For people with long commutes, spending on gas constitutes a big part of the monthly budget. Getting good cashback on your gas spending can put a good chunk of money in your pocket.

Gas cashback credit cards with no caps

Abound CU Visa Platinum – 5% cashback

Abound CU Visa Platinum card gives you 5% cashback on gas with no purchase limits. You need to pay a one-time fee of $10 to become join Abound Credit Union before you can apply for the card. The card has no annual fee but it doesn’t come with a sign up bonus.

L&N FCU Platinum CashBack Rewards Visa – 5% cashback

The L&N FCU Platinum Cashback card has 5% cashback on gas with no caps. Eligibility is limited to people from Kentucky who live in specific Kentucky counties. The card has no annual fee.

US bank Altitude Connect – 4% cashback

With the US bank Altitude Connect, you can earn an unlimited 4% on gas but the card has a $95 annual fee. But it comes with a 50,000 point sign up bonus (worth $500).

Venmo card – 3% cashback

Venmo credit card pays 3% on your highest spend category (including gas) with no cap. It pays 2% on the second-highest category spend and 1% thereafter. The card has no annual fee.

US Bank Altitude Reserve – 4.5% cashback with mobile wallet

If your gas pump accepts mobile wallet purchases such as Google Pay and Apple Pay, you could get 3% with US Bank Altitude Reserve card. The card allows you to redeem at 1.5x in Realtime rewards, which makes the 3% cashback 4.5% in Realtime Rewards.

US Bank has high standards (credit score and recent inquiries) for approval and needs an existing relationship with the bank. If you don’t have a US bank account, open a checking account first, and then apply for the Altitude Reserve card.

FNBO Getaway Card – 3% cashback

The FNBO Gateway card offers 3% cashback on gas with no caps. The card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Citi Premier(R) Card  – 3x points on gas

Citi Premier (R) Card has a $95 annual fee but comes with 75,000 sign up points (worth $750) after spending $4,000 in 3 months. The card gives 3x cashback on gas.75

Wyndham Rewards Earner+ – 6x points

Wyndham Rewards Earner+ card give you 6x points on gas but the card has a $75 annual fee. You can get 8x points on gas with a Wyndham Earner Business but that comes with a $95 annual fee.

Gas cashback credit cards with caps

Citi Custom Cash(SM) Card – 5% cashback

Citi Custom Cash(SM) Card  pays 5% cashback on gas spending if that’s your highest spend category. You will earn 5% on the first $500 of spend per month ($6,000 per year) and 1% thereafter

PNC Cash Rewards – 4% cashback

PNC Cash Rewards offers 4% cashback on gas. It also offers 3% cashback on dining, and 2% at the grocery store, and 1% everywhere else. The card has a cap of $8,000 for all bonus categories.

Sam’s Club Mastercard – 5% cashback

Sam’s Club Mastercard gives you 5% cashback on gas at any gas station on the first $6,000 and 1% cashback thereafter. Though the card has no annual fee, you will need a Sam’s club membership, which costs $45 per year. If you shop at Sam’s, this card is a good option.

Costco Anywhere Visa(R) Card By Citi – 4% cashback

If you are a Costco shopper, the Costco Anywhere Visa(R) Card card gives you 4% cashback on eligible gas purchased anywhere. Cashback is limited to the first $7,000 in gas purchases. The card has no annual fee but you will need a Costco membership, which costs $60, to get the card.

Bottom Line

Abound CU Visa Platinum card offers the easiest way to earn 5% cashback on gas with no caps and no annual fee. If you are a Costco or a Sam’s Club shopper, you can get the warehouse club’s credit card to get 4% and 5% respectively. Though these cards have no annual fee, you will need to be a Costco or Sam’s member to apply for the card.

My Money Planet has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. My Money Planet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Here are a few websites that will help you keep up with new products, clearance items, and product reviews. These websites will help you find the best deals and save you time and money.

