Costco FSA-Eligible Items: Departments, Products Listed

Short Answer — FSA-eligible items you can purchase at Costco include reading glasses, contact lenses, prenatal vitamins, and blood pressure monitors. Other items like medications are also eligible with a valid prescription.

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Costco FSA-Eligible Items

You can use your flexible spending account (FSA) at Costco to make eligible purchases. Common FSA-eligible expenses include things like dental care, optical care, and hearing aids.^[1]

Note that eligible items for your flexible spending account (FSA) can vary depending on your employer’s plan description.^[2]

We contacted Costco’s corporate customer service department, and Costco warehouse locations in Florida, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee; all of the representatives we spoke with said Costco accepts FSA.

There are three departments at Costco that have FSA-eligible items: the pharmacy department, the optical center, and the hearing aid center.

Since your employer’s plan determines which items are covered, we’re unable to provide a list of FSA-eligible items that will apply to all account holders. Instead, we’ve listed the items marked FSA-eligible by Costco and/or the IRS below.

Eligible Items With No Prescription

You can buy many items with your FSA without a prescription.

Available items at Costco include:

Blood pressure monitors^[3]
Contact lenses^[4]
Electrical muscle stimulation^[5]
Eye care^[6]
Family planning^[7]
First aid^[8]
Hearing aids^[9]
Hot and cold therapy^[10]
Incontinence^[11]
Joint supplements^[12]
Nasal mist^[13]
Prenatal vitamins^[14]
Reading glasses^[15]
Sunscreen^[16]
Wheelchairs and walkers^[17]

Eligible Items With a Valid Prescription

The IRS allows FSA eligibility for a variety of additional items, provided you have a valid prescription.

This includes over-the-counter medications — though they don’t typically require prescriptions, you’ll need a prescription from a doctor to buy them with your FSA card.^[18]

If you don’t have a prescription, you can still purchase these items at Costco using a different payment method.

Acne treatment^[19]
Allergy medicine^[19]
Antacids^[19]
Antibiotics^[19]
Anti-fungal treatment^[19]
Anti-itch treatment^[19]
Aspirin and baby aspirin^[19]
Chest rubs^[19]
Children’s cold and allergy medicine^[19]
Children’s fever and pain relievers^[19]
Children’s stomach and digestive aids^[19]
Cold and flu medicine^[19]
Cold sore treatments^[19]
Corn, callus, and wart remover^[19]
Cough drops and cough sprays^[19]
Cough medicine^[19]
Diaper rash cream^[19]
Ear drops and ear wax remover^[19]
External pain relievers^[19]
Eye drops^[19]
Feminine care^[19]
Hemorrhoid treatment^[19]
Laxatives^[19]
Lice treatment^[19]
Nasal spray^[19]
Oral pain relief^[19]
Pain relievers^[19]
Skin treatments (such as eczema cream)^[19]
Sleep aids^[19]
Smoking cessation assistance (gum and patches)^[19]
Stomach and digestive aids^[19]

Tips for Using Your FSA at Costco

Not all Costco locations accept FSA cards at the main checkout registers. About 50% of the stores we contacted said FSA cards are only valid at the pharmacy; Costco vision centers may also accept FSA cards.

You can, however, take FSA-eligible items from a different department to a Costco register that accepts FSA cards, such as in the pharmacy or vision center.

You can also buy FSA-eligible items at Costco.com, but customer service representatives told us that FSA cards often present processing issues when customers try to make online purchases. Because of this, it’s typically best to purchase in-stock items with your FSA card in person at your local Costco.

Additionally, note that any funds remaining in your FSA at the end of the year won’t roll over into the next year; unused funds are forfeited.^[20] To avoid lost funds, keep track of your account balance and use your benefits before the end of the year.