Does Costco Sell Amazon Gift Cards in 2023? (The Short Answer is No)
Hi there! William here, a successful Amazon seller for over 10 years. As the holiday season ramps up, you might be wondering: Can I grab Amazon gift cards at the big box store Costco? I have the insider details for you.
The short answer is: Unfortunately, no. Costco does not sell physical or digital Amazon gift cards in its warehouses or on Costco.com.
Costco avoids promoting competitor Amazon‘s business. Keep reading as I‘ll explain the rivalry between the companies, where you can buy Amazon cards, Costco‘s gift card offerings, and tips for maximizing gift card sales.
Why Costco Doesn‘t Sell Gift Cards for Amazon
Costco does not offer Amazon gift cards for one main reason – Amazon is becoming a direct competitor to Costco‘s business model.
With Costco‘s wide range of products, bulk pricing, and membership fee structure, they have a lot similarity to Amazon and its Prime subscriptions. Here are some key stats on how the retailers overlap:
Costco has over 111 million membership cardholders globally. Amazon Prime has approximately 150 million members in the U.S. alone.
Both offer members free 2-day shipping on online orders, discounted gas prices, streaming media, and other perks.
Costco operates 800+ warehouse stores globally. Amazon has opened dozens of physical grocery and convenience stores like Amazon Go.
Costco has over 100 million in-store visits each week. Pre-pandemic, Amazon Prime members shopped in Whole Foods stores up to twice per month on average.
Costco‘s ecommerce revenues were $12.8 billion in 2021. Amazon‘s online sales topped $386 billion.
While Amazon has the edge in online sales and cloud services, Costco continues doubling down on physical stores and member benefits. As the companies increasingly overlap, Costco views selling Amazon products as detrimental to their own growth.
Where You Can Buy Amazon Gift Cards Instead
Don‘t worry, while Costco doesn‘t sell Amazon gift cards, they are readily available in many other places:
Amazon.com – Instant digital delivery or shipping of physical cards
Grocery stores – Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Whole Foods
Drug stores – CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid
Big box retailers – Target, Walmart, Best Buy
Convenience stores – 7-Eleven, Circle K, Wawa
Dollar stores – Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar
Gas stations – Exxon, Shell, Sunoco, Marathon
Office supply stores – Staples, Office Depot/Max
For specifics, check out my handy table of major retailers carrying Amazon cards:
| Retailer | Denominations | Designs |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com | $15 – $2,000 | 30+ |
| Best Buy | $25 – $500 | Multiple |
| CVS | $25 – $500 | Multiple |
| Dollar General | $10 – $100 | Multiple |
| GameStop | $10 – $500 | Game & pop culture |
| Target | $25 – $500 | Multiple |
| Walgreens | $25 – $500 | Multiple |
| 7-Eleven | $10 – $100 | Multiple |
You can often find Amazon gift cards right at the register or customer service desk. Major credit card reward sites like CardCash also sell discounted Amazon credit.
With so many options, grabbing Amazon gift cards without a Costco trip is super convenient.
Why Sellers Want Amazon Gift Cards
As an experienced Amazon seller, I know gift cards are useful for various promotion purposes:
Product reviews – Distribute gift cards to buyers in exchange for reviews. Ensure reviews seem organic by varying amounts.
Giveaways – Run contests and giveaways for your product where winners receive an Amazon gift card prize. Great way to build awareness.
Influencer marketing – Send Amazon credit to influencers related to your product niche to try your product for free and potentially feature it.
Lead generation – Offer a gift card in exchange for subscribing to your email list or filling out a survey.
Sales boost – Temporarily reduce product price while offering a gift card to incentivize unit sales and best seller rank.
For sellers, having a stash of Amazon cards on hand can really pay off! The key is balancing promotions to look natural and not violate Amazon‘s guidelines.
What Gift Cards Does Costco Offer?
Instead of Amazon, what types of gift cards does Costco sell? Tons of options spanning:
Restaurants
From fast food to fine dining, chow down with Costco restaurant gift cards:
- Chili‘s
- Panera Bread
- Starbucks
- Burger King
- McDonald‘s
Entertainment
Give the gift of streaming, rides and more with entertainment gift cards:
- Netflix
- Hulu
- SiriusXM Radio
- Uber
- Lyft
- Disneyland
Grocery & Dining Out
Shop specialty treats with grocery and casual dining gift cards:
- Harry & David
- Wolferman‘s Bakery
- 1-800-Flowers
- Bonefish Grill
- P.F. Chang‘s
- Carrabba‘s Italian Grill
Travel
Book trips with hotel, rental car, and airline Costco gift cards:
- Delta Air Lines
- American Airlines
- Avis Car Rental
- Budget Car Rental
- Hotels.com
Retailers
Browse apparel, accessories, home goods and more with retail gift cards:
- Adidas
- PANDORA Jewelry
- GAP
- Old Navy
- Wayfair
- Overstock.com
Self Care & Relaxation
Pamper and de-stress with spa and massage Costco gift cards:
- Hand & Stone Massage Facial Spa
- Burke Williams Day Spa
- Miraval Resorts & Spas
- Massage Envy
- Drift Spa
Gas
Fill up the tank with fuel station Costco gift cards:
- Shell
- ExxonMobil
- BP
- ChevronTexaco
- Sunoco
Selection varies by location. Check your local Costco or Costco.com to browse options.
Smart Tips for Maximizing Amazon Gift Card Sales
When running promotions with Amazon gift cards, here are some pro tips I’ve learned for success:
Always abide by Amazon’s terms and conditions around reviews and other policies. Safety first!
Vary gift card amounts so promotions seem more organic. A range like $20 to $50 works well.
Prioritize gift cards for top reviewers and influencers who will drive the most impact.
Time giveaways and contests around major deal events like Prime Day or Black Friday for extra visibility.
Share gift card opportunities privately or discretely to avoid mass solicitations.
Follow up with recipients to encourage them to redeem and provide feedback. Friendly nudges help!
Measure performance by tracking traffic, reviews, and sales around gift card campaigns. Evaluate what works best.
Never force positive reviews in exchange for gift cards. Stay authentic.
Smart promotion is a numbers game – the more quality touchpoints the better. Follow these tips to make the most of your Amazon gift card investments!
Can You Buy Other Amazon Products at Costco?
Along with no gift cards, Costco does not sell Amazon devices like Echo Dots, Fire tablets, and Ring cameras. You also won‘t find Kindle e-readers for sale.
The only way to buy Amazon hardware at Costco is through third-party sellers on the Costco marketplace site or Amazon sellers storing inventory at Costco warehouses.
Costco avoids showcasing or enabling competing Amazon products in its stores and on Costco.com.
The Final Verdict
Thanks for sticking with me! To recap:
No, Costco does not offer physical or digital Amazon gift cards for sale in warehouses or online at Costco.com.
Costco views Amazon as a top competitor, especially as Amazon expands into physical stores. To avoid promoting a rival, Costco doesn‘t sell Amazon gift cards.
You can easily purchase Amazon gift cards at Amazon itself or major retailers like Target, drugstores, and convenience stores instead.
Costco provides a solid selection of restaurant, retail, entertainment, grocery, travel, and gas station gift cards. As a seller, I find keeping various gift cards on hand super beneficial for promotions and driving reviews.
Hope this guide gave you the helpful rundown on grabbing Amazon gift cards without a Costco membership. Let me know if you have any other gifting or selling questions!
