How to Pay at Costco Petrol in the UK: Cards, Amex and the £120 Hold

Paying for petrol at Costco in the UK is not like paying at a supermarket forecourt. There is no kiosk, no cashier and no till to walk up to, so the card in your hand has to work at the pump. This guide covers which cards UK Costco pumps accept, whether you can pay contactless or with your phone, how the £120 pre-authorisation works and how long it lasts, what you get as a receipt, and whether there is a Costco credit card in the UK.

The rules here are the UK's own. They are not the same as in the US, where Costco pumps take Visa as their only credit card, or Canada, where they take Mastercard only. For those, see our guides to US Costco card rules and paying at Costco gas in Canada.

Short answer: UK Costco petrol stations are pay-at-pump only and take Chip & PIN debit cards and Chip & PIN Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards. Costco says cash, cheques and mobile payments such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are not accepted. When you start a fill, Costco requests a £120 pre-authorisation, which should drop off shortly after you finish but can sit on your statement for 3 to 5 working days if your bank is slow to release it.

What payment methods do Costco petrol stations accept in the UK?

Costco UK's Fuel Q&A page answers "How do I pay for my fuel?" in three sentences: the station is "entirely self-serve, with pay-at-the-pump technology", it accepts "Chip & PIN debit cards (UK Maestro, Visa Debit), and all forms of Chip & PIN major credit cards (Mastercard, American Express and Visa)", and "Cash and mobile payment methods (e.g Apple Pay/Google Pay) are not currently accepted." A separate answer on the same page adds: "Cash or cheques are not accepted for payment." We checked the page on 15 October 2026.

On Debit Mastercard: Costco does not name it, but its wording covers debit cards generally. A Monzo customer reported in December 2017 that "Costco petrol pumps now also accept Monzo current account MasterCards", after earlier attempts with Monzo's old prepaid card were declined. Prepaid cards are the one type of debit-style card that has historically struggled at pay-at-pump forecourts.

Does Costco fuel take contactless?

Not officially. Costco's page describes the pumps as taking Chip & PIN cards and says nothing about tapping a card. It does explicitly rule out mobile payments. We could not find a Costco statement, a press report or a member report that confirms a plain contactless card tap works at a UK Costco pump, and we could not find one that confirms it fails either.

The safe plan is simple: bring the physical card, insert it, and know your PIN. If you only ever tap and have forgotten your PIN, sort that out with your bank before you drive to Costco, because there is no one on the forecourt to take payment another way.

Does Costco petrol take Apple Pay or Google Pay?

No. Costco UK says mobile payment methods, naming Apple Pay and Google Pay, "are not currently accepted" at its fuel stations. That is different from the US, where Apple Pay is on Costco's list for gas stations (see does Costco gas take Apple Pay).

Costco also asks members not to use their phones while refuelling. Its Fuel Q&A says mobile phones "do not produce sufficient voltage to start a fuel vapour fire", but that using one could cause an accident "if you are inattentive to the fueling operation."

Does Costco fuel accept Amex?

Yes. American Express is named on Costco UK's fuel page alongside Visa and Mastercard, and it has to be used with Chip & PIN like the others.

This is the biggest difference from Costco elsewhere. In the US, Costco has taken only Visa credit cards since 2016. In Canada, it takes only Mastercard. The UK went the other way. Under a 2011 deal, "American Express Cards will be the only credit and charge cards accepted in Costco warehouses", as Wholesale Manager reported at the time, and in 2017 a member on the Monzo community forum quoted Costco's policy as "Our Warehouses only accept American Express and all major debit cards." Then, from 6 January 2020, Costco UK began accepting Mastercard and Visa credit cards as well, according to a MoneySavingExpert forum post from 3 January 2020 that noted this was "in addition to the debit cards and Amex cards that are already accepted." Costco's own fuel page now lists all three networks.

How does the £120 pre-authorisation work?

Costco's Fuel Q&A explains it under "Why does Costco 'hold' my funds if I use a debit card?":

1. When you start a fill with a Chip & PIN card, "Costco requests a £120 pre-authorisation amount before beginning the fueling process."
2. After you finish, Costco sends your card issuer the actual amount.
3. Your bank is then responsible for reversing the £120 and taking only "the actual amount for the fuel purchased, as shown on the receipt."

Costco says that, when the bank follows the correct process, "the £120 pending amount should drop off shortly after the transaction is completed" and be replaced with a pending transaction for what you actually bought. Costco does not take more than the fuel you pumped; the £120 is a hold, not a charge.

The hold applies to credit cards too, where it uses up part of your available credit until it clears, but it matters most on debit cards, where it ties up money in your current account.

How long does the Costco fuel pre-authorisation last?

Usually not long. Costco says that "from time to time" a £120 pending amount can stay on your statement for longer "due to an error with processing by the issuing bank", and that "this typically drops off between 3-5 working days although this can vary between card issuers." Costco cannot release it for you; its advice is to call the customer service number on the back of your card.

