out a restraining order barring Amex cards from its check-out lanes. Costco advises customers left in the lurch to apply for the Citi Visa. read more

American Express said that Costco pays a significantly lower rate than the overall average it imposes on other retailers as part of the agreement. That arrangement gave the credit card company exclusivity for almost two decades, though Costco also accepts debit cards and cash. read more

Costco’s change to Visa came as a surprise to many, since the retailer had a deal to accept only American Express cards since 1999. That was a switch from only accepting Discover cards, which has a much smaller member base than AmEx. read more

Costco will only accept Visa credit cards at its stores starting April 1, 2016. Customers will also be able to use Visa and MasterCard debit cards, or pay in cash. American Express credit cards will no longer be accepted on that date. That’s a hit to AmEx. read more