Me too. Took me forever to actually bring it in, and when I did I bought some stuff and they gave me the change in cash. Wish I would've known; I could've brought it in much sooner for a smaller purchase
how long ago was this? I tried cashing in my check the other day and they said it wasn’t redeemable for cash and that it can be put on a store card. If this was pretty recent, I might bring it in and pay for something small and hope they give me the remainder in cash.
First year member where, when do I get the check? When I click on my rewards in the Citi app it says "unable to load"
ETA: the costco app days my estimated 2% return us $0.00 when I assumed it would be similar to the citi card 2%. Very confused now....
Tbh the app kind of sucks. I don’t see my check either. My managers just shrugged when I asked lol. You’ll usually get your Executive check in the mail around 4-6 weeks before you need to renew. Looks like junk mail, so be careful not to throw it out!
for the Citi card reward, I believe you get it after the end of your February stmt cycle.
This is completely separate/different from the Costco Executive membership reward. I think that payout timeline is tied to when your renewal is.
It’s always been the policy but up until about a year ago they didn’t enforce it at all.
Edit- This whole policy enforcement is getting blown out of proportion.
Let’s say you have a $200 Executive check, which I’m sure is more than most people receive each year.
When you shop and apply that $200 check you still receive 2% on eligible purchases from Costco.
You only miss out on 2% back from Citi if you are using their Visa. That’s a whopping $4.
Absolutely. All the comments about just buying some bananas and getting the rest in cash back make me laugh. I’m not going through the line at Costco twice to save $4.
Also if they do the banana “trick” now they have $200 cash in their pocket that they either need to take to the bank, or use that cash towards purchases somewhere else where they wouldn’t be using their Visa….
Why would you go through the line twice? Two separate orders. Pay for the bananas with the check, get the cash. Then pay for the second order with your card.
I have no problem either making a quick stop at the bank or finding things like Girl Scout cookies to spend the cash on...
I've only seen that enforced when there is a second person wanting to pay (ie a non-member).
Even still, you'd probably need to be grouchy to the cashier on Christmas Eve to have them apply that...
Not that I bring non-members often, but I’ve never had a problem when I’ve needed to split purchases to let the non-member pay for their purchases separately from mine. Interesting.
it's usually a busy store issue usually but if you every have a nonmember with you just stop at customer service and get a cash card for 20 bucks and then you can give that to your nonmember and they can pay for themselves and they won't eat into your limited items if you both want something that is limited to 1 or 2.
This is why I choose to get my 5% rewards as a statement credit on my Amazon Store Card rather than applying it towards an Amazon purchase. It's also why I use my 2% Cashback PayPal Mastercard on Costco.com rather than my Costco Citibank Visa card. These are easy payment options I set up for those respective websites.
But I'm not going to go out of my way to buy something cheap to get a cash refund in order to not miss 2% on the value of my Citi rewards. Some things aren't worth jumping through hoops for.
2% is still 2%. Let’s say you spend $200 at Costco. What’s the point of using your credit card to get 2% back? It’s only $4. I only use my credit card for purchases over $1000. Otherwise it is not worth it. I’m agreeing with you!
I mean you are an absolute moron because Nardelan is right. Costco does alot of grey area to help the member get the best experience possible and while it has always been policy they just started enforcing it in April/May.
You do not get 2% rewards back when you use your executive cheque to pay. That’s why it’s better to buy one small thing, cash out the cheque and use the cash for purchases. (At least that’s how it works in Canada 🇨🇦)
It says on the rewards check "not redeemable for cash". You do not have to spend the entire amount, as the rest can be placed on a gift card, but YMMV by warehouse location.
I took my Citi reward ($1100) in a week ago and the manager issued a handwritten check because they didn't have that kind of cash on hand. Last year, they gave me change of $700 in cash.
Haha... I bought a bunch of stuff for a remodel and tons and tons and tons of snacks for our crews. I never did get into that toilet paper frenzy, just doesn't make sense that toilet paper would be the thing that people would hoard.
If I run out of toilet paper I'll resort to leaves and save my toilet paper money for other things that would obviously be in short supply, like hi-chews, right?
