Mar 24, 2016, 4:47 pm
Last edit by: cjw2001
FAQ on the Costco Anywhere Visa card: Your Costco Credit Card Account is Being Replaced by Citi
Transition date was June 20, 2016.
- 4% back on gas (up to $7k per year) (Gas at supermarket branded gas stations and warehouse gas stations other than Costco does not qualify.)
- 3% back on travel & dining
- 2% back at Costco and Costco.com
- 1% back elsewhere
From the Citi Costco Site:
Will my Costco Anywhere Card have foreign purchase transaction fees?
Yes. A fee of 3% of the amount of the transaction in US Dollars will be applied to purchases made in a currency other than US Dollars.
There are no foreign transaction fees for purchases made at Costco warehouses worldwide when you pay with your new Costco Anywhere Card.
Please note: not all international Costco warehouse locations accept Visa cards.
Announced 3/1/2018: There will be no foreign purchase transaction fees.
Extended warranty benefit removed for purchases after January 21, 2023.
Transition date was June 20, 2016.
- 4% back on gas (up to $7k per year) (Gas at supermarket branded gas stations and warehouse gas stations other than Costco does not qualify.)
- 3% back on travel & dining
- 2% back at Costco and Costco.com
- 1% back elsewhere
From the Citi Costco Site:
Will my Costco Anywhere Card have foreign purchase transaction fees?
There are no foreign transaction fees for purchases made at Costco warehouses worldwide when you pay with your new Costco Anywhere Card.
Please note: not all international Costco warehouse locations accept Visa cards.
Announced 3/1/2018: There will be no foreign purchase transaction fees.
Extended warranty benefit removed for purchases after January 21, 2023.
Details on new Citi Costco VISA.
Jun 24, 2016, 1:26 am
#242
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,679
Got the card in the mail while I was away from home. Opened the package, and the card has the RFID/NFC chip in it 
It took me all of 2 minutes to download an app on my phone, scan the card with the phone, and have the number of the card and expiration date on the phone's display.
I then called Citi and asked for a card without the RFID chip in it (after waiting on hold for 30 minutes at midnight) and was told that they don't come without RFID chips. Great, so anyone with a high gain antenna can get your card number and the expiration date from 10 feet or more away. I ended up drilling a hole in the card through the antenna area, to permanently disable the RFID chip by depriving it of power.
It took me all of 2 minutes to download an app on my phone, scan the card with the phone, and have the number of the card and expiration date on the phone's display.
I then called Citi and asked for a card without the RFID chip in it (after waiting on hold for 30 minutes at midnight) and was told that they don't come without RFID chips. Great, so anyone with a high gain antenna can get your card number and the expiration date from 10 feet or more away. I ended up drilling a hole in the card through the antenna area, to permanently disable the RFID chip by depriving it of power.
Jun 24, 2016, 3:36 pm
#245
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/24/bu...lems.html?_r=0
"Turns out, quite a few of them didn’t get their cards. Or they’re having trouble setting up online access to their new accounts at Citi. And they’re waiting exasperatingly long times to get through to customer service at Citi.
Frustrated Costco members took to social media this week, venting their frustrations on Costco’s Facebook page and Citi’s Twitter feed. Some wrote of being on hold with Citi for up to an hour and a few threatened to cancel their Costco memberships.
“Never received my new card and the last 5 times I called, including twice today, I was on hold for almost 30 minutes before being hung up on because of ‘high call volume,’” a Costco member wrote on Costco’s Facebook page. “I’m not even able to log in to my account to check for any errors. Off to a horrible start with Citi.”
More Costco stories
Costco switches credit cards, ending Amex ties
Strong growth in Costco members drives profit surprise
Costco tops estimates for profit, but sales growth lags
6 things Costco shoppers need to know before new credit cards arrive
Costco gets creative to meet shoppers’ huge appetite for organics
Costco raising starting wage for entry-level workers
Another wrote: “I have also not received my New Citi Visa card. I have tried calling Citi and can’t get through because I am placed on hold for 50 minutes and finally gave up.”
