Using foreign membership cards and credit cards at Costco in Korea

A quick post to share some information on this topic. I noticed over on Reddit that somebody was asking about using their American cards at Costcos here in Korea:

Does anyone know if my American Costco membership will work in Korea? I’m visiting my parents and staying in Korea for a little while...

  

Image: costco.co.kr

Use Costco membership cards anywhere

I think most people are aware of the fact that you can use Costco membership cards internationally. I used to work with some Canadian guys who would regularly use their foreign-issued Costco membership cards in the USA. And now that I'm based in Korea, I've used my Korean-issued Costco membership card multiple times in America. Casual internet searches show that this is pretty standard across all Costcos. 

Costco membership options and prices in Korea

In fact, I have a buddy here who says his brother, who lives in America, has been renewing his Korean Costco membership for years because it's cheaper by nearly half price in Korea than USA (~$30 vs $60)

I personally had an experience where I forgot to bring my physical (Korean) card with me to the States, being so used to using it in my Costco app here. Well, the app version wasn't accepted in the USA (the app itself is a different, Korea-centric version of the Costco app, not the same app Americans use). They wanted my physical card. But when I explained my situation, they let me show my "international" membership number, looked it up in their system, and printed me out a receipt with the barcode on it I could use for that day. All I had to do was specify to the cashier that it's an international card number. Great service. 

Use foreign-issued credit cards in to pay at Costco in Korea

At first, it might seem more complicated to use a foreign-issued credit card at Costco in Korea, because Korean branches of Costco routinely make specific deals with domestic card issuers to only accept certain cards (and of course, cash). Until two years ago, only Samsung Cards were accepted. Now, only Hyundai Cards. These are Korea-specific cards that a tourist or visitor will surely not have. 

Samsung Card and Hyundai Card, the former and current required payment cards at Korean branches of Costco

Americans may be used this in some sense, since (last time I went there) Costco there only accepted VISA cards, though it didn't matter which bank issued the card. 

In South Korea however, the exclusivity deals are sharper and for normal Koreans, it's either get a Hyundai Card or pay cash.

But some interesting comments in the post made it clear that people are using other cards:

Costco Korea takes pretty much any visa and mastercard. My chase visa works

I use an international Visa card every time

Our navy federal card works just fine.

So I did some sleuthing, and found this listed in the Costco Korea terms of service:

회원권 원칙 (시행일자 : 2021년 5월 31일)

1. 매장 입장시 회원카드를 반드시 제시해 주시기 바랍니다.

2. 계산상의 실수로 인한 불편함을 방지하기 위해 매장을 나가실 때 영수증을 다시 한번 확인해 드립니다.

3. 회원카드를 타인에게 대여하거나 양도하실 수 없습니다.

4. 회원이 비회원을 동반할 경우 회원 외 성인 2명까지 입장하실 수 있습니다.

5. "개인정보의 수집∙이용∙제공"에 동의하지 않으시면 회원서비스의 제한을 받을 수 있습니다.

6. 현금, 자기앞수표, 코스트코 리워드 현대카드 및 모든 현대 신용카드, 해외 발급 비자카드 및 해외 코스트코 코브랜드 카드를 사용하여 지불할 수 있습니다. (타 신용카드는 사용이 불가합니다.)

7. 멤버십 만료이후 60일 이내 갱신시에는 만료일 변동없이 이용 가능합니다. 모든 가족카드 및 애드온카드는 등록시점과는 관계없이 본회원의 만기일자를 따릅니다. 

이용약관 | 코스트코 코리아 

 

Of interest to us is #6, which states the types of payment accepted at Korean Costcos:

1. Cash
2. (Korean) bank checks
3. Costco Rewards Hyundai Card
4. All Hyundai-issued credit cards
5. Overseas Visa cards
6. Overseas Costco branded cards

So we can see that in fact foreign-issued VISA cards are accepted at Costcos. 

This might explain how some (presumably military folks) are using Navy Federal cards, which seem to be branded as Visa cards.

Since Visa cards are so clearly approved, I was curious how one of the Reddit commenters was claiming to have used a Master Card, but I wonder if that qualifies under the "overseas Costco payment cards" category, such as this type of card:

Capital One Mastercard for Costco Members. Image: Canadian Budget Binder

So yes, your foreign-issued Costco membership cards and foreign-issued credit cards (assuming it's branded with the VISA logo) will work at Korean Costcos. 

