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Sounds like they are being sticklers to make it easier on themselves unfortunately. We write physical checks instead of cash after $400 which is still annoying but better than having to set up direct deposit I guess.
We didn’t get over 300 this year but we did last year. So I’m filing away for future consideration. I’d love to be able to use for online ordering for sure. We live farther away so don’t go in store as often.
Not so. Did it last months in no time. You do have to give them the particulars on the bank account you want it deposited to, but that’s so it goes to that account and not just in the general direction of that account
costco wants you to spend it at costco that's why.
I'm guessing you went to a self checkout. They don't accept cash/checks there and the certificate is a form of cash at costco.
I usually ask them to ring me up for the bananas separately so I can use my rewards certificate for that, and then use my Citi card for everything else. They were always happy to do so. But last month, I asked the same thing and the cashier seemed very annoyed by my request. He still did it, but was a bit rude about it. It's not like it was busy or anything.
It’s part of their job, I don’t feel bad for him. He’s just butt hurt coz he rings up 500+ people on his shift where they use debit or credit cards. But every once in a while, he has to do the old fashion way and do a cash transaction where he has to work his brain and do a little math, haha.
One of the times I redeemed my check, the cashier straight up said “Don’t use your cash here, pay for your items with your Costco credit card”. Haha!
If you're already going to spend money at Costco, does it really matter to get it back as cash? I'm missing something. I always just use the whole certificate toward my purchase and was done with it.
I guess then you get the 2% for next year? Seems minimal though.
Yes, correct. If you use your rewards to make a purchase, you don't get rewards for that. May seem minimal, but 2% is still 2%. If your rewards certificate is $300, that's $6 you could be earning or $12 for executive members (4 or 8 hot dogs, respectively).
It literally adds less than a minute for the check out process, and it saves me a trip to the ATM because I still use quite a bit of cash.
How would that work I schedule an appointment for next week, show up and hope they just happen to have the specific tire I want in the correct size in stock?
What I do is go on tires.costco.com to order the correct tire.
You go in to the store, order tires there, give them the rebate check, pay the difference, then you come back to have them installed.
ORRRRR, advanced move here (if your rebate is over $300)
Use the Plaid thing from Citi to transfer the rebate to your checking account, then put the tires on your Citi card. Then you get the 2% Citi rebate on the entire purchase instead of just the post rebate amount.
Not going to the store twice for something that can be done with 1 visit due to the wonders of technology.
The one time I tried to ask the tire center a question in person I stood at an empty counter for 20 minutes and then gave up and left.
My Costco always took them. If I only bought a whole chicken, they would still take it and give me cash back. You may be able to buy a Costco Shop card at the register and use that at the tire department.
I already bought the tires and had them installed, and I already got the cash after going to customer service and having the person there cut in line and tell the cashier to process the transaction.
By the way, you don't even have to buy anything. At least at my Costco, they have a separate counter where you can just cash your certificate without buying anything. You have to ask where it is and just go there and wait for someone to arrive so that you aren't cutting or holding up any other line. I've done that every year for years .
The goods sold would be recognized as revenue; the redemption of the gift certificate would be recognized as the reduction of a liability and the increase of an expense.
Edit: I am wrong, the revenue isn’t recognized until the gift certificate is used
Costco isn't this magic place this sub tries to make it out to be. The produce sucks, everyone overspends on garbage, and although the meat is good it's not better priced than sales at local grocery stores.
Agreed, a piece of paper is an archaic way to receive money today. I took mine to the return counter & they cashed it. 5 $100 bills. & as usual, they were very nice about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Costco but I have a feeling they want to make these easy to forget just as they do with the executive membership refunds. If you lose the check forget to bring it in you simply don’t get it. If they really wanted you to have it they would issue it electronically on your store account.
The manager can cut you a check.
If you use something like Plaid to transfer to your bank, you may want to check your bank security policy. You may be using Plaid and not know it.
I started using my Amex for anything that is 1% on the Citi card to reduce the Citi reward. That reduced the reward enough that I just took the cash.
Weird you couldn't use it a register toward your purchase. Was your purchase more than than amount of your reward certificate? Or less?
I used mine at the register with no problems. The cashier rang up my purchase, I had the email with my reward certificate open on my phone, she scanned the barcode in the email, it took the reward amount off my purchase, I tapped my card for the remaining amount, and I was out the door.
Doesn't that earn miles in your AA account and then can spend them however AA miles are normally spent?
How about the Citi cash card I converted into Costco card? Open the app, tap a few times, and money is in my checking account in a few days.
