One of the main reasons I’m a Costco member is that I hate overpaying for groceries and everyday essentials.
(You probably joined for the same reason. The savings are just hard to beat!)
And while there’s a lot of advice out there on the internet about how to save extra money at Costco…
And trust me, I’ve tried a bunch of different stuff…
What I’ve found is that one simple strategy is worth more than all the others combined - it can save you a TON at Costco (and wherever else you shop, too).
In fact, it could be worth as much as $845 cash back in your pocket this year.*
The best strategy for saving money at Costco
It’s deceptively simple -
So simple that I think far too many people miss it.
You see, the best strategy for saving money at Costco isn’t about what you buy at Costco…
It’s about how you pay for it.
Paying with a debit card at Costco is just a waste of money - you miss out on the credit card rewards points.
And let’s face it - far too many credit cards offer stingy rewards that don’t allow you to earn much cash back at all.
That’s why I strongly recommend unlocking effortless rewards with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.
When you use it to shop at Costco and elsewhere, you could put $845 back in your pocket over the next year.
You worked hard for your money.
So why not keep more of it?
Plus:
- No Annual Fee: Unlike many premium cards, you get all these benefits without a yearly charge.
- Breathe Easy with 0% Intro APR: Enjoy 0% interest on both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, which is one of the longest 0% interest periods for no-annual-fee cash back cards.
- Click APPLY NOW to apply today
And listen, in your first year alone, you could earn a whopping $845 or more in cash back with this card! See how to do that below.
Heads up
This bonus offer is available through The Ascent and is not guaranteed if you apply elsewhere. If this card has caught your eye, seize the opportunity and use this link to apply today.
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Great for: Massive cash back rewards
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website.
5.00 out of 5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor5.00 out of 5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website.
Intro Offer
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Intro APR 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months
Regular APR
20.49% - 29.24% Variable
Rewards Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases
1.5% - 5% cash back
Annual Fee N/A
$0
Welcome Offer Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Up to $300 cash back
- INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
Why we rate this as a top cash back card
0% intro APR for 15 months for purchases - On top of the high cash back rate, this card also features a very competitive 0% intro APR offer. This can be a smart way to finance large purchases, or simply if you find yourself in a temporary bind and want to avoid interest until 2025.
0% intro APR for balance transfers - The same length 0% intro APR for 15 months applies for balance transfers. If you have credit card debt, you can transfer it to this card to avoid interest charges for well over a year on that transferred balance.
Unlimited 1.5% to 5% cash back - At a minimum, you’ll earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases. (Including everything you buy at Costco!) Earn unlimited 3% on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) & drugstores, and unlimited 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel. Using the cash back bonus below, that’s like earning unlimited 3% - 6.5% cash back in the first year!
Bonus cash back in the first year - My favorite perk of the card. You can earn an extra 1.5% on every purchase, up to $20,000 in the first year. That's up to $300 in additional cash back.
$0 annual fee - Credit cards packed with valuable features tend to charge a high annual fee, but not this card.
How to potentially secure $845 of value
You'll be hard-pressed to find a no-annual-fee cash-back card that offers as much first-year value as this card. That's because of the combination of the card's lucrative cash back rates, the extra 1.5% cash back offer in your first year, a long list of secondary perks, and cutting fees. Here's an example of how the value adds up based on the average American budget*:
- Earning 3% plus that extra 1.5% on dining (including takeout & delivery) and drugstores results in $127.62 in cash back in the first year
- Earning 1.5% cash back, plus an extra 1.5%, on everything else results in $717.41 in the first year
These two categories alone would total $845.03. That total doesn't include unlimited 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel in the first year, so this value could be significantly more for some cardholders.
Final Take
It’s easy to see why our experts rate this card so highly, with its lucrative cash back, lengthy 0% intro APR period, and innovative sign-up bonus. Add in the fact that you can get this all for no annual fee, and it becomes a no-brainer for many consumers. This card could be a powerful way to pay for everything you buy at Costco!
Suggested credit score
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is designed for people with good credit and better, with a FICO® Score of at least 670. The card will be hard to get with a much lower credit score.
Our Credit Cards Expert
Former Personal Finance / Investment Planning Bureau Chief, Fool.com. A former Series 65 holder and longtime individual investor, Michael has spent more than a decade helping people stretch their money further and figure out how to make more of it. He specializes in credit card points rewards, CD ladders, and dividend stocks.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Average American budget per https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/average-monthly-expenses/
JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Discover Financial Services is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Costco Wholesale, JPMorgan Chase, and Target. The Motley Fool recommends Discover Financial Services. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.