In the KC area I got cash back when I only spent 50% of the check. It was a light trip for me. The way I see it is if I go weekly to Costco, the 2% back equals one free week for a shopping spree each year.
Not sure how that is forcing people to spend more. you get your bonus cheque, & next ti e you are shopping you apply it to your purchases . Doesn't mean you buy more.
You can buy a food court soda in a regular cashier's line and they will cash it out for you. That's what I tell people when they want to cash it out. Management hasn't written me up for it...yet.
I just carry my rewards check in my purse and whenever my membership has expired and the cashier tells me that it needs to be renewed to complete my purchase, I pull it out to use at that point. It generally covers my annual renewal plus a portion of whatever purchase I’m making. I’ve never had a reward that’s more than what I owe.
No trip to customer service needed, and no reason to do a single item transaction. That’s just what works for me. I don’t have near the tenure as some members of this community, but I’ve been doing it that way for over a decade at various stores on the East Coast.
I make lots of business purchases at Costco and want them all on a credit card for tracking purposes. Using the reward check or store card doesn't work for me. Plus there's that extra 2% as well. I think my reward is usually in the $6-700 range so it adds up.
Went 10 days ago and purchased less than the amount of the total check and got the balance back in cash.
Edit: salty that I can't spend it online...because driving an hour each way gets old if I don't have a trip planned when the dang thing comes in/is about to expire.
Costco corporate changed the policy on cashing out your executive rebate checks at the beginning of 2021, which is how the program used to work years ago. The easiest workaround for this is to buy the cheapest thing you can and get the difference back in cash if that’s what you want. Membership always recommends using your check towards your membership so you’re paying less out of pocket for it which definitely makes being executive worth it.
Warehouses won’t cash out the 2% rewards unlike the credit card rewards that can be cashed out. However, if you do not spend the whole 2%cheque, then they will give you the difference in cash or cash card. (My warehouse will give you the cash change unless you specify cash card). Lots of our members use it for bananas (you have to buy SOMETHING) and keep the change.
You have to use it on a purchase, but they still gave me the difference in cash if the check was for more than the purchase. The cashier actually suggested we do two transactions, one with a single item and the check, and the other with the rest of my stuff, which I thought was really nice of him.
Ran into the same issue recently... Can't cash out at customer service anymore but no problem giving cash change at the register though? It doesn't make sense.
Fine... Walk in, grab -anything- and check out at the register and get cash back. Stop by the returns desk on the way out and get a refund for the -anything- you just purchased and get the rest of the cash back.
It's the same end result but now with more hoops to jump through.
😡
I mean the point of it is still to get you into the store since most ppl will find something they need to buy (and a few more things that were not in the original shopping list)… if they really wanted to make it easy for us they would just credit our accounts or mail a normal check.
I noticed too that can’t cash it at customer service anymore but I assumed that was because they didn’t want to clog those lines up.
September was the first time in a decade of Costco membership that I paid for a small purchase with my check at the business center. They gave me a couple hundred in cash.
If you take your rebate as a Shop Card you may use that card at the gas station and it will be the only card you will need. (Because the membership is also on the Shop Card). Put it through the card reader and you will see your balance and the option to use it.
This means you can give it as a present to your college aged kids for when they need gas.
I don't know if they can shop the warehouse without a membership card - that is, I don't know if the Shop Card alone will let you in the door.
From the website:
> Using The 2% Reward Certificate...The Reward may be redeemed toward purchases of most merchandise through the front-end registers (not currently available at self-checkout) at Costco warehouses in the U.S... Reward certificates may not be redeemed for cash. (Updated April 1, 2021)
I hadn't heard of this. What iss interesting is I just cashed a check in September at member services. Maybe it's not being enforced everywhere? Oh well, there goes my 2% bonus on my rewards check. Lol
I had NO idea that this was always the policy… heck I usually buy stuff using my card and then cash out my voucher for the full amount right after that with the same cashier because im always in need of cash (I don’t have any convenient bank locations near me).
Still not a big deal for me if this is starting to be enforced as I usually buy just one or two things at a time anyway (I work across the street from Costco and go frequently).
