Costco makes payment change that could speed up checkout for members

Costco rolled out a new change to its payment system, allowing customers to use their phones to make checkout times faster.

The warehouse club has expanded its digital wallet feature that now enables members to link any Visa card to the Costco app and use their phones during checkout.

“Costco is pleased to announce the latest enhancement to our Digital Membership Card — a fast and efficient form of payment! For your convenience, you can now add any Visa card to your Digital Membership Card for easy check out at Costco warehouses,” Costco said on its website.

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“No more searching for your wallet, or wondering if you remembered to bring your credit card — simply pull up your card on your phone, and you’re ready to check out. It’s that easy!”

According to Costco, benefits of a Digital Costco Visa Card include fast and efficient checkouts, eliminating the need to carry another form of payment, no longer having to search through a wallet or purse for a credit or debit card, being able to view and manage Visa Card information through the Digital Membership Card and enjoying cash rewards on purchases made with the Visa Card.

The digital payment option can only be used by members for Costco warehouse purchases, excluding the food court, the company said.

Earlier this year, Costco CEO Ron Vachris explained some of the changes the company has made to its app.

“The enhancements we have made include improvements to the mobile wallet, the introduction of a digital membership card with quick access on the Costco app and the rollout of our shopping cart prescan tool internationally,” he said during an earnings call.

These changes enable Costco members to use the Costco app for both membership verification and payment, making checkout faster and reducing the need to carry physical cards.

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The company already allows customers to link their Digital Costco Visa Card to their digital membership card in the app. This allows customers to let cashiers scan the QR code in the app once, which automatically links the membership ID and the credit card information for easy payment.