How I Got 3 Months of ‘Free’ Groceries at Costco

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Editor’s note: Charis is the Managing Editor at ClarkDeals.com.

One of the hardest budget categories to manage is the one that covers consumables, specifically groceries and going out to eat. Those expenses can really get out of hand if we’re not careful!

Though my husband and I have used cash in the past to manage how much we spend on those things, we decided to use a credit card for gas and consumables and track our purchases weekly to control our spending.

We Used This Credit Card at Costco and It Really Paid Off!

The card we chose was the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi, and I was so surprised at how much we ended up earning in cash back over the year: more than $500! At my house, that adds up to more than three months of groceries.

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This card doesn’t work like a traditional cash back credit card.

Typically with a cash back credit card, you can elect to redeem what you’ve earned each month. But with the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi card, all of the rewards are recorded and then sent to you in the form of a Costco Reward Certificate you can use at the end of the rewards cycle.

You have to keep your Costco membership current to be eligible to receive and redeem the reward certificate.

To be honest, it’s nice to get a big chunk of change like this in the form of a certificate. And you don’t have to use the entire amount all at Costco. If you only use a portion, Costco will give you the remaining amount in the form of cash or a check you can use anywhere you want!

The rewards we received for this card were far greater than other credit cards we use: 4% cash back on gas purchases up to $7,000 (during the first year of card membership), 3% back on restaurant and eligible travel purchases (with travel protections, I might add), 2% back on purchases at Costco and Costco.com and 1% cash back on everything else.

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We don’t use credit cards with annual fees, so the fact that this card doesn’t have one was a no-brainer!

Final Thought

A cash back card is a great way to get rewarded for the items you buy every day. In addition to no annual fee, I’d consider the rewards on this card a great deal!

Remember to spend responsibly and always pay off your credit cards every month. If you find that using credit cards gets you into trouble with spending, sticking with cash might be the best option for your situation.

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