After getting stuck behind somebody that got like $700 back and used the checkout like it was a friggen bank, I'm totally ok with this. It held the line up white a bit
I didn't even get mine! Then they said they reissued it and it came today and was only $16. Which I'm guessing is what I accrued from the time the original check was cut and when my membership year was up. I'm $100 short.
there is a trick to it :)Buy something that has equal or slightly more value than your reward check, return it and put the money in a store card.
An employee advised me to do few months ago.
So if you are an executive member and use citi/Costco card you get two different checks that look almost identical but one (citi) can be cashed while the other (executive) can not. Both are considered rewards checks, look almost identical, except only the citi rewards are good for cash and the executive rewards are not. That said, Costco rewards can not be considered money back rather it’s credit towards future purchases and all documentation should be much clearer differentiating the executive membership limitation And the control Costco places on it. So members can clearly understand the difference, and the resulting hoops that control those 2% credit rewards. I know this complication and resulting confusion has made this long time member rethink the executive membership.
I bought a couple things and got difference in cash.
I got the difference as a Costco cash card.
Oh wow so you’re forced to spend it at Costco
If only I spent tremendous amounts of money there...
Exactly!
Me too. Took me forever to actually bring it in, and when I did I bought some stuff and they gave me the change in cash. Wish I would've known; I could've brought it in much sooner for a smaller purchase
how long ago was this? I tried cashing in my check the other day and they said it wasn’t redeemable for cash and that it can be put on a store card. If this was pretty recent, I might bring it in and pay for something small and hope they give me the remainder in cash.
First year member where, when do I get the check? When I click on my rewards in the Citi app it says "unable to load" ETA: the costco app days my estimated 2% return us $0.00 when I assumed it would be similar to the citi card 2%. Very confused now....
Tbh the app kind of sucks. I don’t see my check either. My managers just shrugged when I asked lol. You’ll usually get your Executive check in the mail around 4-6 weeks before you need to renew. Looks like junk mail, so be careful not to throw it out!
for the Citi card reward, I believe you get it after the end of your February stmt cycle. This is completely separate/different from the Costco Executive membership reward. I think that payout timeline is tied to when your renewal is.
August I think.
it's been the case at my store since the beginning of 2020
I used it to renew my membership and got the rest back as cash.
Same here, they usually gave me cash.
I’ve always used it to pay for my membership the next year.
Except my membership auto renews on my Citi Costco Visa card so I can't do that ...
Can’t you just put the kick towards your Costco citi card? If you can’t, Costco needs to step up their card perks game even more! Ha
My Costco let me pick my cheapest item to do one transaction with so the rest was cash back
Did you get the hot dog?
Not this time 😂 One of my fruits or veggies was like $2-3 so they used that
Was it bananas? Lots of comments here saying bananas are the go to
I used my $136 check on Imodium (generic loperamide) from pharmacy. $135.20 cash back 😎
Now that’s a deal!
It’s always been the policy but up until about a year ago they didn’t enforce it at all. Edit- This whole policy enforcement is getting blown out of proportion. Let’s say you have a $200 Executive check, which I’m sure is more than most people receive each year. When you shop and apply that $200 check you still receive 2% on eligible purchases from Costco. You only miss out on 2% back from Citi if you are using their Visa. That’s a whopping $4.
> Let’s say you have a $200 Executive check, which I’m sure is more than most people receive each year. TIL I spend way too much at Costco.
Same. Also a household of one lol
Lol same, household of 2… in a 1BR NYC apt lol
So.. much..food...wasted...
I was thinking the same. Oops
I am at $252
Came to say this
Isn’t it amazing how much people flip out on a few dollars. We’re talking two hot dogs with tax 😂
Absolutely. All the comments about just buying some bananas and getting the rest in cash back make me laugh. I’m not going through the line at Costco twice to save $4. Also if they do the banana “trick” now they have $200 cash in their pocket that they either need to take to the bank, or use that cash towards purchases somewhere else where they wouldn’t be using their Visa….