This is not unique to Costco. Which? reported in July 2021 that supermarket forecourts had moved from a £1 card check to an available-funds check of up to £100, and that any money not released promptly after you pay "is down to your bank". The figure has since risen again at many forecourts: Newbury Today reported in March 2023 that the check was "rising in many places to £120", including at Tesco and Esso, and quoted Visa saying the amount reserved "could be up to £120". So Costco's £120 is in line with other UK pay-at-pump forecourts.

Is £120 enough to fill up?

For most cars, yes. Costco does not say what happens if your fill would go past £120, and we could not confirm it. The general rule at UK pay-at-pump forecourts, per the same Which? article, is that "the pump will automatically cut out once it reaches the maximum amount" that was authorised.

Here is what £120 buys at today's Costco UK prices, from our reading of 15 October 2026 across 22 Costco petrol stations:

Unleaded ranged from 161.9p a litre at Liverpool to 170.9p at Reading. Diesel ranged from 184.9p a litre at Edinburgh and Watford to 194.9p. A family car filling from near empty fits comfortably inside £120 on unleaded. A large diesel SUV or van with a 70-litre-plus tank can come close to or pass the limit, so watch the pump if you are filling from empty. Today's figures for every site are on our Costco diesel price page and the UK hub.

What if my card has less than £120 available?

Costco does not say whether its pumps accept a smaller authorisation when your balance is under £120. Which? noted that at supermarket forecourts an available-funds check "doesn't mean you have to have £100 or more to be able to buy fuel", but that was about those retailers, not Costco. We could not verify how Costco pumps handle a low balance. If your current account is near zero, a credit card is the safer choice.

Do you get a VAT receipt for Costco fuel?

You get a receipt: Costco's pre-authorisation answer refers to the actual amount "as shown on the receipt". For warehouse purchases, Costco's VAT page says "a full breakdown of the VAT you pay on each purchase will be shown on your till receipt."

What we could not confirm from a Costco UK source is exactly what the pump receipt prints, including whether it itemises VAT, or whether you can reprint one later. Costco's fuel page does not cover either. Because there is no cashier or kiosk on the forecourt, take the receipt when the pump offers it and check it before you drive off.

If you reclaim VAT on business fuel, HMRC's VAT record-keeping guidance (Notice 700/21) lets retailers issue a simplified VAT invoice for supplies of £250 or less, which covers any single Costco fill under the £120 hold. Keep your bank or card statement as a backup record of the amount paid.

Is there a Costco credit card or fuel card in the UK?

Not one you can apply for today, as far as we can find. Costco's UK co-branded card was the Costco TrueEarnings American Express, which offered cashback from 21 November 2011. Head for Points reported on 28 May 2019 that it had "been closed to new applicants". At the time it paid 1% cashback on general spending (capped at £300 a year), 2% on travel and 3% at restaurants, redeemed as an annual voucher at Costco. We found no UK Costco credit card launched since, from Capital One, Sainsbury's Bank or anyone else. The Capital One and CIBC Costco Mastercards you may read about are Canadian.

People searching for a "Costco fuel card" usually mean one of three things:

• A business fuel card. Costco's UK fuel page lists no fleet or fuel cards among its accepted payment methods, so do not plan on one working.
• A gift card. Costco UK's fuel page lists no gift cards or Shop Cards. Unlike the US and Canada, where a Costco Shop Card lets a non-member buy fuel, Costco UK says its fuel station "is open to Costco members only."
• The membership card. You need it first. Costco says the pump reads "the barcode/membership number on the card and confirms the membership is active" before it takes payment. Our post on who can fill up at a Costco petrol station in the UK covers which memberships work, the partner card and the app card.

Since UK pumps take any Visa, Mastercard or Amex, the best card to use is simply whichever cashback or rewards credit card you already hold, paid off in full. Don't count on Costco's Executive membership 2% reward either: Costco UK's member conditions list "Fuel or EV Charging" among the purchases that don't earn it (see does Executive membership get you anything extra on fuel).

How do you pay at a Costco petrol pump, step by step?

The short version is below. For the full walk-through, including fuel grades, nozzle labels and forecourt etiquette, see our UK guide to using a Costco petrol pump.

1. Drive to a Costco petrol station. Not every UK warehouse has one: Cardiff, Chingford, Croydon, Farnborough, Hayes, Milton Keynes and Wembley have no fuel station. Use our near-me finder and check the opening times before you go.
2. Scan the barcode on your Costco membership card at the pump.
3. Insert a Visa, Mastercard, Amex or debit card and enter your PIN. This triggers the £120 pre-authorisation.
4. Pick your fuel and fill up.
5. Hang up the nozzle and take your receipt.

If the pump declines your card, try a different card. Common causes are a forgotten PIN, a prepaid card, or not enough available balance on a debit card to cover the hold.