Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
vs. USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card

Both the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi and the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card are strong contenders for those who prioritize gas rewards, with no annual fees and no foreign transaction fees. However, the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus edges out slightly with a higher gas rewards score. It's also more accessible and requires a lower credit score.

The Costco card, a co-branded option, is particularly rewarding for frequent Costco shoppers. The Costco Anywhere offers high cash back on gas, travel and dining. Despite its higher credit score requirement, its benefits at Costco make it a worthy option for loyal wholesale club customers.

You might prefer the Costco Anywhere if you frequently shop at Costco and want to maximize your rewards on gas, dining and travel. With this card, you'll enjoy higher cash back rates in these categories, especially beneficial if you already have or are considering a Costco membership. The card also offers a straightforward rewards structure without an annual fee, making it a solid choice for loyal Costco shoppers.

You might prefer the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus if you're looking for cash back on gas and military base purchases, and you value the flexibility of a 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months. This card is particularly suited for military families who can take advantage of the higher cash back rates at commissaries and exchange stores, as well as for anyone who wants to manage existing credit card debt with a balance transfer offer.

Evaluating APRs, fees, credit requirements, rewards and other features will illuminate which card aligns with your financial habits. For example, if you frequently shop at Costco, the Costco Anywhere card's benefits at Costco locations may sway your decision. Conversely, if you're associated with the military, the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card's higher cash back at military bases could be more beneficial.

The Costco Anywhere card leads with a more generous reward structure, particularly for those who fill up their tanks often and dine out or travel regularly. Its heightened cash back rates at Costco and on Costco.com purchases also make it a standout choice for Costco members.

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card's most compelling bonus category is its 5% cash back on gas station and military base purchases, which is slightly higher than Costco Anywhere's gas rewards but with a lower annual cap. However, for grocery spending, the USAA card edges out with a 2% cash back rate, compared to Costco Anywhere's flat 1% for non-Costco grocery purchases.

Following this section, you'll find a table of bonus categories to visually compare the rewards programs of both cards.

The Costco Anywhere card provides an annual reward certificate after your February billing statement, which you can redeem at any U.S. Costco warehouse for merchandise or cash back by December 31 of the year issued. In contrast, the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card allows you to redeem cash back in $1 increments at any time, with the option to apply it as an account credit or deposit into a USAA checking or savings account.

Both cards offer redemption methods akin to cash. Still, the Costco Anywhere card has a specific annual redemption period and method, while the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus offers more immediate and flexible redemption options.

MoneyGeek evaluates credit cards like the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus and Costco Anywhere for various use cases, such as balance transfers and cash back rewards. In this comparison, each card's highlighted score reflects the category where it performs best.

Various key factors influence these scores, including introductory offers, regular APR, issuer satisfaction and penalties. For a deeper understanding of our process, you can review our ranking methodology.