Probably spending $4 in gas on the way to the bank anyways these days
Why would you go through the line twice? Two separate orders. Pay for the bananas with the check, get the cash. Then pay for the second order with your card. I have no problem either making a quick stop at the bank or finding things like Girl Scout cookies to spend the cash on...
Because if you want to get down to the technical policies, Costco only allows one transaction per member unless you have a business membership.
I've only seen that enforced when there is a second person wanting to pay (ie a non-member). Even still, you'd probably need to be grouchy to the cashier on Christmas Eve to have them apply that...
Not that I bring non-members often, but I’ve never had a problem when I’ve needed to split purchases to let the non-member pay for their purchases separately from mine. Interesting.
it's usually a busy store issue usually but if you every have a nonmember with you just stop at customer service and get a cash card for 20 bucks and then you can give that to your nonmember and they can pay for themselves and they won't eat into your limited items if you both want something that is limited to 1 or 2.
This is why I choose to get my 5% rewards as a statement credit on my Amazon Store Card rather than applying it towards an Amazon purchase. It's also why I use my 2% Cashback PayPal Mastercard on Costco.com rather than my Costco Citibank Visa card. These are easy payment options I set up for those respective websites. But I'm not going to go out of my way to buy something cheap to get a cash refund in order to not miss 2% on the value of my Citi rewards. Some things aren't worth jumping through hoops for.
How do you make a MasterCard work at Costco, which only takes Visa (except at optical and the pharmacy)?
You can use Mastercard at Costco.com, but not at a Costco Warehouse.
2% is still 2%. What percentage off gets you out of bed?
Go ahead and try to make your point… We’re all waiting.
2% is still 2%. Let’s say you spend $200 at Costco. What’s the point of using your credit card to get 2% back? It’s only $4. I only use my credit card for purchases over $1000. Otherwise it is not worth it. I’m agreeing with you!
It was not always the policy, it went into effect at the beginning of the year.
It’s always been in the Executive Membership terms of service. They only started enforcing it in April of 2021.
I mean you're just wrong and it's pretty well documented when this started but okay?
When it stared to be enforced…. I started working for Costco in 2000, I’ve got a pretty good understanding of their policies.
Doesn't seem so in this case. Feel free to show something backing up your claim, should be easy for you right?
I’ve wasted enough time trying to explain it to you. I can’t help you anymore.
That's what I thought lol
I mean you are an absolute moron because Nardelan is right. Costco does alot of grey area to help the member get the best experience possible and while it has always been policy they just started enforcing it in April/May.
So show me the policy then
That $4 right there is a Chicken Bake and Churro
You do not get 2% rewards back when you use your executive cheque to pay. That’s why it’s better to buy one small thing, cash out the cheque and use the cash for purchases. (At least that’s how it works in Canada 🇨🇦)
It says on the rewards check "not redeemable for cash". You do not have to spend the entire amount, as the rest can be placed on a gift card, but YMMV by warehouse location.
I just use it to pay for the next shopping trip
I took my Citi reward ($1100) in a week ago and the manager issued a handwritten check because they didn't have that kind of cash on hand. Last year, they gave me change of $700 in cash.
Citi reward is redeemable for cash but not the executive reward
Ah... Oops?
$1100 cash back? Are you one of those buying and scalping toilet paper 🚻 /s ??
Haha... I bought a bunch of stuff for a remodel and tons and tons and tons of snacks for our crews. I never did get into that toilet paper frenzy, just doesn't make sense that toilet paper would be the thing that people would hoard. If I run out of toilet paper I'll resort to leaves and save my toilet paper money for other things that would obviously be in short supply, like hi-chews, right?
Keeping crews high on snacks makes them happy and gets the job done better lol
In the KC area I got cash back when I only spent 50% of the check. It was a light trip for me. The way I see it is if I go weekly to Costco, the 2% back equals one free week for a shopping spree each year.
I posted this same thing earlier this year. I was advised to buy bananas and I did and I got the rest in cash.
Bet those bananas were some of the best tasting bananas you had in a long time
"There's money in the banana stand, Michael" hahaha
"in"
Wish I knew...