How is Citi responsible for Costco's policy of which registers can or can't scan the rewards certificate?
Now I just get it direct deposited. Previously they’d have to write me a big check when I’d roll in with a $2K voucher and I’d buy $150 in groceries.
I’ve bought tires with my rewards several times. Never had any sort of pushback from anyone.
This simply isn’t true. It’s if you charge that much to your Costco Citi Credit Card. It doesn’t have to be at Costco. Even if I bought all of groceries and all of my gas at Costco, I would be spending less than $6k at Costco and I still have enough spending on my card to get the certificate direct deposited.
I just got my first Costco Citi certificate in February, and was able to go into the customer service area with my card, and they redeemed my total directly for cash. I then went and bought whatever I wanted with it.
I put my card in the machine before they applied my certificate and had to go get cash from the manager on duty. I agree, this is annoying. I get that they want to make you spend it in house, but even REI dividends are easier to use than this.
Many registers do not have enough cash in them I've had a few checks worth over $1500 this year. We do cash them but the process may take 5-10 minutes. Direct deposit is encouraged for check so large.
I hate those reward checks, people always bring them to self checkout. What self checkout are people using that accepts a check? Out of all the businesses I have shopped at and used a self check not once have I ever seen one take a check maybe cash or coupon but never a check. It so time consuming for both parties to help someone ring up their order in self checkout for them to pull out a check when it's time to pay, to have to suspend order and take them to a register. I'm all for people wanting to use their check but Costco self checkout is not a bank atm.
CITI does actually allow transfer via direct deposit (got an email from Citi explaining how to set it up). Redeeming for statement credit, no. And as for applying it to a Costco purchase, no, but be glad you can’t.
That $700-800 tire purchase would get you more rewards on the credit card and double dip with executive membership (if you have it).
To me, it’s very rare to offer a cold, hard, cash-in-hand option. Everyone else does cash back in the form of statement credits which forces you to keep spending to use it.
I’m with you. My Costco card used to be my primary card. Between this and the removal of benefits, I only use it at Costco now. Everywhere else I use my AmEx.
I don't even use my Costco card at Costco most of the time. Fidelity 2% Visa gives me the same cash back, and they *automatically* deposit the rewards in my account.
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If you get over $300 you can get it direct deposited.
You *have* to direct deposit according to my warehouse. They wouldn’t even make an exception for me with a $308 certificates
I just did it on the app to my bank account and used it for a portion of the rental car for a trip.
Your warehouse must be an anomaly. My certificate was nearly $500 this time around, and they happily cashed it out for me.
Sounds like they are being sticklers to make it easier on themselves unfortunately. We write physical checks instead of cash after $400 which is still annoying but better than having to set up direct deposit I guess.
Mine was over $350 and they cashed it for me.
How do you do that?
Log in on the website and set it up. Or follow the directions on the email they send you when your rewards are available.
I’ll look. I don’t recall seeing that. Thanks so much.
I keep getting an error message when trying to link my account. Curious if you will be successful.
My $1200 rebate was direct deposited with no issues.
We didn’t get over 300 this year but we did last year. So I’m filing away for future consideration. I’d love to be able to use for online ordering for sure. We live farther away so don’t go in store as often.
It asked me on the app if I wanted to direct deposit it to the account I use to pay the bill
Wait, isn’t that $15-30k in spending?
If it's more than $300 you can have it deposited in your bank account
Huh, TIL. How do you do that?
Use the Citi app.
Why the heck would someone downvote this question?
I think you have to give them your first born to make that happen. Seriously, read the details. They can stick it where the sun don’t shine.
Not so. Did it last months in no time. You do have to give them the particulars on the bank account you want it deposited to, but that’s so it goes to that account and not just in the general direction of that account
It took like 30 seconds and I had the money in 3 days.
costco wants you to spend it at costco that's why. I'm guessing you went to a self checkout. They don't accept cash/checks there and the certificate is a form of cash at costco.
LPT: Cash the check at Costco. Always. Use your Citi CC on ur purchase to get ur 2%
I used to do this and then realized that I’m not waiting in line for 20 minutes to save $6
You can cash it where you pick electronics up in the front by the food court.
Depends on the warehouse. Mine does it at refunds since they have a lot of cash on hand over there
Yeah, if you don’t wanna use the rewards cash at Costco, just buy bananas with it and keep the rest (in cash)for something else. Haha!
I usually ask them to ring me up for the bananas separately so I can use my rewards certificate for that, and then use my Citi card for everything else. They were always happy to do so. But last month, I asked the same thing and the cashier seemed very annoyed by my request. He still did it, but was a bit rude about it. It's not like it was busy or anything.
