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Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card: A Big Win for Amazon

Updated
Lyle Daly
By: Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
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Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.

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Store credit cards aren't known for offering tons of value, but there are exceptions. Two of the best are the Prime Visa for Amazon shoppers and the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi.

If you prefer one of those retailers, then picking a card will be an easy decision. If you like them both, then it's more complicated. The Prime Visa is generally the better choice if you're open to either card, as it has more to offer. But to know for sure, keep reading for a full head-to-head comparison.

Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card overview

As of Jun. 18, 2024
Image for
Image for
Prime Visa Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. 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.
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Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. 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
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Apply Now for Prime Visa

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

On Citi's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)

Excellent (740-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Get a $200 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members

Get a $200 Amazon Gift Card

Welcome Offer:

N/A

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership, unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and unlimited 1% on all other purchases

1% - 5% back

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. 4% back on gas and EV charging ($7,000 annual spending cap), 3% back on restaurants and travel, 2% back on Costco purchases, 1% back on other purchases

1% - 4% back

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR:

20.49% - 29.24% Variable

Regular APR:

20.49% (Variable)

Annual Fee:

$0

Annual Fee:

$0 for Costco members

Highlights:

  • Get a $200 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
  • Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
  • Prime Card Bonus: Earn 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
  • Earn unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
  • Earn unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
  • No annual credit card fee
  • No more waiting. Redeem daily rewards at Amazon.com as soon as the next day
  • Member FDIC

Highlights:

  • Discover one of Citi's best cash back rewards cards designed exclusively for Costco members
  • 4% cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 per year and then 1% thereafter
  • 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases
  • 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com
  • 1% cash back on all other purchases
  • No annual fee with your paid Costco membership and enjoy no foreign transaction fees on purchases
  • Receive an annual credit card reward certificate, which is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses, including Puerto Rico
Apply Now for Prime Visa

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

On Citi's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Show More Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content Show Less Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content

Why the Prime Visa might be the ideal choice

For shopping on Amazon, the Prime Visa is as good as it gets. It earns an impressive 5% back on your Amazon purchases. For every $100 you spend there, you're getting $5 back. That's also a much higher rate than 2% back that the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi earns at Costco and Costco.com.

The Prime Visa is also the more complete credit card, with more features. It has a welcome offer for new cardholders, and it gives you the option of 0% promo APR financing on eligible purchases. You don't get either of those with a Costco credit card.

SEE MORE: Best Credit Cards for Amazon

When the Costco Visa Card could be the better option

The most common situation where you should get a Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is if you're a loyal Costco member. Or, if you're deciding between Amazon Prime and Costco, and you're trying to keep costs down, then Costco is the way to go. A Costco membership is much cheaper than an Amazon Prime membership.

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is also the better gas credit card. It earns one of the highest rates I've seen on eligible gas and EV charging purchases: 4% on your first $7,000 in spending per year in these categories. If your job involves driving, you have a long commute, or you take frequent road trips, then those gas rewards could be a big money-saver for you.

RELATED: Best Credit Cards for Gas and Groceries

Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card comparison

Here's how the Prime Visa and the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi compare in a few key areas.

Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card annual fee

These are both no annual fee cards, so they're even in this area. However, you need a membership to the respective to store to get each one. For the Prime Visa, you need an Amazon Prime membership. That costs $14.99 per month, or $139 per year.

For the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, you need a Costco membership. Costco is much more affordable, with a $60 annual membership fee. Even an Executive membership, which includes an additional 2% annual reward, costs $120 per year, still less than Amazon Prime.

Winner: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card welcome offer

With the Prime Visa, you get a $200 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval. It's one of the more valuable welcome offers you'll find on a store credit card. The fact that you get it instantly, without any spending required, is also a big plus.

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi doesn't have a welcome offer. So for upfront value, there's a clear winner here.

Winner: Prime Visa

Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card intro APR

Neither of these cards has an intro APR offer. If that's a feature you need, check out The Ascent's picks for the best 0% intro APR credit card.

The Prime Visa does have 0% promo APR offers available. You can pay off eligible purchases of $50 or more in six equal monthly payments and eligible purchases of $250 or more in 12 equal monthly payments. You don't earn rewards on purchases when you choose this option. But the Prime Visa at least gives you the option, while the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi doesn't.

Winner: Prime Visa

Prime Visa vs. Costco Visa Card rewards

The Prime Visa earns bonus rewards in several categories, with the highlight being a huge rate at Amazon. It earns:

  • 5% cash rewards on Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Chase Travel purchases
  • 2% cash rewards at restaurants, gas stations, and local transit and commuting (including rideshares)
  • 1% cash rewards on other purchases

You'll also have plenty of bonus opportunities with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. This card earns:

  • 4% on eligible gas and EV charging purchases, up to your first $7,000 in spending per year in these categories
  • 3% at restaurants and on travel, including Costco Travel purchases
  • 2% on other purchases from Costco and Costco.com
  • 1% on all other eligible purchases

This is a competitive category, and you could earn lots of cash back with either card. But the Prime Visa has a couple of key advantages. It earns a much higher rate at Amazon (5%) than the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi earns at Costco (2%, on the low side for a store credit card).

Also, your cash back is available as soon as the next day in your Amazon.com account. And if you don't want to use it on Amazon, you can also redeem it as cash back through Chase, since this is a Chase credit card. Costco and Citi make you wait much longer -- they send you a reward certificate for your Costco card once a year.

Winner: Prime Visa

Final take

With its welcome offer, rewards program, and promo APR financing, the Prime Visa delivers more value overall. It's an excellent credit card and well worth getting for any Prime member.

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is a good card in its own right. While it doesn't have as many features, it earns competitive cash back rates. If you do more of your shopping at Costco's warehouses and its website than you do on Amazon, a Costco credit card could be right for you.