Costco and Coins
 

I got an Amex card, but need to spend my visa card within a few months to get miles. So, I am thinking of buying presidential coins and paying coins at Costco. I usually spend around $100 each time I go there.:( Has anyone tried paying with coins at Costco? If so, how much and did they give you a hard time?

If you head into the Milesbuzz forum, there is a thread about the dollar coins (unless it self destructed :p) that's hundreds of pages long. Search that for Costco (there's a search this thread link in each thread) that may answer your question.

I used coins once at Costco... It was about a $200 bill and I didn't have an AmEx at the time. The manager required the cashier to open every roll and count them by hand. After messing up twice (against my desires, she broke open EVERY roll at once and put them in a huge pile before counting began) she got the correct # on the third try.

I've refused to go back there with coins, so I'm sure the manager feels like they succeeded :D

This discussion is better suited to MilesBuzz!

Spiff, S.P.A.M. moderator

You were probably the last customer on her shift, and she was able to pick up some unscheduled overtime by taking a long time to process your sale.
:D:D

Wouldn't it be easier to go online and buy some Costco gift cards?

@:-)^

I am sure costco will accept the coins but you wont be able to use the self service line and it isn't fair to the people in the regular line behind you. If the item is available online for the same price I would use my visa card online and buy it or like another poster said use your visa online and buy a costco gift card with the visa. You will get the miles on your visa that way PLUS the miles on the coin purchase:)

I would deposit the coins in my checking or savings account, then use an AMEX card or debit card at Costco. Then pay your bill when it comes using your coin deposit. Easier.

I am using some coins at Costco recently.
Had a few extra rolls and Citi was getting squirly about them.

Maye six times now, handed over three or four rolls,
they don't blink much.....one time they wrote
member number on rolls, never opened them.
Even gave me change in paper bills from the $75 tendered.

Definitely the way to go if the plan is to spend at costco. For the uninitiated, costco.com accepts Visa and MC happily, and you can purchase cash cards there just fine.

it has even been rumored that you can buy those costco gift cards online with a visa/mc and cash them out in store. ive never done it. of course YMMV.

Can anyone confirm this? Is there any law that allows this?

I don't want to churn, just want to hit some spend bonuses.

More to the point, is there any law that prohibits it? You might run into a policy issue, but not a legal issue.

I seem to remember reading that some states require stores to refund their own gift cards for cash, but that's been some years ago. Probably could Google it.