Do You Need a Costco Membership to Buy Gas? (Gold Star, Expired Cards, Shop Card Trick)

Costco gas is usually the cheapest in town, so the first question most drivers ask is whether you need a Costco card to get gas at all. This post settles it, then covers the edge cases people actually run into: which membership tiers work, the app card, expired memberships, borrowed and household cards, the Shop Card workaround, and crossing the US–Canada border.

Short answer: Yes. You need an active Costco membership to buy gas, and the pump will not start until you scan a membership card (plastic, or in the US the digital card in the Costco app). Any paid tier works, Gold Star, Business or Executive, in the US or Canada. The one confirmed exception is a physical Costco Shop Card: Costco lets non-members spend Shop Cards, and people routinely use them to pay at the pump.

Can you get gas at Costco without a membership?

Not with a regular payment card. Costco's US terms say plainly that "Only Costco members may purchase items," and Costco Canada's terms say "No sales will be made to any person unless they have a valid membership card." The gas station is no different: the first step at every Costco pump is scanning a membership card, and payment only comes after that.

The exception is the Costco Shop Card, Costco's gift card. Costco's Shop Card FAQ says "Non-members as well as members may use Costco Shop Cards to shop at any Costco location in the U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico." Shop Cards are also on Costco's list of payment methods accepted at its gas stations. Put those together and a non-member holding a physical Shop Card can fill up. More on how that works below.

So can anyone get gas at Costco? Only people holding a membership card or a physical Shop Card.

Which Costco memberships work for gas?

Every paid membership tier works at the pump. Gas is not an Executive-only perk. Here is what each tier costs as of September 2026, after the September 1, 2024 increase, which was Costco's first fee change since 2017.

Before September 2024 the fees were $60 and $120 in both countries. The increase also raised the Executive reward cap to $1,250 a year, though gas doesn't earn that reward.

At the pump the tiers are identical: the same price whether you pay $65 or $130. That price is what makes the membership pay for itself for many drivers: see how much you really save on Costco gas. As of our September 29, 2026 reading, Costco regular averaged $4.643/gal across 592 US stations and 173.0¢/L across 78 Canadian gas bars. Check today's numbers on the US Costco gas price hub or the Canadian Costco gas price hub.

Can you use the Costco app instead of your membership card at the pump?

In the US, yes. Costco's Digital Membership Card FAQ lists "Gas Station" among the places the digital card works (step by step in using the Costco app at the gas pump). In Canada, no: Costco Canada's digital card FAQ says the digital card "currently is not accepted at the gas station", so bring the plastic card (or a CIBC Costco Mastercard, which doubles as a membership card). Open the Costco app, show the card, and hold the QR code under the scanner on the pump where you would normally scan the plastic card.

Two catches from the same FAQ: a screenshot won't scan, so open the live app, and each household member needs their own Costco.com account for their own digital card.

What happens if your Costco membership has expired?

Expect the pump to decline you. A Costco pump scans your card to check for an active membership, and both countries' terms require a valid membership to buy anything. Costco has said that shoppers with "expired or inactive memberships" are sent to the membership counter, and there is no way to renew at the pump itself.

Costco's terms do describe a few grace-type rules, but none of them promise gas while you're lapsed:

• Renewal deadline: US terms say renewal fees are due "no later than the last day of the month your membership expires."
• Backdating: in both countries, a membership renewed within two months after it expires runs for 12 months from the original expiration date, not from the day you pay. Waiting doesn't buy you free time.
• Auto-renew failures: a common cause of a surprise decline is an auto-renewal that failed because the card on file expired. Update it in your Costco.com account or at the membership counter.

If the pump rejects your card, renew online or inside the warehouse, then come back. If it still fails, ask the attendant.

Can you use someone else's Costco card for gas?

No, not by the rules. Costco's terms in both countries say: "Your membership card is valid at any Costco warehouse worldwide and is not transferable." The pump only reads the barcode, so it can't tell who is holding the card. But using a friend's or relative's card is still using a membership that isn't yours, and the terms also say membership "may be terminated at Costco's discretion."

Costco has been tightening this, with card checks at self-checkout in 2023 and entrance scanners announced in August 2024. If a stranger at the pump asks you to scan your card for them, send them to the attendant instead.

The household card is the legal way to share

Every membership includes a second card for someone in your household, at no extra cost:

• US: one designated household member "who is 16 years of age or older and living at the same address."
• Canada: one free household card "for anyone over the age of 16."