Costco97.com

The website Costco97’s name comes the fact that if a price ends in 0.97, it means that the product is on clearance. These products won’t be sold in the store again once they are sold out.

The Costco97.com breakdown the clearance items by location. Since Costco clearance sales vary from one location to another, this feature is very useful to find clearance items at your nearest Costco.

Every Monday, Costco97 publishes Markdown Monday with a list of items that are clearance that week. I always take a look at the list to see if any items on the list peek my interest.

You can also check out the clearance calendar to understand when items are likely to go on clearance. You can also find out when certain products will be coming into the store.

In addition, you will find Costco’s monthly coupon books and  Black Friday ads on the site.

Costcoinsider.com

Costco Insider provides reviews on popular Costco products. It has a section with Costco tips, which allows you to get the most value from your membership. It covers a variety of products from lighting to TVs to food items. You will be able to get Costco Hot Buys, coupon books, and Black Friday ads on the site.

Slickdeals.net

Slickdeals is a general deals site. But you can set an email alert for “Costco” and get Costco-specific deals. The Slickdeals community is terrific and you will get valuable tips from the Costco veterans on the site.

Because this is a general deals site, you will not catch all the Costco deals. But the most popular deals will make it to the site. The best part about the site is the discussion that follows after a user posts a Costco deal.

Getting the most out of Costco

Buy gas at Costco

Gas at Costco is $0.20/gallon or more cheaper than the regular gas station. If you use the Costco Visa card to purchase gas at Costco, you will get 4% cash back on up to the first $7,000 per year. Your savings on gas alone will easily pay for your Costco membership.

Get a Costco credit card

If you are a Costco member, getting the Costco Visa card will help you cover the membership fee with the cash back rewards. The card offers:

• 2% cash back at the Costco warehouse and Costco.com
• 4% on eligible gas, for the first $7,000 per year and then 1% thereafter
• 3% on restaurants and eligible travel
• 1% on all other purchases
• Extended warranty – The card extends the manufacturer’s warranty for an additional two years for up to $10,000 per item
• No foreign transaction fee
• No annual fee

Note that this card pays out rewards in Costco rewards certificate. There is no option to redeem the rewards for cash. Your Costco membership fee is also automatically charged to the card every year.

Use Costco Travel

Costco Travel has fantastic deals on vacation packages. These packages (flights + hotel + car, if needed) will be much cheaper than what you can get on your own. Savings can be in the hundreds or even thousands. Some travel packages give Costco Cash cards as rewards. Costco Travel support is top-notch in case you help picking the right travel package.

But the retail industry has been dealing with “returnoholics” for decades – people who buy a high number of products with no intention of keeping them and then returning them to the stores. To be clear, we are not talking about someone returning 5-10 products per year. These returoholics returns a high number of products at different stores – some do it as a hobby to make some money on the side with this hustle.

Retail Equation tracks returns for thousands of stores

The retail industry uses a company called Retail Equation to track returns. Retail Equation is used by almost 40,000 retail stores including many big-box retailers such as Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS Pharmacy, Sephora, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The goal of tracking store returns is to track down the 1% who abuse the system. But as with any system, Retail Equation’s transaction history for any given shopper is not perfect and many people who don’t have a lot of returns get tripped up and are punished. Many of these shoppers are surprised to learn that they are banned from returning items to stores.

Return metrics tracked

The company tracks several return metrics – frequency of returns, the dollar value of returns, whether the products were returned with or without a receipt, and purchase history. TRE does not collect age, race, marital status, or nationality.

The company’s algorithm uses the store return data to calculate a risk score for each shopper. If your risk score is below the store’s threshold, your return is likely to be denied. Each store has its own threshold, so it is hard to generalize. Punishment for too many returns includes banning returns for a year up to permanently banning returns at a store.

A store declined your return? What should you do?

When you return an item at one of the stores that use TRE, sometimes, the store can decline a return. The store will provide you with a receipt that has a website and a phone number for you to call.  You can call TRE to get understand why your return was declined. You will also be able to get a copy of your return activity report (RAR).

