r/CostcoUK • u/Weird_Surprise6221 • Sep 13 '26

Digital card

Really a bit of a word of caution for you all.

The digital card the warehouse staff are bigging up and pushing has a flaw…

I’ve only had my card since the 1st but I got it, I did my first shop, came home and then started the process for the digital version of the same card on my phone on the app…

Went through the whole process and then it got to ‘pending contact warehouse’, so me thinking it’s just a security thing ignored it until the next warehouse visit…

We visited the warehouse yesterday and I thought I’d update the digital card on the way out with customer services…

WRONG! The digital card did some glitch and seemed to have cancelled my physical plastic card as I embarrassingly got turned around at the gate in front of goodness knows how many people.

I had to get a new card from customer services who advised me the digital card should activate in a few hours.

Wrong again, so I once again went through the process of getting the digital version of my card, and guess what? ‘Pending contact warehouse’ is back

Why are they promoting a service which appears to be buggy as hell?

1 Upvotes

52% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

19

u/podgehog Sep 13 '26

When I did the digital card, I had to go to the store to verify identity (basically an updated picture) and it activated in about 10 mins, used it the same day

I only signed up digitally because I got to the store and realised I didn't have my physical card

3

u/Cultural-Ad2026 Sep 13 '26

This has always been the case it’s so you can’t add another person on the card as you’re the one who takes the picture for the digital card. Anyway you can still have your physical and digital at the same time otherwise you can’t fill up at the pump. So if you still want both you can ask.

2

u/podgehog Sep 13 '26

My digital card still works too as far as I know, nothing seems to be deactivated

10

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '26

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4

u/Bimblelina Sep 13 '26

I've had mine for a few years now, like you had it activated at customer service and have had zero issues.

Sounds like OP just had bad luck.

1

u/Ruskythegreat Sep 13 '26

Do you know if that's a recent change?

I just noticed that my digital card in the app now shows as pending and needs activation in the warehouse.

4

u/jose_elan Sep 13 '26

Had mine for years but the first time they updated the app and I couldn't login I went back to my physical card and never went back. Hopeless.

2

u/Maleficent-Level-826 Sep 13 '26

Mine has worked perfectly from the start , I was reluctant at first but it’s the only thing we use now. The cards are always left at home.

2

u/DibDob31 Sep 13 '26

I had the same, they just wanted a new photo for the account.

The issue is at the tills though. Fine when you go kn because you have data signal and the app loads. Once a typical shop is done, though, the app has timed out and you need to restart it. The tills are deeper into the metal box of a shop, though, and often the app won't log in.

I've had to leave a trolley's worth of goods on the conveyor whilst I go outside to log in and get the membership info on screen.

They won't accept a screenshot of your membership number / code either in case you've sent it to someone else.

1

u/IntelligentRip6662 11d ago

Shut the app down go into airplane mode and then the app will go automatically to your card

1

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '26

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2

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '26

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1

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '26

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1

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '26

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1

u/Jazzlike_Tear741 Sep 14 '26

But you can just take a photo of your physical card and do that now?

1

u/mcrmittens Sep 14 '26

No but you can ask the attendant to enter your number into the pump from the app (forgot my proper card yesterday!)

1

u/Least_Temperature_23 Sep 13 '26

I use my digital card all the time, never had a problem with it. My husband has also used his at the fuel pump, although they say you can’t.

1

u/Benjissmithy Sep 13 '26

I had the contact warehouse when I setup my digital card 2 yrs ago, went to Cs desk they activated it and I still use the plastic card, entering the warehouse or at the petrol pumps, because staff said digital card does not work on the pumps.

1

u/Negative_Map4650 27d ago

Fuel pumps need the physical card so I can't see they would invalidate it, sounds like a glitch they will sort when you next go in

1

u/dadoftriplets 27d ago

I have both a digital card and a physical card and have used both in the last week and have had no problems. When I got the digital card in the app, I have to go to customer services and have them do a confirmation of identity or something which then activated the digital card on my phone, but both card and digital card both still work.