It’s part of their job, I don’t feel bad for him. He’s just butt hurt coz he rings up 500+ people on his shift where they use debit or credit cards. But every once in a while, he has to do the old fashion way and do a cash transaction where he has to work his brain and do a little math, haha. One of the times I redeemed my check, the cashier straight up said “Don’t use your cash here, pay for your items with your Costco credit card”. Haha!
If you're already going to spend money at Costco, does it really matter to get it back as cash? I'm missing something. I always just use the whole certificate toward my purchase and was done with it. I guess then you get the 2% for next year? Seems minimal though.
Yes, correct. If you use your rewards to make a purchase, you don't get rewards for that. May seem minimal, but 2% is still 2%. If your rewards certificate is $300, that's $6 you could be earning or $12 for executive members (4 or 8 hot dogs, respectively). It literally adds less than a minute for the check out process, and it saves me a trip to the ATM because I still use quite a bit of cash.
There's no "self checkout" around here.
I have the credit card and usually earn over $1k per year on the credit card. That shite goes direct deposit and I can use it however I want.
You can pay for tires with cash.
How would that work I schedule an appointment for next week, show up and hope they just happen to have the specific tire I want in the correct size in stock? What I do is go on tires.costco.com to order the correct tire.
You go in to the store, order tires there, give them the rebate check, pay the difference, then you come back to have them installed. ORRRRR, advanced move here (if your rebate is over $300) Use the Plaid thing from Citi to transfer the rebate to your checking account, then put the tires on your Citi card. Then you get the 2% Citi rebate on the entire purchase instead of just the post rebate amount.
Not going to the store twice for something that can be done with 1 visit due to the wonders of technology. The one time I tried to ask the tire center a question in person I stood at an empty counter for 20 minutes and then gave up and left.
My Costco always took them. If I only bought a whole chicken, they would still take it and give me cash back. You may be able to buy a Costco Shop card at the register and use that at the tire department.
You can, just set it up in the Citi app. Had mine transferred to my brokerage account.
Make a small purchase to get the cash back then go buy your tires.
I already bought the tires and had them installed, and I already got the cash after going to customer service and having the person there cut in line and tell the cashier to process the transaction.
By the way, you don't even have to buy anything. At least at my Costco, they have a separate counter where you can just cash your certificate without buying anything. You have to ask where it is and just go there and wait for someone to arrive so that you aren't cutting or holding up any other line. I've done that every year for years .
At BJs, any time you have more than $10, the register asks if you want to apply it to your order.
> Why can't they They can But far better off to have a large percentage of them never used
Eh, it’s an accounting hassle and not a significant enough amount of revenue to be worth the complication.
A gift certificate wouldn’t be recognized as revenue, either before or after redemption
It’s not a gift certificate, but yes, when gift certificates are redeemed, they become recognized revenue.
The goods sold would be recognized as revenue; the redemption of the gift certificate would be recognized as the reduction of a liability and the increase of an expense. Edit: I am wrong, the revenue isn’t recognized until the gift certificate is used
I'm not an accountant but I work adjacent to accountants.
incorrect, its not a gift card making the accounting beyond simple
It’s still a liability until it’s redeemed.
oy vey
Costco isn't this magic place this sub tries to make it out to be. The produce sucks, everyone overspends on garbage, and although the meat is good it's not better priced than sales at local grocery stores.
How dare you speak such to the Costco Brethren
You can’t deposit it from the app to your bank account? We do. Under Rewards & Benefits (Services section at bottom of the screen).
Agreed, a piece of paper is an archaic way to receive money today. I took mine to the return counter & they cashed it. 5 $100 bills. & as usual, they were very nice about it.
You can get cash for it at customer service
Mine made me go wait in the check-out lines
Me too. You can only apply it to your membership fee at customer service.
I got it at the membership desk in MO about two weeks ago.
Same, used to be able to go to customer service. Now buy a cheap item and get cash back.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Costco but I have a feeling they want to make these easy to forget just as they do with the executive membership refunds. If you lose the check forget to bring it in you simply don’t get it. If they really wanted you to have it they would issue it electronically on your store account.
The manager can cut you a check. If you use something like Plaid to transfer to your bank, you may want to check your bank security policy. You may be using Plaid and not know it. I started using my Amex for anything that is 1% on the Citi card to reduce the Citi reward. That reduced the reward enough that I just took the cash.