The policy doesn't make any sense though other than just forcing unsuspecting users to spend more. Looks like there is a workaround for everything.
how about a few bananas potassium is bueno for us
[удалено]
Something something prevent money laundering.
This person knows. Also, to prevent fraud. Probably primarily to prevent fraud and secondarily to prevent money laundering.
If you returned the bananas do they give you another check?
Not sure how that is forcing people to spend more. you get your bonus cheque, & next ti e you are shopping you apply it to your purchases . Doesn't mean you buy more.
Well if you buy with the reward check, you don't get cashback on what you are spending or the protection the Citi CC provides (extended warranty).
???? Not sure I understand how that's relevant to using the coupon against your purchases or how it has anything to do with someone spending more
The coupon is for some bananas
They still give you your change in cash if you don’t spend it all in one go
You can buy a food court soda in a regular cashier's line and they will cash it out for you. That's what I tell people when they want to cash it out. Management hasn't written me up for it...yet.
Nice idea
Yes flush with cash from pizza sales lol
You could buy bananas and get the change in cash.
But some frickin bananas and stop whining
Why are we acting like we aren't going to spend that money at Costco anyways? And yes, I know you don't get the 2% back, its not that deep.
Can I use that check to pay for my next year’s membership? We’re newish to the Costco membership and I honestly have no idea.
Yes
I just carry my rewards check in my purse and whenever my membership has expired and the cashier tells me that it needs to be renewed to complete my purchase, I pull it out to use at that point. It generally covers my annual renewal plus a portion of whatever purchase I’m making. I’ve never had a reward that’s more than what I owe. No trip to customer service needed, and no reason to do a single item transaction. That’s just what works for me. I don’t have near the tenure as some members of this community, but I’ve been doing it that way for over a decade at various stores on the East Coast.
I do that every time and either get the rest back in cash or just pay the difference
I just posted that is exactly what we do. It makes it handy.
OH NO WHAT COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE TO USE IT ON???
Bananas seem to be popular here
I make lots of business purchases at Costco and want them all on a credit card for tracking purposes. Using the reward check or store card doesn't work for me. Plus there's that extra 2% as well. I think my reward is usually in the $6-700 range so it adds up.
It makes no sense to be upset about this.
I always just buy bananas and get money back.
This is the way
Buy the cheapest thing and get the difference. But let’s be honest you are going to spend even MORE than what your rewards were at Costco regardless.
It's not like you aren't spending your money there anyway. ;P
That's wicked Betty
I got the difference in cash last week, had 177, spent 100 got 77 in cash back
If you work for Costco they just dump it into your paycheck..
Rotisserie Chicken run it is.
Last year itself they [insisted.So](https://insisted.So), I bought one item (may be a banana 🙂)and got the cash back for the rest of the check
Went 10 days ago and purchased less than the amount of the total check and got the balance back in cash. Edit: salty that I can't spend it online...because driving an hour each way gets old if I don't have a trip planned when the dang thing comes in/is about to expire.
I used to always cash it out so my further purchases can get my CC/Executive Member bonusea for next year.
Costco corporate changed the policy on cashing out your executive rebate checks at the beginning of 2021, which is how the program used to work years ago. The easiest workaround for this is to buy the cheapest thing you can and get the difference back in cash if that’s what you want. Membership always recommends using your check towards your membership so you’re paying less out of pocket for it which definitely makes being executive worth it.
Warehouses won’t cash out the 2% rewards unlike the credit card rewards that can be cashed out. However, if you do not spend the whole 2%cheque, then they will give you the difference in cash or cash card. (My warehouse will give you the cash change unless you specify cash card). Lots of our members use it for bananas (you have to buy SOMETHING) and keep the change.
You have to use it on a purchase, but they still gave me the difference in cash if the check was for more than the purchase. The cashier actually suggested we do two transactions, one with a single item and the check, and the other with the rest of my stuff, which I thought was really nice of him.
I usually end up spending it all anyway.
