Costco's Banana Scam 2022 LOL

[BarkingGhostar]

Last year I took my sub-$100 Costco rewards check into the store and got it cashed. I didn't have to buy anything. However, my Costco CitiVisa Rewards was >$1,000 and they said they couldn't cash it and would have to print me a check. Okay, whatever. This monkey has now been trained. Or so I thought.

This year I took my sub-$100 Costco rewards check into the store and CS wouldn't cash it. However, my Costco CitiVisa Rewards was >$1,000 they said they couldn't print me a check and proceeded to cash it. I look at them about the sub-$100 rebate and they said I need to either pay my membership with it, or buy something in the store and the regular line cashier could make change for me. BTW, the food court and pharmacy could not do it. The CS suggested I go buy some bananas for two bucks.

I go grab a bag of pepperoni and it is mis-priced. Actually, I need new glasses, but let me blame them. I discover this at checkout and so while they are cancelling the pepperoni sale I tell them I'll take the bananas. Guy runs off and gets me some bananas and it is two bucks. Moral of the story is about how things keep changing at Costco in terms of redeeming the rebates and rewards while at the same time making me feel like a monkey with the bananas.

 

[sdifox]

are you insinuating you are not a monkey?

 

[JEDI]

Last year I took my sub-$100 Costco rewards check into the store and got it cashed. I didn't have to buy anything. However, my Costco CitiVisa Rewards was >$1,000 and they said they couldn't cash it and would have to print me a check. Okay, whatever. This monkey has now been trained. Or so I thought.

This year I took my sub-$100 Costco rewards check into the store and CS wouldn't cash it. However, my Costco CitiVisa Rewards was >$1,000 they said they couldn't print me a check and proceeded to cash it. I look at them about the sub-$100 rebate and they said I need to either pay my membership with it, or buy something in the store and the regular line cashier could make change for me. BTW, the food court and pharmacy could not do it. The CS suggested I go buy some bananas for two bucks.

I go grab a bag of pepperoni and it is mis-priced. Actually, I need new glasses, but let me blame them. I discover this at checkout and so while they are cancelling the pepperoni sale I tell them I'll take the bananas. Guy runs off and gets me some bananas and it is two bucks. Moral of the story is about how things keep changing at Costco in terms of redeeming the rebates and rewards while at the same time making me feel like a monkey with the bananas.

the membership booth at my store stopped cashing the rewards check years ago.

no biggie to buy something in the store and use the check to pay for it since im in the store anyway to buy stuff.

 

[BudAshes]

Monkey got his bananas, sounds like a win-win.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Ain't no banana monkey on my back.


I got a peanut butter jones though.

 

[deadlyapp]

I can't fathom how your card rewards were over $1000 unless it's the only card you use.

I think I'm around $250 for both my costco rewards and my visa rewards this year.

 

[Zanix]

waat is this costco rewards, is it like crypto?

 

[RLGL]

waat is this costco rewards, is it like crypto?

To be eligible you need an Executive membership. The cost is $120.00 USD. You get a 2% rebate on all Costco purchases. Redeemable for merchandise in the store.

 

[Zanix]

To be eligible you need an Executive membership. The cost is $120.00 USD. You get a 2% rebate on all Costco purchases. Redeemable for merchandise in the store.

A well disciplined consumer can get away with this but that is not me. I guess you also have to carry a certain purchase load to justify the up front cost.

 

[mztykal]

How’d you get to over 1k. Geez I thought I spent a lot and we barely broke 300…though we only use the card for gas and Costco purchases…

 

[JEDI]

A well disciplined consumer can get away with this but that is not me. I guess you also have to carry a certain purchase load to justify the up front cost.

yup.
i got it one time when i bought new tires.
still coukdnt overcome the extra member fee for Executive.
so got refunded the difference and canceled.

too bad gas purchases doesnt count towards Executive rewards

 

[kt]

yup.
i got it one time when i bought new tires.
still coukdnt overcome the extra member fee for Executive.
so got refunded the difference and canceled.

too bad gas purchases doesnt count towards Executive rewards

For us, there hasn't been a year yet that the fee hasn't paid for itself. We only make gas + Costco purchases with the card too.

 

[JEDI]

For us, there hasn't been a year yet that the fee hasn't paid for itself. We only make gas + Costco purchases with the card too.

then you make $3k in purchases at costco every year, excluding gas?

 

[kt]

then you make $3k in purchases at costco every year, excluding gas?

We spend way more than that in a year just for purchases at Costco warehouse.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I have to laugh because the OP frequently posts about his Costco experiences; I think it is a love/hate relationship. 😘

I have to agree, however, that the Costco rules for redeeming rewards are ridiculously byzantine. Why they cannot enter them as credits on the Costco Visa card is hard to understand. And I remind them of that every year as they cash my emailed rebate form. Some monkeys never learn. 😅