Here’s a fun little perk that could help get you through the next couple of months: Instacart and Mastercard teamed up to offer cardholders two months free of the shopping service’s Instacart Express program.
(Not yet a basic Instacart member? Join for free now with our referral link (thank you!) and save $10 off your first order of $35 or more!)
What is Instacart Express?
Many delivery and rideshare companies now have paid subscription services that give you expedited service, waived or reduced service fees, complimentary delivery, etc. (Think DoorDash‘s DashPass, Uber Eats Pass, Grubhub+, Lyft Pink, etc)
Instacart Express is basically that for, well, Instacart. It offers members:
- No delivery fee on orders over $35 (Delivery fees start at around $3.99 for non-Express members)
- Reduced service fees (Fees start at 5% for non-members)
- No busy pricing fees during peak delivery hours
- No pickup or service fees for pick up orders (Oh, no fees for me picking up my own order. How kind.)
It costs $99 for an annual subscription or $9.99 on a monthly basis.
But if you want to give it a shot for a couple of months, yank out your Mastercard!
Mastercard – Instacart Express Promotion
Mastercard holders are eligible to receive a complimentary two-month Instacart Express trial subscription. So if you don’t want to go out in the elements (weather, crowds, traffic, deadly virus…), this is definitely an option worth considering.
Here’s where Chase Freedom Flex‘s Mastercard branding may actually come in handy!
To sign up, visit Instacart.com/Mastercard. The promotion is valid through March 31, 2021. Only US-issued Mastercards are eligible. (Sorry, Canadian readers. I don’t make the rules.) You can see all the small print here.
If you need a Mastercard, our credit card partner has a whole bunch ’em right here.
A few good, no-annual-fee option worth considering are:
- Chase Freedom Flex
- Capital One Quicksilver Cash
- Capital One SavorOne
- Citi Double Cash Card (which made the CardRatings best cards of the year list)
Instacart Fees Count Toward Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel-Grocery-Gas Credit!
FWIW, Instacart’s fees coded as “Groceries” on a recent Costco order I placed through the service. Those all credited back to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
The card’s annual $300 travel credit now applies to grocery stores and gas stations, as well (through June 2021).
Final Approach
Instacart is a great service with all sorts of shopping options: grocery stores, liquor shops, warehouse/wholesale stores, etc. Whether or not the Instant Express feature is worth $99/year is completely up to you. But I think it’s worth two months of tire-kicking if you hold a Mastercard.
Featured image: ©iStock.com/BsWei
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
