How To Earn Free Credit As An Existing Instacart User

Are you an Instacart user looking to save money?

I don’t blame you. By the time that you add all of Instacart’s markups and fees, the price can be a bit hard to stomach.

If you’ve already claimed your Instacart promo code for new users but still want to save, look no further.

I’m a long-time user of the platform, which means that I’ve found some of the best discounts, promotions, and ways to earn free credit so that you can enjoy discounted orders.

And below, I’ll share with you how each money-saving method works, why I like it, and tips for maximizing each.

Let’s dive right in.

1. Instacart Promo Codes for Existing Users

Instacart does not usually offer promo codes for existing users, however, they do occasionally run promotional campaigns that offer free credit or discounts to existing customers.

Typically, these promotions are as a result of a specific action, such as placing an order over a certain amount, or ordering from a particular store.

Instacart sometimes sends a notification for this type of thing within the app, but I usually see them most often via emails.

Follow the instructions of whatever the promotion is (ie. a specific store, deadline, etc..) to be eligible, and you’ll be well on your way to earning free credit.

I suggest enabling push notifications on the Instacart app, as well as making sure that you’re receiving the marketing emails the team sends.

Read this article to learn more about how to do both.

2. Share Your Instacart Referral Code

Next, I suggest checking out the Instacart referral program, which allows existing users to earn free credit by referring new users to the platform.

When a referred friend signs up using the referral link and makes their first purchase, both the existing user and the referred friend receive a credit.

This is one of my favorite ways to earn free Instacart credit. In fact, I’ve earned over $3,000 doing so.

To share your code, simply:

• Open the Instacart app or website.
• Go to the “Refer a Friend” section.
• Share the referral link via email, social media, or directly with friends.
• Once the friend completes their first order, both parties receive the credit in their accounts.

Once you’ve earned your credit, you will see it appear within the “Credits, promos, and gift cards” tab inside of your Instacart account.

It should look something like this:

There are two things to note here about this promotion.

First, the credits are given in $10 increments and only good to use for one discount at a time.

Even though Instacart is giving you free credit, they’re also ensuring that you stay on their platform by incentivizing you to place more orders.

There’s also a $35 minimum in order for the discount to be granted.

Second, these credits don’t last forever on your account. They typically expire after 30 days.

I encourage you to use your credit as soon as possible before it expires.

If you’re anything like me, I didn’t get nearly as much of a benefit from my free credit as I probably should have.

3. Try Instacart+

Another great way to save money on Instacart is by purchasing an Instacart+ membership. You’ll save $0 in delivery fees on orders over $35, pay lower delivery fees, and enjoy a list of other benefits as well.

If you’ve used the Instacart app even just once, you’ll probably notice how heavily that Instacart pushes this subscription.

It’s very hard to use the app without being continuously bombarded with ads for it, which I find very annoying.

The ads must have worked though, because after they started doing 14-day free trials, I gave in and tried it out.

The more I used it, the more I realized that came with it.

Instacart Plus offers $0 delivery fees on orders over $35, 5% credit back on eligible pickup orders, and lower service fees.

In addition, membership also includes other benefits only available to Plus members such as Peacock streaming (a $59.99/year value), up to 12 months of free delivery with Chase, and other discounts such as $20 off every year at Costco.

The company also heavily incentivizes customers to try it out by not only offering a free trial, but pricing it at only $19 for the first year. After that, it rises to $99/year.

4. Customer Service Credits

Another way to earn free Instacart credit is to get credited by customer service for order-related issues that might leave you with a less than ideal view of the service.

Quality issues that are clearly out of a customer’s control – such as missing items, incorrect orders, stolen food, delivery issues, or something similar – are not good for the brand.

As a result, customer service will sometimes issue a refund as a way to establish goodwill with customers. Usually this comes in the form of account credit that can be used for future orders.

If you have an issue with your order, there are multiple ways to contact customer service to have your issue or concern addressed.

It’s worth noting that you should only use this method if you clearly have a problem. Try to give the driver or service a bit of credit if you can help it.

Remember that drivers only have so much control over the delivery, so incorrectly reporting them can get them deactivated which means that they’re not longer able to drive.

Don’t make false claims, and always remain ethical!

Now it’s over to you. Do you have a money-saving method that has proven to be effective in helping you save money while using Instacart?

If so, leave it in the comments below and we’ll add it to our list.