You can also pay with cash, assuming you have a valid Costco membership. 

Rules for online Costco shopping (Costco Mall, 코스트코 온라인몰) are different

This all works pretty well for visiting the Costco warehouse, but what about ordering online from Costco's website? 

Use Korean Costco membership card to buy online in USA

I once tried to shop, from Korea and using my Korean Costco card, on the US-based Costco website, wanting the items to be delivered to a US address and be waiting for me when I arrived. 

I double-checked with Costco customer service via e-mail, and they informed me that this is allowed. I can use my Korean-issued Costco membership card to order products online, but the payment card used for such an order must have a USA billing address. So using a Korean Costco membership card was fine, but I had to use an American credit card to pay for the items.  

Use Korean Costco membership to buy online in Korea

Meanwhile, it seems the Costco.co.kr online mall for Korea is less lenient, and requires a Korean-issued membership card:

Can foreigners join as Costco members?

Yes, both local nationals and foreigners can join Costco. However, a Costco membership card issued in Korea is necessary for online registration. You cannot use the Costco Korea online mall with a membership card issued overseas.

Frequently Asked Questions - Member Service | Costco Korea

In fact, not only can you not use a foreign-issued Costco membership card to order things from Costco online in Korea, but you also need to create an online mall account by registering on the Costco.co.kr website. 

Other countries?

I had an acceptable experience ordering to USA Costco with my Korean card online, but apparently Costco has a special "Global Membership" program where you should pre-register your Korean membership in order to shop online in other countries' websites. 

Perhaps the rules have changed, or perhaps just these specific countries allow payment via Korea-issued payment cards? I haven't tried it but these FAQs may be of interest if you fit this use case:

In what countries can I use global membership to shop?

Members signed up in Costco Korea can now shop at Costco online stores in United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and Taiwan. More Countries will be available in the near future.

How can I use global membership?

Please complete the Online registration at other countries' Online Store you wish to shop.
Make sure to select “International Costco Member” and “South Korea” as the Home Country for membership validation.
Please follow the step by step guideline below for each country.

What kind of payment method do foreign Costco online stores support?

The payment methods vary from country to country. Please find payment information in Terms and Conditions for each country.

Can I pay in Korean won when I shop at foreign Costco online store?

You can only pay with the local currency when shop at foreign Costco Online Stores.

 [ Costco Korea - Global Membership FAQs ]

Shopping at Costco in Korea without any Costco membership

What if you don't have a Costco membership at all? Shopping at Costco in Korea is still technically possible.

Actually, you can visit the food court and buy prepared food items without needing to show any membership card. So if you're just hungry for the cheap hot dog and soda combo, stop on by.

Costco Gift Certificate vouchers (코스트코 상품권)

Meanwhile, you can buy products at Costco in Korea without a membership if you pay via Costco Gift Certificate vouchers (코스트코 상품권). 

In this case, just show the gift certificate to the cashier when he/she asks for your membership card. You can see below that they even specify "one day pass" on the back. 

Costco Gift Certificates in Korea. Image: OnPC

Where do you get these? You can either have an actual member buy one for you from the Costco customer service desk, or else you can buy them yourself online. 

Listing for 100,000 won Costco Gift Certificate on Danawa

The Danawa page above shows a ~$100 Costco gift certificate available on G-Market, Auction, and Interpark, but you can find them elsewhere too. In fact you can even get them on second-hand market Daangn Market (Carrot Market).

If you only want to make one or two visits to Costco during your time in Korea, this could be a decent alternative without any of the headache or cost of dealing with memberships. They may have a $2~$3 shipping fee, but that beats a ~$30 membership cost. 

Of course you can also just visit the store with someone who is a member, since members can bring two others with them, and you can even ask the cashier to split the items into two transactions - both under the member's membership card of course but paid for with different payment methods (though recall that Costco Korea only accepts either Hyundai Card or cash). 

Final thoughts

So there you go. I enjoy the great deals at Costco, especially for milk, meat, and fruit. I can't say I'm a fan of their clothing options since they tend to carry a lot of "Asian size" items. Asian size, I am not. It's also fun to see what interesting things they have at the food court that I assume isn't available at other Costcos worldwide, like a sweet pumpkin soup or a soft persimmon smoothie. 

Food court options at Korean Costco. Image: Expat Grocery Gurus

Seasonal persimmon smoothie at Costco in South Korea. Image: Expat Grocery Gurus

Happy shopping.