How to get a copy of the return activity report?

You don’t need to have your return declined to request a return activity report. Anyone can get a copy by emailing returnactivityreport@theretailequation.com with your name and phone number.  You can also request your report by mail by sending a request to

The Retail Equation
P.O. Box 51373
Irvine CA 92619-1373
The United States

Common beliefs among Costco shoppers

Here are a few common beliefs among Costco shoppers.  These beliefs are true most of the time but not always.

• Costco sells in bulk, so its per-unit cost must be cheaper than other stores
• Costco is a members-only store. So its prices must be the cheapest

Better Deals for some products elsewhere

Diapers

Kirkland diapers may look like a great deal,  you can find better deals at Target, Walmart, or Amazon. Also since Costco sells diapers in high volume, if your baby grows up, you may end up with unused diapers.

Milk

Costco makes you buy two gallons of milk at a time. If you have a big family, that may work fine. Otherwise, you are better off buying them from your grocery store.  Grocery stores also have lower prices for their brand of milk, which are likely to be cheaper than what Costco offers.

Eggs

Eggs have a shelf life of 3 to 5 weeks and are usually cheaper at your supermarket. Unless you are cooking eggs for a big party, you are better off skipping purchasing eggs at Costco.

Name-brand clothing

Most people are aware that items sold at the outlet store or outlet mall are made specifically for those stores – that is they are of lower quality than the full-priced name brand item. The same is true for Costco. These name brand companies make products specifically for Costco – these products are cheaper and lower quality as well. You are better off looking for deals at stores that usually sell these items at full price.

Printer paper and office supplies

Unless you need boxes of paper, you are better off buying paper from office supply stores such as Staples and Office Depot. Staples sometimes run $0.01/per ream deals.  The same is true for office supplies such as pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.  Many stores sell office supplies at huge discounts around back-to-school-time.

Books

Costco only has a limited selection of books, usually just best sellers. But you can find them cheaper at Amazon or other book stores. These places will also allow you to buy electronic versions of books, which are not an option available at Costco. Ebooks tend to be cheap and have the added advantage of not cluttering up your room.

Toothpaste and shampoo

You can buy toothpaste and shampoo cheaper at drug stores and supermarkets.  Sometimes, you can buy for almost free with a coupon. There is no need to buy these items in bulk as they tend to break down after they are opened.

Bottom Line

Costco is a great place to get deals. My family loves shopping at Costco. But you don’t get the best deals at Costco. For certain items, your grocery store may offer better deals.  When you buy at a supermarket, you can only the quantities you need unlike at Costco, which sells items in bulk quantities.

This is not the first time Walmart has tried to compete with Amazon Prime. In 2015, it created a subscription service called ShippingPass with a $49 annual fee that offered two-day shipping but the program was discontinued in 2017.

It sounds like Walmart is targeting Walmart+ subscription at people who already shop at Walmart. 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart store and are likely to shop there just based on proximity.

Walmart said that its Delivery Unlimited, which focused on grocery delivery will be rolled into the new Walmart+ service.

Here are the key perks that come with the Walmart+ subscription plan.

• Free shipping over $35
• $0.05/gal discount on gas
• Check out with Walmart scan and go app at the store (you can skip the line at the stores)
• Same delivery on certain items such as groceries

Walmart+ Vs Amazon Prime

Walmart+ stacks up poorly against Amazon Prime, which offers free shipping on purchases of any amount. Amazon offers streaming video service through Amazon Prime Video. It also offers free unlimited photo storage and a number of other benefits.

Amazon offers a much wider selection of products when compared to Walmart. Amazon Prime customers get discounts at Whole Foods and get two-hour grocery delivery.

Amazon Prime reportedly has 65 to 70 million Prime members in the US and 150 million Prime members globally.  Walmart+ is only available to US customers.

Subscription Fatigue?

Walmart+ is not enticing enough for Amazon Prime members to cancel Prime and sign up with Walmart. Many consumers already subscribe to Netflix, Spotify, and other services where they are paying almost $100 per year. Whether consumers are willing to pay for one more subscription service remains to be seen.

