Do You Need a Costco Membership to Buy Gas? Yes — With One Exception

It's the most common question we get after "how much is it?" — and for good reason, because Costco's fuel is Top Tier certified and usually cheaper than the station down the street. Every one of the 570 U.S. Costco fuel stations we trackruns on the same members-only rule, with the same single exception. Here's exactly how it works, how a non-member can still fill up, and what it costs to just join.

The rule: Costco gas is for members

Costco is a membership warehouse club, and the fuel station is part of the club. Costco's Gasoline Questions & Answersspell it out: the gas stations are for Costco members. In practice that means there's a card reader built into every pump — you insert or tap your membership card first, the system confirms the membership is active, and only then does it let you select a grade and pay. No active membership, no fuel.

That card check is the whole gate. It's also why you can't just roll up and pay with a credit card the way you would at a corner station: the pump is looking for a Costco member ID before it looks at your payment. Which brings us to the one way around it.

The exception: a Costco Shop Card

Here's the part most people miss. Costco's Shop Card terms state plainly that "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 — and the gas station counts. A Costco Shop Card is Costco's reloadable gift card, and paying with one is the recognized way for a non-member to fuel up. The pump accepts the Shop Card in place of the membership scan.

There is one catch that keeps this honest: only a member can buy or reload a Shop Cardin the first place. So a non-member can't walk in and create one — they need a member (a friend, a relative, a roommate) to purchase or top up the card and hand it over. After that, the non-member is free to spend it on gas, in the warehouse, or online, with no membership of their own.

One important detail: this works with a physical Shop Card. A digital (emailed) Shop Card generally won'twork at the pump on its own, since the fuel terminal needs a card to swipe — occasionally an attendant can authorize it, but don't count on it. If you're getting a Shop Card specifically to buy gas, get the plastic one.

Who can buy Costco gas — at a glance

Put it all together and the access rules are simple. Here's who can fuel up at a U.S. Costco, and how:

Does the Executive membership include gas?

Yes — and so does the cheaper one. Costco has two consumer tiers, Gold Star at $65 a year and Executive at $130, and both buy gas at the identical pump price. There is no member-only fuel discount that one tier gets and the other doesn't; the low price is the same for everyone who scans in.

So does Executive add anything at the pump? No. Executive's headline perk is a 2% annual reward on most purchases, but Costco's terms specifically exclude gasoline from that reward. For fuel alone, the $65 Gold Star membership is all you need — paying double for Executive does nothing for your gas costs. (The way to actually earn rewards on Costco gas is the Costco Anywhere Visa® by Citi, which pays 5% back on Costco fuel and works alongside either membership tier.)

Do you need the physical card?

No — the digital membership card in the Costco app works at the gas station. Costco's digital membership card is valid everywhere the plastic is, the fuel island included, so you can leave the card at home and scan your phone at the pump. (Note the asymmetry: your membership card can be digital, but a Costco ShopCard you're using to pay generally needs to be the physical one.)

What it costs to just join

If you fill up at Costco even semi-regularly, joining usually pays for itself on fuel alone. The Gold Star membership is $65 a year and comes with a free household card for someone else at your address — so a spouse or roommate can fuel up on the same membership without paying twice. Because Costco typically pumps 10–30¢ a gallon cheaper than nearby stations, a regular driver recovers the $65 in cheaper fuel and pockets the rest; we run the full numbers in the membership break-even guide.

Once you're in, paying is its own short list — Visa, PIN debit, a Costco Shop Card, and Visa-linked Apple Pay in the U.S., and no cash. The accepted card flips by country, so if you're north of the border or overseas, check our payment methods guide before you pull in.

See what your local Costco charges

Membership only pays off if the warehouse near you is actually cheaper. Look up any U.S. Costco below to see today's regular, premium, and diesel prices and a 30-day history, then compare it against the station you use now:

Membership fees, Shop Card rules, and store policies change — this guide was last reviewed in June 2026. Always confirm details with Costco and the price at the pump. This site is independent and not affiliated with Costco Wholesale Corporation.