Instacart Express, a delivery service that provides free delivery and reduced service fees for orders worth $35 through Instacart, can be a convenient way to meet your shopping needs if you regularly use delivery services. Nonetheless, you must meet the $35 threshold to make this service worth the penny.
Instacart is a delivery service that serves many clients in the USA and Canada. It has a subscription-based service called Instacart Express, through which it offers reduced service fees and free delivery to clients whose orders are worth $35 or more. You can opt for Express services by paying a $9.99 or $99 monthly or yearly bill, respectively. With that, you can order items via Instacart from different grocery stores and have an Instacart delivery guy shop for you and deliver them to your doorstep. What’s more, if your orders are worth $35 or more, you will have them delivered free and at reduced service fees. Is Instacart Express worth it? What are its pros and cons? Peer into this article to find the answer to these questions.
The basics about Instacart Express
Let’s see the basics of Instacart Express before seeing the details about its suitability. It is paid delivery service arrangement under Instacart that allows subscription members to order groceries and have them delivered at reduced delivery and service fees. As mentioned before, Instacart Express provides free delivery if your order is worth $35 or more. However, service fees are only reduced and not eliminated. According to the Instacart website, subscribing to and using Instacart Express helps save as much as $7 per order. You can shop as many times as possible, every time ensuring that you meet the $35 threshold to make your penny count. As long as you use delivery services often, Instacart Express should be worth it, considering that you can save more than $300 per year, yet the yearly fee is only $99. What’s more, you can shop from any grocery store within your area while using Instacart Express.
Where can I shop with Instacart Express?
As long as Instacart services are available in your residential area, you can comfortably use Instacart Express. Basically, Instacart is available in select metropolitan areas in 9 Canadian provinces, as well as Washington D.C. and the 50 U.S. states. However, its services are not available in Quebec, Canada. You can confirm whether your residential area is covered by Instacart services by logging into the company’s website and searching for your zip code.
What pricing does Instacart Express use?
You can subscribe to Instacart Express by paying a monthly or yearly fee of $9.99 or $99, respectively. When you order items worth $35, the delivery fees are automatically waived off. Besides, Express services allow you to have subsidized service fees that start at 1.9% instead of 5% that applies for non-member Instacart users. Instacart usually charges additional fees for ordering alcoholic drinks. This, too, is subsidized by about 50% when you subscribe to Instacart Express. The pricing seems fair, especially if you use these delivery services regularly and meet the threshold. Instacart Express actually promises to help save $7 every time you order groceries with them, something non-members don’t enjoy.
What are the benefits of shopping with Instacart Express?
If you regularly order groceries via delivery services, Instacart Express might be a good option for you. This is because;
- It is convenient and delivers groceries to your doorstep
- You enjoy free delivery services for orders worth $35 and above
- You have your service fees subsidized if you meet the threshold, allowing you to save more
- It is a socially-distanced shopping approach that suits the current Covid-19-triggered circumstances
- You can shop from different groceries within your area, but you have to stick to one grocery per order
- You can shop for any household item and grocery that you may want
- You can save at least $7 per order, which non-members don’t enjoy
Are there any potential downsides to ordering items via Instacart Express?
Despite the many advantages discussed above, there are a few drawbacks to using Instacart Express. They include;
- Instacart Express is only available for metro states with Instacart
- The services are not readily available for rural folks, denying them the opportunity to enjoy them
- Some items on Instacart Express are highly price, costing more than they cost in the grocery stores
- Unlike other delivery services such as Walmart and Amazon Fresh that eliminate service fees once you meet the threshold, Instacart only reduces the fees
- You cannot enjoy Instacart Express services if you are living outside USA and Canada
- The services are generally more expensive than shopping in-store or using a curbside pickup to deliver your groceries
How can I get a feel of Instacart Express?
Every penny you spend should be worth what you spend it on. As such, you might wonder how to get a feel of Instacart Express before signing up for this delivery service. First things first, you must download the Instacart app and install it on your phone or tablet since the Express option is available on the app. You can then log into your account, view it, and select ‘Join Express.’ At this point, you are ready to join express services and pay for them. However, you can get the feel before paying subscription fees by taking advantage of the free trial. If you have the app, you will get SMS from time to time about when Instacart is offering a free trial for the Express version. You can sign up for it and explore it within the 14 days during which it runs. At the end of the 2-week trial period, you can choose whether to continue with the services and pay for them.
Our recommendation
Instacart Express is a convenient way of saving a few bucks while having your groceries conveniently delivered to your doorstep. We recommend that you try and meet the $35 threshold while ordering items with it to get free delivery and subsidized service fees. Besides, shop at least 14 times in the course of the year to save $364 with this arrangement. This way, your subscription will undoubtedly be worthwhile.
Conclusion
Instacart Express is a subscription-based arrangement under Instacart delivery services that offers you free delivery and reduced service fees for grocery orders worth $35 and above. It is a convenient way to shop, especially when you can meet the $35 threshold and shop regularly. However, it is only available in select areas in the USA and Canada and has some items charged more than what they cost in the stores.
In today's world, people's eating and exercise patterns have changed, and it is often lifestyle that is the cause of many diet-related illnesses. I believe that each of us is unique – what works for one does not help another. What is more, it can even be harmful. I am interested in food psychology, which studies a person's relationship with their body and food, explains our choices and desires for specific products, the difficulty of maintaining optimal body weight, as well as the influence of various internal and external factors on appetite. I'm also an avid vintage car collector, and currently, I'm working on my 1993 W124 Mercedes. You may have stumbled upon articles I have been featured in, for example, in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Grazia, Women's Health, The Guardian, and others.
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