In the U.S., Costco is one of those extremely rare retailers who accepts American Express and does not accept either Visa or MasterCard. That exclusive club just got more exclusive, as Costco Canada abruptly severed its relationship with Amex.
“The credit card relationship between American Express and Costco Wholesale Canada will not be renewed when it expires on Dec. 31,” Lorelle Gilpin, vice president of marketing and membership for Costco Wholesale Canada, said Wednesday (Sept. 17) in an E-mail to Canadian customers, Bloomberg reported.
Although “the move doesn’t affect U.S. customers, it signals a possible rift between two companies that have worked closely together. Costco and New York-based AmEx announced in 2010 that they were teaming up to introduce a rewards card for Canadian customers,” the Bloomberg story said. “Costco has 88 stores in Canada, compared with 468 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, according to its website. It has 107 stores in seven other countries.”
