The Instacart Mastercard is a no annual fee card offering 5% cash back on Instacart purchases, 2% back at gas stations and on dining (including restaurants, takeout and eligible delivery services) and select streaming services, and nice travel and purchase protections.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus
The Instacart Mastercard currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Benefits of Instacart+ membership include free delivery on orders of $35 or more, lower service fees and earning 5% back on pickup orders.
Earning Cash Back
The Instacart Mastercard earns cash back at the following rates:
- 5% back on Instacart.com and via the Instacart app;
- 5% back on travel purchased via the phone through the Chase Travel Center;
- 2% back on dining (including restaurants, takeout and eligible delivery services);
- 2% back at gas stations;
- 2% back on select streaming services; and
- 1% back on all other eligible purchases.
No Annual Fee
One of the best aspects of the Instacart credit card is that it has no annual fee.
Instacart Card Benefits and Perks
The Instacart Mastercard offers the following card benefits and perks:
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Roadside Dispatch: Get access to 24/7 emergency roadside assistance for situations like dead batteries, flat tires, fuel delivery, and mechanical breakdowns. While you’ll need to pay for the actual service provided, having access to reliable help when stranded can be invaluable.
Travel Accident Insurance offers coverage for accidental death or dismemberment while traveling on a common carrier when the trip is purchased using the eligible credit card.
Pros and Cons of Instacart Mastercard
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- 5% back on Instacart purchases.
- Travel and purchase protections.
- No annual fee.
Cons:
- Instacart+ Membership is not complimentary after the first year.
- Only 1% cash back on other purchases.
- Small welcome bonus.
Alternatives to the Instacart Mastercard
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee. Welcome Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earning Rewards: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners, 25% bonus when redeeming points through Chase Travel, $50 annual hotel stay credit via Chase Travel, 10% anniversary points bonus, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card (review) is a great card for earning points at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and flights booked directly with airlines. Cardholders can also enjoy up to $424 in annual credits and nice travel and purchase protections. Earning Points: 4x points at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1x points); 4x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1x points); 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com; 2x points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com; 1x points on all other eligible purchases. Benefits: Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Air France – KLM Flying Blue, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (review) is designed to maximize cash back on common household expenses. If you spend heavily on groceries, streaming services, transit or gas, you’ll find the card’s bonus categories and earning rates hard to beat. Welcome Bonus: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Earning Rewards: 6% back at US Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1% back) and select US streaming subscriptions; 3% back on transit (including rideshare) and at US gas stations; 1% back on all other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Card Benefits: Subscription credit (up to a $10 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled card for a subscription purchase, including at disneyplus.com, Hulu.com, or Plus.espn.com U.S. websites), secondary rental car insurance, extended warranty, purchase protection, return protection, and 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening, after that a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR.
Is the Instacart Mastercard Worth It?
For most people the Instacart Mastercard is not worth it. You would really need to get all of your groceries from Instacart to make this card worth it.
A much better option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review), which offers 3x points on online grocery, plus bonus points in many other categories.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please click here. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
