Shopping in person for food or other products has always been a chore, especially when you have a busy life. We only have 24 hours in a day, so many of us have turned to businesses to help us get the food we need easily. One service, the ever popular Instacart, is one of them.
Using Instacart today gives you over 700 million grocery listings and 600,000 shoppers, so no matter where you are, you are able to get groceries delivered right to your door. That said, while some people use it casually, there are a ton of perks Instacart has that will make you likely to use it more regularly.
Do you want to use Instacart more frequently or get started as a new user? We’ll cover all there is to know about Instacart perks so you can get started on your Instacart journey.
Want to know more about savings while you shop? Check out our tips on Best Buy Outlet, Amazon’s Subscribe and Save and improving your Target shopping experience.
The basics of Instacart
Using Instacart can make grocery shopping a thing of the past.
Instacart
If you’ve never used Instacart before. It’s very simple to understand. All you have to do is sign up and then:
- Choose what you want from your store of choice based on your location
- Get your items the same day.
During the time between ordering and delivery, you can see real time updates of the personal shopper and you can chat with them about your order as its happening. And one of the best things about the service is that you can make delivery contactless or pick it up curbside if needed.
Other basic benefits include the ability to get items swapped should something you want is sold out. Here’s the breakdown:
- Find the best match: Your shopper will pick an item using their best judgment to pick a replacement by default.
- Pick a specific replacement: You’ll pick the alternative yourself and the shopper will get it if your first item is out of stock.
- Don’t replace: You won’t get any item, rather, you will get a refund on the item instead.
The cost of using Instacart
One of the reasons why people use Instacart so frequently is that it’s free to use. What you are paying for are fees starting at $4 for same day orders over $35. If you chose to pick up your groceries, you might get a “pick-up” fee (it’s the equivalent to a delivery fee).
There are also potential service fees for things like location, the number of items in your cart and alcohol, but this is something you’ll know about as you go through the process of shopping.
What’s even better is that you have access to membership stores too. Because of Instacart, you can shop at:
- Costco
- Sam’s Club
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
If you want even more perks, you can sign up for Instacart Plus because you’ll get even more bang for your buck.
What is Instacart Plus?
These membership benefits make the cost worth it.
Instacart
Instacart Plus used to be Instacart Express. This membership service is for people who want to save more and get even more benefits. If you want to become a member, you can choose a $99 annual or $10 monthly fee.
If you happen to purchase this membership on partner websites such as Costco, Wegmans and more, all you have to do is link your membership account on Instacart’s website to use the service.
When you sign up for Instacart Plus, you should know all the benefits available to you and there are plenty. Here are all the benefits of signing up:
- Unlimited free delivery on orders over $35
- 5% credit back on pickup orders (excludes alcohol)
- A family account where you can share your benefits
- Lower service fees on every order
- Exclusive offers from partners such as Chase, Delta and more
When you sign up, you’ll see that the membership essentially pays for itself within two orders. Now that you know more about Instacart perks, you can use the free or membership version to get your groceries every time you need them.
For more tips, read up on Amazon warehouse, saving on shipping fees and Amazon perks you can’t live without.