Trading Your Gift Card For Cash

Unwanted gift cards can be traded for cash or can be traded for other gift cards. Here are a few things you should know.

1. In almost all cases, you will not get 100% of the value of the card.  That’s because the websites where you sell the gift cards charge a commission of around 10%.
2. When you sell your gift card matters. If you sell them right after the holidays when everyone has gift cards to sell, there is more supply than demand.  So you are likely to get lower value than other times.
3. Some gift cards are more valuable than others.  Gift card trade approximately between 50% and 90% of the card’s value. Gift cards for Walmart, Amazon, and grocery stores have the highest resale values.
4. Online platforms verify the balance on the credit card before approving the transaction. They also have fraud prevention mechanisms. So if you are selling your gift card, you can be certain that you can get your money.

Where can you sell your gift cards?

Giftcardgranny

Giftcardgranny allows you to sell gift cards on their website.  Choose the best offer and get paid by PayPal, direct deposit to your bank, or a check.

You also have the option to name your price – this typically takes longer as you have to wait for an offer to buy at your price.

You can also trade your gift cards for other cards. Gifcardgranny also has some physical locations where you can exchange your gift card for cash instantly.

Raise

Raise is the largest online gift card market place. You can name your own price if you would like. Raise will take 12% of the selling price and you keep the rest.

If a gift card needs to be mailed, you will be charged 1% or $1, whichever is higher.

CardPool

CardPool allows you to sell your gift cards at select stores and self-serve kiosks and get cash instantly.

CardCash

CardCash is another place where you can sell or trade your gift card.  CardCash gives you up to 14% more if you trade for another credit card.

Other Alternatives

If you don’t like to sell your gift cards online, here are a few other alternatives.

Craigslist

You can list your gift card on Craigslist and sell them there just like any other item. It is best to meet the buyer at a safe place – preferably at the store (whose gift card you are selling), verify the balance, and complete the transaction.

Garage sale

If you prefer not to sell your gift cards online or sell it at a physical store, you can sell them at a garage sale.  Encourage potential buyers to verify the balance on the card by calling the toll-free number at the back.

The downside is that you may not get many buyers and you may not get a good value for your cards.

Bottom Line

There are many ways to convert your gift cards into cash. Online platforms allow you to sell your gift cards with just a few clicks. Selling gift cards online is generally safe.  But if you prefer to sell them in person, you can visit certain stores or you can sell them on your own through Craigslist or garage sale.

Here are some big stores and their policies on price matching to Amazon.

Home Depot

Home Depot will not only price match Amazon but also beat its price by 10%.  Just bring proof of a lower Amazon price either printed out or on your phone and to the customer service desk.

Lowes

Lowe’s promises to match Amazon’s price.  Simply bring proof of Amazon’s prices to the customer service desk.  Price matches for  Lowes.com can be done through phone or chat.

Best Buy

Best Buy will price match Amazon’s price for an identical item.  Go to the customer service desk and show them Amazon’s price. If you would like to price match for a product at bestbuy.com, you need to call or chat online.

Frys

Frys will price match items sold at the store and online at Frys.com to Amazon’s prices.

Target

Guest Service Desk at Target will match Amazon prices with proof.

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Dick’s price matches Amazon for items sold at the store and online.

Walmart

This was a surprise to me.  Walmart B&M store does not price match to Amazon but Walmart.com will.

Kohls

Kohls store will price match to Amazon but Kohls online won’t.

Bed Bath And Beyond

Bed Bath and Beyond will price match Amazon. Just head to the customer service desk with proof of Amazon’s price.

Stores that don’t price match Amazon

The following stores don’t match Amazon prices.

Gamestop
Dillards
CVS
Hobby Lobby

Common store policies on price matching

Here are a few policies that are most common among stores.  Always check each store’s price matching policies online because they are frequently updated.