The household card is a full membership card for gas. If your spouse or teenage driver fills up regularly, get them their own household card, with their own photo, at the membership counter. That is the clean answer to "do you need a Costco membership for gas if my partner has one?": you need your own card, and the household card is it.

The Costco Shop Card trick: how non-members buy gas

This is the one confirmed way to get gas at Costco without a membership (more in using a Shop Card for gas). It works because of two published Costco rules:

1. Non-members may spend Shop Cards at any Costco location in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico (Costco's Shop Card FAQ and US member terms).
2. Costco gas stations accept Shop Cards as payment (US: "Visa, debit/ATM and Costco Shop Cards"; Canada: "debit card, Costco Shop Card" and Mastercard).

The catch is getting one. Only members can buy or reload Shop Cards, so a non-member needs a friend or family member with a membership to buy one for them. After that, the card works like a prepaid gas card.

Things to know before you rely on it:

• Use the physical card. Costco's terms say digital Shop Cards "are not accepted at... Canada Gas Stations or Car Washes." US pumps take a plastic Shop Card in the same slot as a payment card. A Costco US help page says digital Shop Cards "can't be used at... Costco Gas Stations" either, so you need the physical card in both countries.
• Have backup payment. If the fill-up costs more than the balance, the difference can go on another accepted card. Costco pumps don't take cash.
• Expect to press "see attendant". Reports differ on how a non-member starts the pump, and some stations have the attendant authorize it. Costco doesn't publish the exact pump sequence for non-members, so if the pump won't start, ask the attendant.

What Costco says versus what's reported:

Do state alcohol or pharmacy laws let non-members buy gas?

No. This is where the Shop Card idea often gets mixed up with state law. Costco's US terms say "certain merchandise, including prescription drugs and alcoholic beverages in some states, may be purchased by nonmembers where required by law." Costco's pharmacy is open to non-members, and in a group of states (roughly a dozen, with published lists that don't fully agree, usually including California, Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts and Texas) non-members can buy alcohol because of how those liquor licenses work. Costco itself has said alcohol rules "vary from state to state."

None of that covers gasoline. We found no state that requires Costco to sell gas to non-members. New Jersey is the case people remember. Costco's New Jersey stations sold to non-members for years after state officials objected in 2004. In July 2022 Costco made them members-only too, and the state's gas retailer association said it could find nothing in New Jersey law to prevent that. Today New Jersey Costco gas works like everywhere else, with Shop Card holders still allowed.

Does a US Costco membership work at Canadian gas bars, and vice versa?

The membership does. The payment card is the harder part. Costco's terms say your card is "valid at any Costco warehouse worldwide," and travelers report US cards working at Canadian gas bars and Canadian cards working at US pumps. What changes at the border is the payment network. For Lower Mainland drivers, our Bellingham cross-border comparison works out whether the trip pays.

Canadians at US pumps: you need a Visa or a physical Shop Card, since US Costco stations don't take Mastercard credit. If the pump asks for a ZIP code, a widely shared workaround is to enter the three digits from your postal code followed by "00" (M9Z 4X3 becomes 94300). It works often, not always. If it fails, go to the attendant. The ZIP prompt is about your payment card, not your Costco membership.

Americans at Canadian gas bars: your Costco Anywhere Visa won't work there. Bring a Mastercard or a physical Shop Card. Debit may work, depending on your bank's network, so don't count on it.

Near the border the price gap is easy to check. On our September 29 reading, Bellingham, WA showed $4.859/gal regular and Abbotsford, BC 176.9¢/L. Compare the Washington and British Columbia pages before a trip. For the full payment rules in each country, see which credit cards Costco gas accepts.

Does the Executive 2% reward apply to gas?

No. Gas is excluded from the Executive 2% reward in both countries. Costco's US Executive rewards terms say rewards "are not calculated... on purchases of cigarettes or tobacco-related products, gasoline, Costco Shop Cards, postage stamps." Costco Canada's terms exclude purchases at "Costco Wholesale's gas stations" as well. Don't upgrade to Executive for gas. Upgrade only if your in-warehouse spending clears the extra $65. Our Executive reward and gas guide covers the break-even and how to put a reward certificate toward gas.

