Instacart Mastercard Review: Grocery Delivery Made More Rewarding
The Bottom Line
4.5
Tailor-made for those who regularly use Instacart for grocery shopping, this card’s reward structure will help offset the cost for the convenience of having someone shop for you. If Instacart isn’t for you, other credit cards offer high rewards rates for grocery store purchases without limiting you to the Instacart service.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-5%
Bonus offer
Get a free year of Instacart+ and a $100 Instacart credit automatically upon approval. Membership auto-renews. Terms apply.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 20.24%-28.99% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
$0
More details from Chase
More details from Chase
- Best Offer: Get a free year of Instacart+ and a $100 Instacart credit automatically upon approval. Membership auto-renews. Terms apply.
- Earn 5% cash back on Instacart app and Instacart.com purchases
- Earn 5% cash back on Chase Travel℠ purchases, including flights, hotels, and more
- Earn 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations and on select streaming services
- Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No annual card fee
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee.
High rewards rate.
Flexible rewards redemption.
New cardholder bonus offer.
World Elite Mastercard benefits.
Cons
No intro APR.
Requires good to excellent credit.
Detailed Review
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person grocery shopping quickly became a thing of the past for many people who opted for the ease and comfort of home delivery. Instacart emerged as one of the biggest online grocery services, and now it offers a credit card designed to reward devoted shoppers.
The Instacart Mastercard® earns 5% cash back on Instacart app and Instacart.com purchases, with no cap on rewards and a $0 annual fee.
While the Instacart Mastercard® is most rewarding for Instacart orders, it boasts appetizing rewards in other categories, too: 2% cash back on restaurants, gas stations and some streaming services. It also offers a 5% rewards rate for travel booked through Chase's travel portal, but that's separate from the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal, which will likely limit how often you can score 5% cash back.
» MORE: Best credit cards for groceries
An Instacart+ membership isn't required to order with Instacart or to carry the Instacart Mastercard®. Membership costs $99 per year, but it includes benefits like unlimited free delivery for orders over $35, lower service fees and exclusive offers.
Instacart Mastercard®: Basics
Card type: Cash back.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Get a free year of Instacart+ and a $100 Instacart credit automatically upon approval. Membership auto-renews. Terms apply.
After the first year of membership ends, Instacart+ membership automatically renews at $99 a year.
Rewards:
5% cash back on Instacart app and Instacart.com purchases, including Instacart memberships and subscriptions.
5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase's travel portal.
2% cash back on restaurants, gas stations and select streaming services.
1% cash back on all other purchases.
Redemption: Redeem cash back as a direct deposit or statement credit. There’s no minimum to redeem. In the future, there's the option to use rewards to pay for Instacart purchases.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 20.24%-28.99% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Other benefits: The Instacart Mastercard® is a World Elite Mastercard, which offers perks such as:
Purchase protection and extended warranty protection.
Travel protections, including lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance.
Auto rental collision damage waiver and roadside assistance service.
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Great for Instacart loyalists
As the name of the card suggests, the Instacart Mastercard® is meant for the die-hard Instacart shopper. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another credit card that earns 5% cash back on Instacart orders. Plus, Instacart grocery rewards from the card are unlimited, unlike some cards that have a cap.
Yes, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers 6%* on Instacart purchases from eligible U.S. supermarkets, but that's only on combined grocery purchases up to $6,000 per year. It also has an annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. Terms apply.
If you regularly place Instacart orders, you may have already paid $99 for an annual Instacart+ subscription. If you're approved for the card, you’ll still get the current sign-up bonus of a 1-year Instacart+ free trial. Current Instacart+ members will have their subscription renewal date pushed back a year upon being approved for the Instacart Mastercard®.
Earns cash back beyond Instacart
In addition to the stellar 5% on Instacart orders, a 2% rewards rate on restaurants, gas stations and select streaming services makes the Instacart Mastercard® competitive with other cash-back cards. You'll also earn an impressive 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase's travel portal. (Caveats apply; keep reading for more.)
The Instacart Mastercard® is packed with other valuable benefits, too. Not every card with a $0 annual fee comes with money-saving perks like no foreign transaction fees, travel protections and purchase protections.
Elevated earnings through Chase's travel portal
A credit card that offers 5% cash back on grocery delivery and travel is a rare breed. The Instacart Mastercard® earns 5% on flights, car rentals, cruises and hotels. The catch: You have to book through the Chase Travel℠ Center, which is accessed by calling the number on the back of the Instacart Mastercard®. Travel booked through the separate Chase Ultimate Rewards® program isn't eligible to earn 5% cash back. This stipulation may be frustrating for some travelers who will opt to use a different card to book travel the way they want.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Less valuable for sporadic Instacart users
The Instacart Mastercard® earns rewards on Instacart orders only. In-person grocery hauls or after-work grocery runs that you make yourself won’t get 5% cash back. If you want solid grocery rewards without a fee, you might try the $0-annual fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express instead. It earns 3% back* at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year. The 3% rate also applies to orders placed with delivery services including Instacart. Terms apply.
Or try a flat-rate credit card. Cards like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card or the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard® earn 2% back on all purchases, not just a few select categories.
Geographically limited to where Instacart is available
Instacart’s reach is surely broad — delivery is available from over 70,000 stores — but it’s not universal. If you live in an area that Instacart doesn’t deliver to, or if your favorite store isn’t a participating retailer, the Instacart Mastercard® won’t be of much use to you.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
This card is a logical and potentially lucrative choice for those who already regularly use Instacart for grocery delivery. If you aren’t yet an Instacart convert but want to give it a whirl, the time to do so may be now. The sign-up bonus that comes with the Instacart Mastercard® makes the Instacart service more affordable, at least temporarily.
But absent the ability or intent to shop through Instacart, this credit card won’t do you much good. The 5% cash back rewards rate applies to Instacart orders only and doesn't extend to grocery store purchases.
*Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
If a healthy chunk of your monthly spending goes toward groceries but you don't always use Instacart for your shopping, consider the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. It earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year — and that includes orders placed with delivery services like Instacart. Terms apply.
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Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
About the author
Jae Bratton
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
