Instacart Mastercard® Review: 5% Cash Back on Instacart Purchases

If you love the luxury of having your groceries delivered to you, but don’t love paying for extra delivery fees, the Instacart Mastercard® might be for you. You’ll get 5% cash back on all Instacart purchases. This card can help you cut costs so you can avoid the grocery store and enjoy the convenience of delivery. Plus, you’ll get additional cash back on travel, at restaurants, gas stations and on select streaming services.

But if going to the store is your preferred way to get groceries, you should consider another credit card that gives you cash back in-store.

Looking for a great card for in-store purchases? See our list of best cash back credit cards

• Annual fee: $0
• Sign-up bonus: Get a $50 Instacart credit automatically upon approval.
• Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on Instacart app, Instacart.com and Chase Travel purchases, 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations and on select streaming services and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• APR: 19.74% - 28.49% Variable
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign transaction fee: $0
• Other benefits: World Elite Con­cierge, Auto rental col­li­sion damage waiver, Purchase protection, Extended warranty protection, Baggage delay insurance, Lost luggage reimbursement, Roadside assistance, Travel accident insurance and Travel and emergency assistance services.
• Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• High cash back rewards

  If Instacart is your favorite way to stock up on groceries, the Instacart Mastercard® is a must-have for earning cash back. It comes with elevated cash back in several categories:

  • 5% cash back on Instacart app and Instacart.com purchases.
  • 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel.
  • 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations and select streaming services.
  • 1% cash back on all other purchases.

  5% cash back on Instacart purchases is high for a no-annual-fee grocery card. Plus, you’ll get the same high cash back when you book travel through Chase Travel. You’ll also find value outside of Instacart with elevated cash back on restaurant, gas station and streaming service purchases. But if you like to shop for groceries in person, you’ll only get 1% cash back on those purchases.

• Instacart credit upon approval

  With the Instacart Mastercard® you’ll get a $50 Instacart credit automatically upon approval. It’s rare for a credit card to offer a sign-up bonus with no spending requirement. If you’re looking for a higher welcome offer you may have to hit a spending requirement to get it.

  For example, the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express allows you to earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.  The Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express allows you to earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.

• Flexible redemption options

  The Instacart Mastercard® offers extremely flexible rewards redemption options. Although the card is a cash back card, there are several ways you can redeem rewards:

  • Cash back: There’s no minimum to redeem for cash back. You can redeem as a direct deposit or statement credit.
  • Travel: Book flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals and more through Chase Travel.
  • Instacart orders: Pay for all or part of your purchase in the Instacart app or on Instacart.com. There’s no minimum rewards balance to redeem.

  These redemption options are excellent compared to other grocery cards. For example, the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express only allows you to redeem cash back for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

  You can also use Chase Pay Over Time post-purchase to pay off eligible purchases of $100 or more in smaller, equal monthly payments. Or you can use Pay Over Time at checkout on Amazon.com for totals of $50 or more.

• Other benefits

  The Instacart Mastercard® comes with a solid list of benefits for a no-annual-fee credit card. You’ll get access to World Elite Mastercard benefits including:

  • World Elite Con­cierge: 24/7 concierge services.
  • Auto rental collision damage waiver: Secondary coverage for rental car collision and damage when you decline the rental company’s insurance and charge the cost to your card.
  • Purchase protection: Covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
  • Extended warranty protection: Extends the manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less.
  • Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses you for essential purchases for baggage delays over six hours up to $100 a day for three days.
  • Lost luggage reimbursement: Coverage of up to $3,000 per passenger if your luggage is damaged or lost.
  • Roadside assistance
  • Travel accident insurance: Coverage of up to $500,000.
  • Travel and emergency assistance services

• No elevated rewards on grocery purchases made in-store

  If you only use Instacart occasionally and do most grocery shopping in-store, the Instacart Mastercard® might not be for you. You’ll only earn 1% cash back on purchases made at grocery stores. But you can use the card to get 5% back on eligible pickup orders.

  There are many grocery credit cards that offer elevated rewards on in-store groceries. For example, the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express offers 6% cash back* at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year. But you’ll pay a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (see rates & fees) The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express lets you earn 3% cash back* at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year for a $0 annual fee (see rates & fees).

• No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers

  The Instacart Mastercard® doesn’t come with an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers. If you’re planning to use your card to finance a large purchase or transfer a balance, you’ll want to look elsewhere. If you carry a balance month over month, you’ll be subject to an APR of 19.74% - 28.49% Variable.

  The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express may be a better option for you. It offers an intro APR of 0% on purchases for 15 months and 0% on balance transfers for 15 months. Then, a 18.49%-29.49% Variable APR applies (see rates & fees).

Instacart Mastercard® vs. Prime Visa

If you’re a Whole Foods shopper, or you like to get your groceries delivered, the Prime Visa is a great choice. Like the Instacart Mastercard®, you’ll get 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores, 1% back on all other purchases. You’ll also get a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members.

Choosing between the Instacart Mastercard® and Prime Visa comes down to which online platforms you use the most. If you’re already a Prime member and don’t mind where your grocery delivery is from, the Prime Visa might be for you.

Instacart Mastercard® vs. Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express offers a much higher earning rate on grocery purchases than the Instacart Mastercard®. You’ll earn 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more), 1% Cash Back on other purchases. Terms apply. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

You’ll also earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Plus, there’s an intro APR of 0% on purchases for 12 months. After that, a 18.49%-29.49% Variable APR applies. But you’ll have to pay an annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.

 

Instacart Mastercard® vs. Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express is similar to the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, but you won’t have to pay an annual fee in exchange for a lower earning rate. You’ll earn 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. 1% cash back on other purchases. Terms apply. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

You’ll also earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.  This card comes with a long intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then a 18.49%-29.49% Variable APR applies.

If you regularly shop for groceries using the Instacart app, the Instacart Mastercard® offers a generous cash back rate on those purchases, as well as an Instacart credit upon approval. Plus, the list of World Elite Mastercard benefits you’ll get with the card is hard to beat.

But, if you want more flexibility on where you can earn your grocery rewards, a grocery credit card like the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express may be a better fit.