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Instacart Review: How To Get Instacart+, Free Delivery, and Maximum Credits [2025

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Lori Zaino
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Edited by: Michael Y. Park
& Jestan Mendame
Instacart Review: How To Get Instacart+, Free Delivery, and Maximum Credits [2025
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I’m a busy working mom, and having access to convenient online grocery services such as Instacart makes my life a lot easier. I can order groceries and everyday essentials from numerous different stores online via Instacart and pick them up while I’m on the go or get home delivery.

If you hold the right credit card, it’s possible to get an Instacart+ membership for free, along with other perks like monthly Instacart credits. Brands such as Chase, Mastercard, and United have partnered with Instacart to offer customers various benefits, credits, and membership options.

This Instacart guide will show you exactly which credit cards you need to get a free Instacart+ membership, how to maximize your monthly credits, and how to stack Instacart deals to extract maximum value from the service.

What Is Instacart?

Instacart is an online grocery marketplace where you can order items from more than 80,000 stores in 14,000 cities across the U.S. and Canada. You can choose the method that works best for you: Get your order delivered or do curbside pickup. The marketplace offers options like Costco, Walgreens, Safeway, Total Wine & More, and numerous other shopping choices and local markets.

To get started, create an account and begin shopping.

Hot Tip:

You can get more than just groceries on Instacart — you can buy beauty items from Sephora or Ulta, order pharmacy items from Walgreens and CVS, or shop at wholesale vendors like Costco.

What Is Instacart+?

Previously Instacart Express, Instacart+ offers a mix of perks for a monthly or annual fee. It gives subscribers free delivery on orders over $10 ($35 or more at Costco) and the ability to share a subscription with family members.

You’ll also get the following benefits with Instacart+ partners:

  • Receive a complimentary Peacock Premium subscription (U.S. only).
  • Receive a free subscription to New York Times Cooking for a year (for annual Instacart+ members only).
  • Get free delivery on eligible restaurant orders of $25 or more.

An Instacart+ subscription typically costs $99 per year or $9.99 per month, but if you hold certain credit cards, you may be eligible to receive it (plus some additional benefits) for free.

You can sign up for an Instacart+ subscription on the Instacart website. Just make sure you enroll with your eligible credit card (listed below) to receive the additional benefits, credits, and reduced fees.

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These Credit Cards Offer Free Instacart+ Membership

The easiest way to maximize Instacard is to get a credit card that offers a partnership with the service.

Chase Cards That Offer Complimentary Instacart+ Membership

The cards below offer a complimentary 3-month Instacart+ membership and $10 Instacart monthly credit (up to $120 total each calendar year) for purchases made directly through Instacart with the eligible Chase card. You must sign up by December 31, 2027, to receive the benefits.

The following Chase Ink cards get a complimentary 3-month Instacart+ membership and $20 in Instacart monthly credits (up to $240 in Instacart credits annually) for purchases made directly through Instacart with the eligible Chase card. As with the other Chase cards, you must sign up before December 31, 2027, to receive the benefits.

With 3 kids and a packed schedule, my wife and I swear by Instacart — even with the slight markup, it’s completely worth it for the time and gas we save skipping those hour-plus grocery runs for our family of 5. Plus, we use various Chase cards that offer complimentary Instacart+ membership and statement credits, making the service a no-brainer for busy families like ours.

Juan Ruiz, senior editor and content contributor at Upgraded Points

United Cards That Offer Complimentary Instacart+ Membership

A 3-month complimentary Instacart+ membership is also included with certain personal and business United MileagePlus credit cards. However, each has its own terms, and monthly credits can’t be combined.

United MileagePlus Members Also Get Perks

United MileagePlus members who don’t have United co-branded credit cards can still get some Instacart+ benefits thanks to the United and Instacart+ partnership. Start by linking your United account to Instacart.

Then you’ll be able to get $0 delivery fees on orders placed shortly before, during, or after a domestic flight with United. You’ll also be eligible for bonus United miles and special promotions found at Instacart.com/p/United.

These are the benefits you can expect:

  • $0 delivery fees for 7 days, available for enrollment when booking a domestic flight with United
  • 500 bonus MileagePlus miles for existing Instacart users who link their United and Instacart accounts and place an order of at least $35 within 60 days
  • 5,000 bonus MileagePlus miles, available for new Instacart members who place 4 grocery orders of at least $35 each within 8 weeks
Hot Tip:

The above benefits are for all United MileagePlus members. Unfortunately, there are currently no special offers available for those who hold United elite status.

Mastercards That Offer Complimentary Instacart+ Membership

Use any eligible Mastercard credit card or Mastercard debit card and get a 3-month complimentary Instacart+ membership, plus $10 off your second order placed each month through January 31, 2027 (for as long as you stay enrolled).

There’s also a Chase Instacart Mastercard®, which allows you to earn 5% cash back on purchases made on the Instacart app (iOS, Android) and Instacart.com. It also comes with a welcome bonus: Get a $50 Instacart credit automatically upon approval.

Hot Tip:

If you don’t want to pay $99 annually or $9.99 per month once your free membership runs out, make sure to cancel your account once the promotional period ends.