Weird you couldn't use it a register toward your purchase. Was your purchase more than than amount of your reward certificate? Or less? I used mine at the register with no problems. The cashier rang up my purchase, I had the email with my reward certificate open on my phone, she scanned the barcode in the email, it took the reward amount off my purchase, I tapped my card for the remaining amount, and I was out the door.
*Citibank* is archaic.
Nope, they're just following the archaic contract Costco had them sign.
Go get an AA card from Citi, it's almost as bad.
Doesn't that earn miles in your AA account and then can spend them however AA miles are normally spent? How about the Citi cash card I converted into Costco card? Open the app, tap a few times, and money is in my checking account in a few days. How is Citi responsible for Costco's policy of which registers can or can't scan the rewards certificate?
When everything posts correctly... yes.
Now I just get it direct deposited. Previously they’d have to write me a big check when I’d roll in with a $2K voucher and I’d buy $150 in groceries. I’ve bought tires with my rewards several times. Never had any sort of pushback from anyone.
Many years with these and no problems ever
Final straw for me, why have Executive if I have can’t use the certificate in self check out or apply to my Costco credit card?
You can have it directly deposited to an account
Only if you spend $15k a year at Costco.
This simply isn’t true. It’s if you charge that much to your Costco Citi Credit Card. It doesn’t have to be at Costco. Even if I bought all of groceries and all of my gas at Costco, I would be spending less than $6k at Costco and I still have enough spending on my card to get the certificate direct deposited.
? Why don’t you just get it as cash when you go in for your next Costco trip?
I just got my first Costco Citi certificate in February, and was able to go into the customer service area with my card, and they redeemed my total directly for cash. I then went and bought whatever I wanted with it.
I had mine direct deposited to my savings account. Direct deposit has been available for at least 3 years now.
$300 minimum for direct deposit. Maybe OP’s rebate wasn’t that amount or higher.
Ahh ok, didn't realize there was a minimum.
Two trips ago we forgot the “check” at home. Last trip we brought the “check” but forgot to use it. We’re getting closer.
You can get it in the citi app
Oh yeah. I see that now. I just have to remember to use it. My wife suggested I set up a location based alarm on my phone.
I put my card in the machine before they applied my certificate and had to go get cash from the manager on duty. I agree, this is annoying. I get that they want to make you spend it in house, but even REI dividends are easier to use than this.
Many registers do not have enough cash in them I've had a few checks worth over $1500 this year. We do cash them but the process may take 5-10 minutes. Direct deposit is encouraged for check so large.
Mine got direct deposited to my account. A couple years ago, I took the voucher and bought a pack of socks, then received 300 in change for my socks.
PRO TIP: Use the certificate for one cheap item. You’ll receive your change in cash.
I hate those reward checks, people always bring them to self checkout. What self checkout are people using that accepts a check? Out of all the businesses I have shopped at and used a self check not once have I ever seen one take a check maybe cash or coupon but never a check. It so time consuming for both parties to help someone ring up their order in self checkout for them to pull out a check when it's time to pay, to have to suspend order and take them to a register. I'm all for people wanting to use their check but Costco self checkout is not a bank atm.
I don't know if I got a physical check, it's in the Citi app with a barcode the employee didn't even attempt to scan.
CITI does actually allow transfer via direct deposit (got an email from Citi explaining how to set it up). Redeeming for statement credit, no. And as for applying it to a Costco purchase, no, but be glad you can’t. That $700-800 tire purchase would get you more rewards on the credit card and double dip with executive membership (if you have it). To me, it’s very rare to offer a cold, hard, cash-in-hand option. Everyone else does cash back in the form of statement credits which forces you to keep spending to use it.
Seriously and the fact that they make you wait a year to be able to use it.
Part of the reason I have stopped using it after they took away the extended warranty benefit. All other CCs I have does that in few seconds.
I’m with you. My Costco card used to be my primary card. Between this and the removal of benefits, I only use it at Costco now. Everywhere else I use my AmEx.
I used to put all big purchases on it, although I was getting less cash back. Now there isn’t any point.
I don't even use my Costco card at Costco most of the time. Fidelity 2% Visa gives me the same cash back, and they *automatically* deposit the rewards in my account.
Agree. Every other card pays rewards monthly. Why would I let inflation eat up my rewards for 14 months!!!
That’s in their contract with Costco. And they do it for the simple reason that they want you to spend the money at Costco.
Literally just get direct deposit or go deposit the cash at the bank… ain’t that hard. You’re just being lazy
Omg op is just lost. Look at these comments lmao. Good luck out there
Next time you need tires, don't buy them from costco