Costco cash back calculator: what the CIBC Costco Mastercard earns on 5 spending profiles

Costco cash back on the CIBC Costco Mastercard depends on where you spend, not on the headline 3%: on our 5 sample budgets it works out to 1.4% to 1.7% of everything you charge. Restaurants and Costco gas earn 3%, Costco.ca earns 2%, and warehouse shopping earns only 1%. Work out your own effective rate below, then compare it with the alternatives on our best cards for Costco page.

How do you calculate Costco Mastercard cash back?

Multiply what you spend in each category by its rate, then add them up. Rates from CIBC, checked October 4, 2026:

Yearly cash back = (Costco gas + restaurants) x 3% + (Costco.ca + other gas) x 2% + (warehouse + everything else) x 1%. Two caps apply: the 3% and 2% gas rates apply to the first $5,000 of gas and EV charging a year and Costco.ca's 2% to the first $8,000, then 1%, until January 1. There's no limit on total cash back. Divide the result by your total spending to get your effective rate.

How much cash back do different shoppers earn?

Sample data: monthly budgets we made up to show the range, not real cardholders.

The Eats out a lot profile does best (1.7%) because so much of its spending lands in the 3% categories. The Costco-first family profile does worst (1.4%): most of its money goes to warehouse and everyday spending at 1%.

What effective rate should you compare against?

Your own. If another Mastercard pays a flat rate higher than your effective rate on this card, it earns more on the same spending, before any fees. For the Eats out a lot profile that bar is 1.7%; for the Costco-first family profile it's 1.4%. It has to be a Mastercard to use in Canadian warehouses, which take Mastercard, debit and cash but not Visa or Amex. Grocery cards are a weaker comparison than they look, because Costco usually doesn't count as grocery.

Does Executive membership add more cash back?

Executive adds a 2% reward on eligible warehouse purchases, up to $1,250 a year. Gas, pharmacy and food court purchases don't count. Net of the $65 upgrade from Gold Star, on the same sample budgets:

It only pays off above $3,250 of eligible warehouse spending a year (about $271 a month). Our Executive guide has the full break-even table.

When is the cash back paid?

Once a year. Everything earned from January to December arrives as a Costco cash back gift certificate with your January statement, redeemable in Canadian warehouses through the CIBC Mobile Banking App or printed from CIBC Online Banking. That's the catch: you can't take it as cash, so it's worth the full amount only if you shop at Costco anyway.

Which version of the card should you get?

All three Costco cards cost $0 a year and share these rates; the Business card adds 2% on shipping and insurance services. Pick the standard card with $15,000 of income, the World version with $50,000 personal or $80,000 household income, or the Business card if you buy for a business. Our full review covers the fine print, and how to apply lists CIBC's requirements.