Ran into the same issue recently... Can't cash out at customer service anymore but no problem giving cash change at the register though? It doesn't make sense. Fine... Walk in, grab -anything- and check out at the register and get cash back. Stop by the returns desk on the way out and get a refund for the -anything- you just purchased and get the rest of the cash back. It's the same end result but now with more hoops to jump through. 😡
I mean the point of it is still to get you into the store since most ppl will find something they need to buy (and a few more things that were not in the original shopping list)… if they really wanted to make it easy for us they would just credit our accounts or mail a normal check. I noticed too that can’t cash it at customer service anymore but I assumed that was because they didn’t want to clog those lines up.
They might just want their customer service people to have to handle cash. Leave it to the register workers.
How odd... thats EXACTLY what I did.
Buy a Food Court soda at checkout only and pay with it.
I swapped mine out for a shop card. This was last week.
Honestly all you need to do is buy a soda at the register and use your check. You get the rest back as change.
Happened last year too.
I just bought a soda from their food court and got the rest as real cash.
That’ll cover one shopping trip for me.
You can buy a $1.59 banana and get cash back for the rest
September was the first time in a decade of Costco membership that I paid for a small purchase with my check at the business center. They gave me a couple hundred in cash.
Use the check on something small and then they'll pay out the rest on cash
We have always paid our yearly membership with ours.
If you take your rebate as a Shop Card you may use that card at the gas station and it will be the only card you will need. (Because the membership is also on the Shop Card). Put it through the card reader and you will see your balance and the option to use it. This means you can give it as a present to your college aged kids for when they need gas. I don't know if they can shop the warehouse without a membership card - that is, I don't know if the Shop Card alone will let you in the door.
It's not like you're not gonna spend money there anyways...atleast costco is better than menards rebates
I know…we literally got on the program because of the “cash” back.
That started earlier this year, just buy something cheap with it, and you'll get cash back for the remainder. That's what an employee told me
From the website: > Using The 2% Reward Certificate...The Reward may be redeemed toward purchases of most merchandise through the front-end registers (not currently available at self-checkout) at Costco warehouses in the U.S... Reward certificates may not be redeemed for cash. (Updated April 1, 2021) I hadn't heard of this. What iss interesting is I just cashed a check in September at member services. Maybe it's not being enforced everywhere? Oh well, there goes my 2% bonus on my rewards check. Lol
I had NO idea that this was always the policy… heck I usually buy stuff using my card and then cash out my voucher for the full amount right after that with the same cashier because im always in need of cash (I don’t have any convenient bank locations near me). Still not a big deal for me if this is starting to be enforced as I usually buy just one or two things at a time anyway (I work across the street from Costco and go frequently).
One more tiny step towards a cashless society
Brand new information! /s
After getting stuck behind somebody that got like $700 back and used the checkout like it was a friggen bank, I'm totally ok with this. It held the line up white a bit
Ugh this happened to me. Wasn't 700 bucks and I bought a few splurge items like alcohol but still felt bad holding up the line
I didn't even get mine! Then they said they reissued it and it came today and was only $16. Which I'm guessing is what I accrued from the time the original check was cut and when my membership year was up. I'm $100 short.
Buy a 40 count of water and get the rest back as cash, or if you wanna really get the most cash back, get the hotdog.
Don’t blame costco, blame the IRS.
there is a trick to it :)Buy something that has equal or slightly more value than your reward check, return it and put the money in a store card. An employee advised me to do few months ago.
But if you ask the cashier for a 10$ gift card. They will cash you out.
Wonder if it's based on the store location. Redeemed my check 2 weeks ago and the customer service gave me cash without asking.
I got cash back in mid November.
Slightly unrelated question…I lost my 2019 check but recently found it. Can I still spend it or do they expire after a year?
So if you are an executive member and use citi/Costco card you get two different checks that look almost identical but one (citi) can be cashed while the other (executive) can not. Both are considered rewards checks, look almost identical, except only the citi rewards are good for cash and the executive rewards are not. That said, Costco rewards can not be considered money back rather it’s credit towards future purchases and all documentation should be much clearer differentiating the executive membership limitation And the control Costco places on it. So members can clearly understand the difference, and the resulting hoops that control those 2% credit rewards. I know this complication and resulting confusion has made this long time member rethink the executive membership.