The Instacart Mastercard is a no annual fee card offering 5% cash back on Instacart purchases and travel booked by phone through the Chase Travel Center.
It is designed for people who spend get the majority of their groceries via Instacart. If you don’t you may want to consider another card that earns points on spending at supermarkets.
This article 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.
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- 5% Cash Back at Instacart
- 5% Cash Back on Travel Booked by Phone via the Chase Travel Center.
- 2% Cash Back at restaurants, gas stations, and on select streaming services.
- No Annual Fee
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
Secondary rental car insurance covers any damage to a rental car not covered by your primary insurance when you pay for the rental using this card.
Other credit cards offer primary rental car insurance, which pays before your insurance and saves you the hassle of filing multiple insurance claims.
You still need to maintain liability car insurance to cover damage to another person or property.
Extended Warranty
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional year of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties up to 3 years.
Coverage matches the protection provided by the original warranty so that damage or defect would have to be covered by the original warranty for extended warranty coverage.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 120-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 120 days.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
Baggage insurance covers the cost to repair or replace your luggage and the contents inside if your bag is lost or damaged during a covered trip.
You must purchase the trip with this card, and it will also cover immediate family members traveling with you.
Baggage Delay Insurance
Baggage delay insurance can reimburse you for the cost of necessary personal and business items if (1) you purchased your trip with this card and (2) your bag is delayed by a common carrier like an airline, train, ferry, or cruise ship, etc.
Common reimbursable items include clothing, toiletries, and phone chargers, which can be a life-saver when you are without your bag.
Mastercard World Elite Benefits
This card is a World Elite Mastercard, which gets you access to these special benefits and discounts:
- DoorDash: Automatically get $5 off your first DoorDash order each month.
- Lyft: Take 3 rides in one calendar month and pay with your World Elite Mastercard to earn a $5 Lyft credit.
- Fandango: Spend $20 at Fandango or on Fandango’s streaming service and get a $5 Fandango Reward.
- ShopRunner: ShopRunner is an online membership that unlocks free 2-day shipping and free returns at dozens of top stores, including Under Armour, Cole Hann, Bloomingdale’s, and more.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
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
3x Points on Online Grocery
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription when activated by December 31, 2024, and a $50 anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card (review) is one of my favorite cards because it earns:
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x).
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Plus, card members get nice credits when you enroll your Gold Card to offset the annual fee:
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account, and each month automatically get up to $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
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- 6% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year; 1% thereafter) and on Select U.S. Streaming
- 3% Cash Back on Transit, Ridesharing, Parking, and at U.S. Gas Stations
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, then $95 (rates & fees).
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (review) offers an outstanding 6% cash back rewards for purchases at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year; 1% thereafter) and on U.S. streaming services, making it perfect for anyone who wants to maximize earnings from everyday expenses.
Plus, the card offers 3% cash back on transit, rideshare, parking, and at U.S. gas stations.
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.
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- 5% Cash Back at Instacart
- 5% Cash Back on Travel Booked by Phone via the Chase Travel Center.
- 2% Cash Back at restaurants, gas stations, and on select streaming services.
- No Annual Fee
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please click here.
