Costco or Sam's Club?

[Steve Kroll]

Thanks for all the input!

Like others, I also live alone, but plan to continue buying meat in bulk a few times a year just because I've always found it to be the best way to get a good deal. That, and it's very convenient for me just to pull something out of the freezer to thaw.

I used to plan meals down to the tiniest detail, but since becoming an empty nester and, more recently, a soon-to-be divorcé, my eating patterns have simplified greatly. Most dinners consist of nothing more than a piece of meat with some vegetables.

We don't have BJ's or some of the other stores mentioned in our area. It's pretty much either Costco or Sam's. They're both the same relative distance. Sounds like most of you prefer Costco.

As far as credit cards accepted, in this area Sam's accepts both their own Discover cards and Amex. Costco takes Amex as well. This works well for me. I currently use Amex to buy all my groceries anyway due to the fact that they offer double points for doing so. It doesn't really matter which store I use for grocery purchases - I still get the points.

 

[Silversage]

Tell me more!!

Andy,

Costco is discontinuing their partnership with Amex. A little while back, when their Canadian agreement was up for renewal, they switched their credit card to MasterCard. In Canada, they no longer take AMEX, only MC(no Visa - their agreement is exclusive.)

They stated at the time that they were going to follow suit when their US contract with Amex expired, but only later announced that the US card would be Visa. I first heard that it was planned for early 2016, but that date has been pushed back to sometime this summer. Whatever deal they are cutting with Visa is supposed to be better for Costco and include more perks for us than they had with Amex.

I believe Citibank will be issuing the new Visa cards, but there is not info yet on when the perks/rewards will be. One benefit of this is that all Visa cards will be accepted, not just the co-branded ones. Another is for those folks who couldn't qualify for an Amex card - Visa is typically easier to obtain.

I'm not sure what will happen if a Canadian tries to use their Costco MasterCard in the US, or an American tries to use their Costco Visa in Canada.

FWIW, BJ's branded card is MasterCard, and I believe Sam's club is now Visa.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for the update. We have VISA cards so that's something to look forward to. More points for travel.

 

[kleenex]

Costco cardholders will transfer from Amex to Citi in June

 

[Andy M.]

Costco cardholders will transfer from Amex to Citi in June

Thanks.

 

[Dawgluver]

Costco sent out a very cryptic letter about six months ago. They just stated they'd be changing out credit cards. Hopefully we can use our Chase Freedom Visa. I'll cancel and cut up our American Express that was just for Costco and charges a yearly fee. I don't want another card!

 

[kleenex]

Citi to Ship New Costco Cards in May

Citi to Ship New Costco Cards in May - WSJ

From link:

Cash rewards that customers have earned on the Costco-Amex card will be automatically transferred to the new card, according to Citigroup. Other AmEx-related rewards won’t be transferred to the new card.

The Citi-Costco card offers some richer benefits than the AmEx version. Among other perks, Citi-Costco cardholders will get 4% cash back on up to $7,000 worth of gasoline purchases a year. The AmEx card provided 3% at gas stations, up to $4.000 a year.

The Citi-Costco card will also give 3% cash back on purchases at restaurants compared with 2% on the AmEx-Costco card.