Does Costco Have EV Charging Stations & What's The Cash-Back Rate?

If you're a Costco regular, you're familiar with the long lines of people waiting in their cars to fill up their tanks with discounted gas. While the wholesale club doesn't offer a full-service auto center, Costco can still do a few things for your car. However, if you drive an EV, you may have looked on with envy because there weren't many services available to help you maintain your vehicle. The good news is that's beginning to change, as the retailer recognizes there's a market for electric vehicle support. You may have even noticed EV charging stations at your local Costco. In fact, Costco has led the way with support for electric vehicles, and back in 2006, it had 90 chargers across 64 stores in several states. But they didn't last long because the demand just wasn't there, and many of them went unused due to low demand. 

Fast forward a decade or so — EV adoption is more widespread, and Costco is getting back in the game. Costco still doesn't have an extensive network of EV charging stations, so you may not see one at your local warehouse, but the retailer has partnered with Electrify America to bring them to more locations. That means, whether you're driving one of the EVs with the worst range or one with the best, at some point, you may be able to charge it at your local Costco Warehouse. Given Costco's reputation for low prices, there's a good chance the charging rates will be competitive too.

Costco is slowly but surely expanding its network of EV charging stations through its partnership with Electrify America. When Electrify America first announced its collaboration with Costco, charging stations were available at five locations: Clermont, Florida, Denver, Colorado, Loomis, California, Pleasanton, and Sacramento, California. These Hyper-Fast charging stations are integrated into the Electrify America network and offer speeds of up to 350 kW. Costco owns the charging stations and decides how much customers pay.

Whether you drive the Kia EV9 SUV, the Nissan Ariya crossover SUV, or another EV model, you should be able to charge your vehicle, since Electrify America says the charging stations are compatible with almost all EV brands. While Electrify America's initial announcement only named five Costcos with EV charging stations, that number has grown over the past year, and the rollout is expected to continue. There's no centralized list of EV charging station locations on Costco's website. However, you can use the Electrify America app on iOS or Android to see if there's a charging station at a Costco near you.

From trading in your old phone to insurance, a Costco membership comes with a lot of perks. If you have a Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, you can add one more perk to the list, giving you even more reasons to plug in. That's because you'll get cash back rewards when you pay for your gas or EV charging with the credit card at eligible locations. Buy your gas at Costco and you'll get 5% cash back, otherwise you'll earn 4% on eligible gas and EV charging elsewhere, up to $7,000. After that, you'll receive 1% cash back on those purchases for the rest of the year.