Gas rewards come from the co-branded credit card instead. In the US, the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi pays 5% back on Costco gas and 4% on other eligible gas and EV charging, on the first $7,000 a year combined, then 1%. In Canada, the CIBC Costco Mastercard pays 3% at Costco gas stations, 2% at other gas and EV charging (card reviewers report a $5,000 yearly cap on those rates, then 1%), and it doubles as your membership card at the pump.

Can I buy gas at Costco if…? Every scenario

Hours are the other thing that stops people at the pump. Most US stations open at 6:00 AM, and every Canadian gas bar in our data closes at 9:30 PM on weekdays. See Costco gas hours or find your station's pump hours from the station finder.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a Costco card to get gas?

Yes. Every Costco pump asks you to scan a membership card before it takes payment, and in the US the digital card in the Costco app counts (Costco Canada does not accept it at gas bars). The only confirmed way around it is paying with a physical Costco Shop Card, which Costco allows non-members to spend.

Can you use Costco gas with a Gold Star membership?

Yes. Gold Star members in the US and Canada pay the same pump price as Executive members. The Executive upgrade doesn't earn anything on gas, because gasoline is excluded from the 2% reward.

How much is a Costco membership in 2026?

In the US and Canada, Gold Star and Business memberships are $65 a year and Executive is $130 a year (in local currency, plus tax in Canada). Those prices took effect September 1, 2024, up from $60 and $120.

Can my spouse use my Costco card to buy gas?

Not your card itself, since Costco membership cards are non-transferable. Your membership includes a free household card for one person in your household (16 or older, at the same address in the US), and that card works at the pump.

Can I get a Costco Shop Card without a membership?

Not directly, because only members can buy or reload Shop Cards. A member can buy one and give it to you, and Costco's terms let non-members spend it, including at the gas station.

Does a Costco membership from one country work at gas stations in another?

Yes. Costco says membership cards are valid at any Costco warehouse worldwide, and that includes the gas station. You still have to pay with a card the local pumps accept: Visa in the US, Mastercard in Canada, or debit or a physical Shop Card in either.

Will the pump let me renew my membership?

No. Pumps only scan the card and take payment. Renew in your Costco.com account or at the membership counter inside the warehouse, then return to the pump.

Sources

• Member Privileges & Conditions, Costco (US) — members-only purchases, non-transferable cards, household card (16+, same address), renewal timing and backdating, Shop Card use by non-members, non-member alcohol and prescription exception, gas station payment methods.
• Membership Conditions & Regulations, Costco Canada — Canadian fees ($65 / $130), household card, valid-card requirement, gas station payment methods, gas excluded from the Executive reward, $1,250 cap.
• Digital Membership Card FAQs, Costco Canada Customer Service — digital card not accepted at Canadian gas stations.
• Shop Card FAQs, Costco Customer Service — non-members may use Shop Cards at any Costco location in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.
• Costco Shop Card product terms, Costco — digital Shop Cards not accepted at Canadian gas stations or car washes.
• Digital Membership Card General FAQs, Costco Customer Service — digital card accepted at the gas station, screenshots not accepted, one membership per device.
• Executive Rewards, Costco — gasoline excluded from the 2% reward, $1,250 cap, $65 upgrade fee.
• Do I need a membership to purchase prescription drugs?, Costco Customer Service — pharmacy open to non-members.
• Costco's first membership price hike in 7 years just went into effect, CNN Business — September 1, 2024 US fee increase.
• Costco Canada membership fees go up for the first time in years, Daily Hive — Canadian fee increase.
• Costco cracks down on sharing membership cards, NBC News — August 2024 entrance scanners, expired or inactive cards sent to the membership counter.
• Costco is barring non-members from buying its discounted gas in New Jersey, Business Insider via Yahoo News — New Jersey members-only change in July 2022, Shop Card exemption.
• The One Way Non-Members Can Still Get Gas At Costco, Jalopnik — reported non-member Shop Card use at the pump, splitting payment.
• Non-Members Can Buy Liquor At Costco In 12 States, Tasting Table — states where non-members can buy alcohol (lists vary by source).
• Using a foreign card at US gas stations, RoadRange — the ZIP prompt and the postal-code-plus-"00" workaround.
• Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi, Citi — 5% / 4% gas rewards on the first $7,000 a year.
• Costco Canada credit cards, CIBC — 3% cash back at Costco gas stations in Canada, card doubles as the membership card at the pump.