Stores will insist on proof of Amazon’s prices

Download the Amazon app and take it to the store.  A print out of the prices from Amazon’s website works as well.  The store will verify Amazon’s prices (usually by going to Amazon.com) and if everything goes well, you will get a price match in a few minutes.

Price match only works for identical products

The item you are buying must be identical or nearly identical to the item at Amazon. When trying to price match consider brand and model number.  Sometimes color matters too.

Item must be in stock at Amazon

Stores will not price match products that are out of stock at Amazon

Stores usually do not price match third party Amazon sellers

Amazon is not just a store, it is a market place. Third-party sellers sell their products on the platform.  Most stores do not price match products sold by third-party sellers on Amazon.

Stores don’t match prices Prime member deals

Amazon has special pricing for Prime members.  Stores are unlikely to price match these items.

Stores don’t match prices on clearance items

Stores won’t match prices for close outer clearance or open-box items on Amazon.

You will get better service at the customer service desk than at the checkout lane

Though check-out associates can do price matches at some stores, you will get better service if you go to the customer service desk.  Representatives at the customer service desk are better informed about store policies and sometimes have greater authority to match prices.

Matching a store’s online price with Amazon, use chat to ask for price match

If you are trying to match a store’s online price with Amazon, talk to a chat representative on the store’s website.

Expect limit on the number of items price matched

Many stores will limit the number of items you can price match. Typically, the more expensive the item, the fewer you can purchase with a price match.

Bottom Line

Amazon has great prices on many products.  If you would like to purchase these products at stores close to you, you can do so by price matching to Amazon.  Not all stores do this and policies vary across stores.  But if you are willing to spend some time, you can save money by price matching.

Executive membership gives you a 2% cashback rebate each year but if you don’t spend huge at Costco, a Gold Star membership gives you almost identical benefits.

Costco doesn’t have a guest pass for potential members to check out the store.  It’s one of those policies that doesn’t make sense.  In my opinion, Costco is leaving a lot of money on the table by not giving a guest pass like Sam’s does.

But if you are someone who is not convinced that a Costco membership is worth it, you can shop at Costco without a membership.

1. Use a Costco Cash card for purchases

Costco Cash card is a Costco gift card.  You can have a friend with a Costco membership buy it at the store for you or you can purchase them online at many gift card sites.

You can use the Costco cash card to purchase just like a member.  If you use the card online at costco.com, you will be charged a 5% surcharge for being a non-member.

2. Use a delivery service

You can use a delivery service such as Instacart to buy things at Costco.  But you will pay an additional surcharge if you are not a Costco member.  You will also need to pay for the delivery service and possibly a tip.

3. Shop at Costco.com with a 5% surcharge

Non-members can shop at Costco but will pay a 5% surcharge.  In many cases, you will come out ahead even after paying the surcharge.

4. You don’t need to be a Costco member to use the pharmacy

Costco pharmacy has some of the lowest prices on prescription drugs. You can walk into any Costco and use the pharmacy without a membership.

5. Shop for alcohol without a membership

In many states, you can buy alcohol without a membership.  Costco always has great deals on alcohol.

6. Get your hearing and vision tested without a membership

Getting a hearing or an eye exam at Costco doesn’t require a membership.  But if you want to buy contact lenses, glasses, or hearing aid, you will need a membership.

One way to get around the membership requirement is to use a Costco Cash card to buy glasses or contacts.

7. Eat at the Costco food court without membership

You can get hotdogs, pizza, and soda for a steal at the food court.  You don’t need to be a member to enjoy the cheap food.

Recently, signs have been posted at select Costcos that membership will be required to buy food at the food court.  Check your local Costco for your store’s policies

Bottom Line

A Costco membership easily pays for itself over a year.  But if you are still to be convinced that a membership is worth it, you can use a Costco cash card to shop there. Or you can shop online or use a delivery service but you will pay a 5% surcharge because you are not a member.

You don’t have to be a member to use optical or hearing services, the pharmacy or to buy alcohol at Costco.