Costco recently updated its iOS app to add a Digital Membership Card for the first time, allowing customers to enter the store and make purchases without the need to have a physical card.

Costco has long had an iOS app, but the app did not include support for adding a digital version of the Costco membership card, instead requiring customers to present their actual cards for purchases.

costcodigitalmembership
According to a Reddit thread from May, Costco began testing the new Digital Membership Card in October with employees, and announced its upcoming rollout in the spring.

To use the Digital Membership Card, Costco customers can download the Costco app and sign into their Costco.com accounts to verify their membership. Once that's done, the Digital Membership Card is available through the new "Membership" tab in the app.

Along with offering a QR code that can be scanned at Costco, the Membership section of the app allows Executive Members to view their two percent reward balance and renew their memberships online.

The Costco Digital Membership app can't be added to the Apple Wallet app at this time unfortunately, but because Costco does accept Apple Pay, the addition of the Digital Membership Card to the Costco app allows customers to shop with just a smartphone. The Digital Card can be used to verify membership, while ‌Apple Pay‌ can be used for purchases.

(Thanks, Errin!)

Tag: Costco

Top Rated Comments

RVijay007 Avatar
76 months ago
Great! Now just tell me where stuff is in the store via the app! I hate it when they move staples I always get!!!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F1Turbo Avatar
76 months ago
But still need physical card for gas pumps?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
travoose Avatar
76 months ago
They key is being able to add these cards to the Wallet app. Sheetz and others are the same way, I can scan a code in the Sheetz app and then pay with Apple Pay, but I still need my phone, because of this...I’d rather have it all on my watch, so I can carry less.

If you have seen how Panera implements this then you know it can be done, and Panera even has it setup that it automatically pulls up the rewards card when you go to pay. This should be forced on developers when submitting these category apps.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Böhme417 Avatar
76 months ago
The only credit card you can use at Costco is specifically the Costco Visa. Other than that, you're limited to debit cards.

Back when the Costco card was affiliated with American Express, I was able to use both Visa and Mastercard branded debit cards (my bank switched from one to the other)... so I'd expect that to still be true. But nowadays I just use the Costco Visa and just make sure I pay it off every month, since their interest rates are stupidly high.
This is not true. US stores take any Visa card or any debit card by PIN when inserting.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
76 months ago
Not a Costco member myself but this is great news.

come on DMV....driver licenses next please!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dontwalkhand Avatar
76 months ago
The proof of insurance thing is just an excuse to write another ticket anyway. All modern police departments punch your license plate into their mobile data terminal before they get out of the car and it checks DMV records right then. It also tells them if the car is associated with a wanted murderer or child abduction. Some even have ANPR cameras that do it completely automatically. Same thing with scanning your driver's license, any warrants will pop up.

I remember about 10 years ago, the local cops had to do all this over voice radio, so it was up to them to decide whether it was worth running your plate and license or not.
I jinxed myself, I literally was leaving the office after typing all of this and got pulled over! Doh!!!
[doublepost=1564011015][/doublepost]
Agreed. I am looking at the "Membership" section of the Costco app and all it has are:

* Member Number
* Since Date
* Expiration Date
* Member Portrait
* Member QR code

The Wallet app can easily accommodate all of these fields.
Screenshot the QR code. Wait a few hours or a day, re-open the app. You’ll notice the QR code is different. I’ve uploaded what happened with mine.

They do this to prevent you from sharing screenshots of your card to your friends, requiring they pony up for their own membership.

Notice the top of the QR code is different. In the screenshot version vs the regular version.

Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google made waves yesterday by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...