The Costco Chronicles: Part I

I've been heavy into the Costco gold game now for just about a year. I'm not doing insane numbers like some people across various communities I know (some are doing $300k+/month!), but I'm averaging around $75k a month in purchases in 2025.

It's been a true game-changer for me in terms of reliably hitting SUB spend for cards. It obviously involves risk around the receiving and mailing of the gold, but also with how volatile the gold market can be due to geopolitical tensions and market uncertainty. You might buy when spot is $3400/oz, and by the time you receive your package 3 days later, it could be $3300/oz. There have been instances where I've made a lot of money, even before cashback plays, but at the same time, I've also lost some chunks of change due to spot going down. The past few months have been especially volatile.

What's really made things profitable for me, though, is opening multiple Costco Executive memberships. Each membership gives you 2% back per year (up to $1250) on purchases, obviously including precious metals. I'm currently on my 10th membership, and am now in the groove where I feel confident opening up 1 new one per month.

I've had absolutely no issues with multiple accounts (🤞) that are opened online so far. I jig my address slightly (Ave/Avenue, st/street, Apt #/Unit #, etc) and use a different phone number. From what I can tell, those are the two biggest pieces of info Costco can use to identify someone with multiple accounts. From what I can tell from other data points, a lot of the "busts" for multiple accounts are happening due to people who are buying in person a lot, or cashing more cashback certificates than they should and managers notice the discrepancies. Thankfully, I'm probably doing more than 95% online and also live in the SF Bay Area, where I'm in range of like 8 Costcos within a 45 minute drive.

Some personal strategies of mine for getting into Costco gold for manufactured spend:

• Start slow – no need to go crazy and get ahead of yourself quickly. You can very easily get burned and come out negative.
• Yes, Costco only takes Visa in-store (and Mastercard online), but there are some methods to use American Express to purchase gold at Costco. Join the Discord and sign up for the newsletter, and you'll inevitably find out.
• Sell on Pure for the easiest route. I've used Pure almost exclusively for offloading gold. It's run by good people who are active in the points and MS game as well. Follow their instructions for packaging, shipping, etc, and you'll be all set.
• Sign up for UPS and FedEx accounts to get the most up-to-date data on when your packages are coming.
• Be vigilant and get to know your delivery drivers. UPS was initially the only courier that delivered Costco gold, but there was a large organized crime ring targeting Costco packages, so some SKUs now ship via FedEx. Get to know your drivers and let them know that no one else should be signing for these packages (just don't tell them it's gold!)
• Leverage Groupon when they have deals for new accounts. Right now, they're running what's essentially a free Exec membership + $20. This easily nullifies the $130 membership fee.

There are also additional plays, especially around more cashback, that are just best not to be discussed publicly on platforms that can be indexed by Google – so again, join the Discord if that's something you're interested in talking about further.