Jun 24, 2016, 4:26 pm
#246
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA 1K, Citi Prestige, AMEX Platinum, SPG Gold
Posts: 720
Got the card in the mail while I was away from home. Opened the package, and the card has the RFID/NFC chip in it
It took me all of 2 minutes to download an app on my phone, scan the card with the phone, and have the number of the card and expiration date on the phone's display.
I then called Citi and asked for a card without the RFID chip in it (after waiting on hold for 30 minutes at midnight) and was told that they don't come without RFID chips. Great, so anyone with a high gain antenna can get your card number and the expiration date from 10 feet or more away. I ended up drilling a hole in the card through the antenna area, to permanently disable the RFID chip by depriving it of power.
It took me all of 2 minutes to download an app on my phone, scan the card with the phone, and have the number of the card and expiration date on the phone's display.
I then called Citi and asked for a card without the RFID chip in it (after waiting on hold for 30 minutes at midnight) and was told that they don't come without RFID chips. Great, so anyone with a high gain antenna can get your card number and the expiration date from 10 feet or more away. I ended up drilling a hole in the card through the antenna area, to permanently disable the RFID chip by depriving it of power.
Jun 24, 2016, 6:50 pm
#247
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
Programs: AA EXP 1.7 M, Hilton Gold, Hertz 5*, AARP Sophomore, 14-time Croix de Candlestick
Posts: 18,669
Jun 24, 2016, 10:53 pm
#248
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,679
You might be fighting a losing battle here trying to get a credit card without NFC. Even if you can get one now, the next one might have it. Why don't you instead just buy a wallet with RFID shielding (or fashion one yourself). You can't control the credit card companies, but at least you can control your wallet.
Reducing the amount of time the number could be captured is NOT solving the problem. You solve the problem by implementing encryption properly, so that the card number can never be obtained in plaintext by an unauthorized device. It should be encrypted all the way back to the bank's servers. Given that the chip IS powered, it should be able to receive a signal and then respond to a RSA challenge. If they can't do RSA or some secure form of communication, this crap should not be allowed on our cards. It opens up so many attack vectors it's not even funny.
I am really close to just cancelling this card if Citi is not going to give me one without RFID eventually.
Jun 25, 2016, 3:29 am
#249
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AA Citi Visa and Amex, Citi AA Biz, SPG, Amex Green, Zync, Discover It (Starbucks Gold) HHonors Gold
Posts: 268
Is this really a concern? Someone standing by with a high gained antennae trying to get your information? I'm not concerned with that kinda stuff, charges can be disputed and such. I would go crazy worrying about that.
Jun 25, 2016, 3:50 pm
#251
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,955
Jun 25, 2016, 5:18 pm
#252
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Southern Cal
Programs: UA, AA, Delta, Marriott
Posts: 113
I thought that the Citi Visa card took effect on June 20th. Today I linked it to my Citi account online and saw that I owed over $700 already. It seems that they have transferred my AMEX Costco balance from the last statement to this card. That's confusing since I expected to have charges on this card only after June 20th.
Jun 25, 2016, 6:14 pm
#253
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
Programs: AA EXP 1.7 M, Hilton Gold, Hertz 5*, AARP Sophomore, 14-time Croix de Candlestick
Posts: 18,669
I thought that the Citi Visa card took effect on June 20th. Today I linked it to my Citi account online and saw that I owed over $700 already. It seems that they have transferred my AMEX Costco balance from the last statement to this card. That's confusing since I expected to have charges on this card only after June 20th.
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...rogram-update/
Jun 26, 2016, 9:13 am
#254
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,679
This was known to be a problem 5 years ago, and even after Target and other breaches, the banking industry has done nothing to fix the problem. Think about it: Citi has put an EMV chip into this card for more secure transactions, and at the same time, they've also put a chip into the card that makes it literally broadcast its number to anyone nearby, with no encryption, using a technology that was known to be insecure 5+ years ago.