How To Maximize Free Instacart+ Membership, Credits, and Rewards

At first glance, a few months of free Instacart+ Membership or $10 in credit may not seem like much, but there are ways to double dip — or triple dip, quadruple dip, and so on.

Use More Than 1 Credit Card

Instacart allows you to have more than 1 eligible credit card in your profile, and you can add several cards across your shared household. This means that if you (or other people in your home) hold various cards that offer Instacart+ membership, you could potentially extend a 3-month membership much longer. You might even be able to get a couple of years of free membership.

Just know that you can only register 1 card of each type on your profile. For example, if you and your partner both have the Ink Business Unlimited card, you won’t be able to register both cards. But if you have the Ink Business Unlimited card and your partner has the Ink Business Cash card, you can add both cards and extend your free membership from 3 months to 6 months.

Stack Your Credits

Let’s say you have 3 cards on your Instacart+ profile: the Ink Business Unlimited card, the Ink Business Cash card, and the United Club card. This means you could get 1 1/2 years of Instacart+ membership, plus $20 off twice per month and $10 off twice per month. If you order groceries once a week, stacking credits from each card can save you a significant amount of money if you apply a credit each week.

For example, in my household, we have 3 of the eligible Chase cards. This means I have 9 months of complimentary Instacart+ membership and 3 separate $10 credits each month.

My husband and I have Instacart credits across 7 of our Chase credit cards. On the Instacart website, I activated the Instacart benefit on each card and saved each card as a payment method in my account. Spending the monthly benefit is easy, as the Kroger across from my gym allows for Instacart pickup. I place my order on the app while working out and it’s ready for pickup within an hour. I pay a $3.99 pickup fee for each order, so while this benefit is not completely free, I consider that I’m saving 60% off the cost of groceries I would buy anyway. Instacart also connects with my Kroger Plus card, so I get the same pricing on the app as I would in the store. Right now with all these cards, my free membership is good until June 2, 2027.

Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points

Use a Shopping Portal

EVreward
Instacart promos on Evreward. Image Credit: Evreward

You may already be double-dipping in the ways I mentioned above, but you can continue to accumulate those points if you click through a shopping portal or a website like Rakuten. For example, I visited Evreward and searched for Instacart. At the time of writing, Capital One Shopping offers 9% back, and The British Airways Club offers 500 additional Avios.

Shop the Deals

Stores that offer coupons, such as $15 off or in-store or no markup pricing (which means they’re not using elevated online pricing), can help you maintain the savings you get with credits. Check the Flyers or Sales tabs on Instacart to see specific offers, sales, promotions, and deals for that day or week.

Save on Delivery

Instacart cart screenshot
Decide on pickup, delivery, or schedule delivery, based on your complimentary Instacart+ membership status. Image Credit: Instacart

If your free Instacart+ membership expires, you can save on delivery fees with pickup (a $3.99 fee). If you need delivery, using a scheduled delivery window offers a $2 discount. Remember that even if you get free delivery, you still need to pay a $2.99 service fee.

Don’t Forget About the Other Benefits

If you have Instacart+ (and especially if it’s the free membership), be sure to sign up for additional benefits, such as a Peacock Premium subscription and a New York Times Cooking subscription, both of which offer added value.

I originally signed up with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® but have kept it since the free Instacart+ benefit expired for the convenience and the free Peacock.

Sara Emerson, VP of paid marketing, Upgraded Points

Final Thoughts

With so many credit cards offering free Instacart+ membership and monthly credits, it’s easy to gain value from Instacart, especially if you’re able to add more than 1 card to your Instacart profile and extend your free Instacart+ membership. Adding more than 1 credit card that offers free Instacart+, clicking through from a shopping portal, and utilizing your monthly credits are easy ways to maximize value from Instacart, especially if you frequently search for deals and shop for in-store pricing and sales items.

Featured Image Credit: Michael Y. Park

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get Instacart+ for free?
It’s easy to get Instacart+ membership for free. Instacart partners with numerous Chase co-brand credit cards, as well as eligible Mastercard debit and Mastercard credit cards, and select United Airlines credit cards to offer free membership. This article lists all the credit cards that offer Instacart+ membership.
How can I get free Instacart delivery?
An Instacart+ membership offers free delivery on orders of more than $10 (or orders of more than $35 at Costco).
What can I buy on Instacart?
You can buy groceries, alcohol, gifts, wine, essential items like toiletries, drugstore purchases, and so much more on Instacart. For example, you can shop online at stores like Costco, Walgreens, Jewel, Loewes, Sephora, and so many more.
What is the best credit card to use for Instacart?
There are many credit cards that offer free Instacart+ membership and various monthly credits. However, the Instacart Mastercard comes with a $0 annual fee and allows you to earn 5% cash-back on Instacart purchases up to $6,000 annually, 5% cash-back on Chase Travel, and 2% cash-back at restaurants, gas stations, and select streaming services. Plus, you’ll get a welcome bonus: Get a $50 Instacart credit automatically upon approval.
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About Lori Zaino

Lori is an intrepid traveler who loves creating itineraries that exude “luxe on a budget.” She’s written for CNN, NBC, The Infatuation, and Forbes and has taken points-fueled trips to Sri Lanka, Sicily, and Myanmar.

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