Why your grocery card earns nothing at Costco
Why doesn't my 6% U.S. supermarket card earn the bonus at Costco?
Scenario
Wallet: Blue Cash Preferred (6% at U.S. supermarkets, 1% elsewhere), Citi Double Cash (2% catch-all).
Costco codes as a wholesale club, not a supermarket.
- Merchant
- Costco Wholesale
- Category code
- 5300 (wholesale clubs)
- Amount
- $250.00
Card options
| Card | Earns | Cash-equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Citi Double CashRouted | 2% · Cash back | $5.00 |
| Blue Cash Preferred | 1% (no supermarket bonus) · Cash back | $2.50 |
Routing path
1. Merchant whitelist
No pin — skip.
2. Live offers
None active — skip.
3. MSR gating
No open requirement — skip.
4. Category multipliers
MCC 5300 is not a supermarket, so Blue Cash Preferred earns only its 1% base ($2.50). Double Cash 2% = $5.00 and wins.
Result
Swipe Citi Double Cash. The 6% grocery bonus doesn't apply at a wholesale-club MCC, so the flat 2% card actually earns more. The merchant category code, not the product, drives the multiplier.
Illustrative scenario with sample wallets and values. Pikt is a personal-project preview; reward rates and point valuations are estimates that change over time. See the methodology.