Instacart is grocery delivery. Somebody orders on the app, you go to the store, shop the list, pay with a card Instacart gives you, and drop it at their door.
That’s the whole job. The details below are what decide whether it’s a good side gig for you or a slow way to put miles on your car.
Full-service or in-store: pick your lane
There are two different Instacart jobs, and they work nothing alike.
Full-service shopper. This is the gig most people mean. You’re an independent contractor, you pick batches in the Shopper app when you feel like it, and you get paid per batch. You need a car.
In-store shopper. This one is an actual job. In-store shoppers are Instacart employees who earn an hourly wage (the rate is in the offer letter, not on the website), get scheduled for shifts around your availability, and max out at 29 hours a week.
Want flexibility? Full-service. Want a predictable paycheck and no driving? Look for in-store openings near you, though they’re not in every town.
What you need to sign up
- 18 or older
- Legally allowed to work in the US
- Able to lift up to 40 lbs without help
- Regular access to a reliable car
- A smartphone that runs the Instacart Shopper app
Then you’ll go through a criminal and motor vehicle record background check before you’re cleared. Instacart also verifies you’re 18+ and runs ongoing face checks against your driver’s license, so don’t plan on sharing an account with anybody.
One thing that trips people up: you don’t front the money for groceries. Instacart mails you a payment card, and you use it at the register every time. New shoppers usually get that card 5 to 7 business days after finishing signup, so you can’t start the same day you apply.
How Instacart shoppers get paid
Every batch shows its pay before you accept it. Instacart sets that number from the driving distance, the number of items and how long the shopping should take. On top of that:
- Tips are all yours. A customer gets 14 days to bump a tip up, but after 2 hours it can’t go down.
- Tip pulled to zero with no problem reported? Instacart pays you back what was removed, as much as $10.
- Heavy pay: when the 8+ lb items in a batch total 50 lbs or more, you get $2 extra at minimum.
So what does that work out to per hour? Nobody can tell you honestly. Instacart doesn’t post an average, and pay rules change by city (some local laws set their own minimums). The old Glassdoor numbers floating around are self-reported and years out of date. Your real hourly is your batch pay plus tips, minus gas and wear on your car, divided by the time you were actually out. Track it for a couple of weeks before you decide.
If you want to see the tipping side from the customer’s seat, here’s how Instacart tipping works, including how long people have to change a tip.
When the money hits
Direct deposit lands once a week, between Wednesday and Friday, for work done the Monday to Sunday before.
Need it faster? Once you’ve finished 5 batches you can cash out right after a delivery for a small charge. Instacart doesn’t say how much that charge is anywhere public, so check it in the app before you get in the habit.
The other route is the Shopper Rewards Card, which pays you automatically after every batch at no cost. Instacart says it can start charging for that with notice, so keep an eye on it.
The catch
It’s physical. Forty-pound limits exist for a reason, and cases of water don’t carry themselves up three flights of stairs.
Your car does the heavy lifting too. Gas, miles and the odd parking ticket come out of your pocket, not Instacart’s.
And batches come and go with demand. That’s why a second app makes sense, so you’re not sitting in a parking lot waiting. Shipt and DoorDash are the usual pairings.
Is being an Instacart shopper worth it?
Instacart Shopper
- What it is
- Instacart’s shopper gig: contractor work if you deliver, hourly employee work if you only shop in-store.
- What you do
- Accept a batch, fill the cart, pay with Instacart’s card, drive it over.
- How much it pays
- Batch pay set by miles, item count and expected shopping minutes, and every tip on top. Heavy orders add $2 or more. Weekly deposit, a paid instant cashout once you’ve done 5 batches, or automatic payouts at no cost on the Shopper Rewards Card.
- The catch
- No posted hourly average, the instant cashout charge isn’t published, and it’s heavy work.
Worth it? Yes if you have a reliable car and busy stores nearby. Give it two weeks and track what you actually clear after gas.
Shipt Shopper
- What it is
- Same basic job as Instacart, through Shipt (Target owns it), with its own stores and customers.
- What you do
- Shop orders and bring them to people’s doors. Shipt also runs package delivery routes.
- How much it pays
- Each order’s pay reflects the time and effort Shipt expects it to take, with bonuses and your full tips added. Friday payday for the prior week, and Instant Pay works 3 times a day.
- The catch
- Instant Pay stays locked until a weekly payout has gone through, and you must be on the insurance of the car you use.
Worth it? Yes as your second app. When Instacart is slow, Shipt orders keep you moving.
DoorDash
- What it is
- Dashing. Besides restaurant food, DoorDash sends grocery, convenience and pet store orders.
- What you do
- Pick the offers that pay and deliver them. Car, scooter or motorcycle all work, and some cities allow bikes.
- How much it pays
- Base pay from $2 to $10+ an offer, then promos and all your tips. Paid weekly, or once a day through Fast Pay for $1.99.
- The catch
- Low base pay on some offers, so you’ll decline plenty.
Worth it? Only if you want something to run between batches, or you’d rather drive than shop.
Want the full lineup? These jobs like Instacart cover the other grocery gigs, and the best food delivery jobs compare pay and cash-out side by side.
FAQ
How much do Instacart shoppers make?
Instacart doesn’t publish an average. Full-service shoppers get batch pay (based on distance, item count and shopping time), plus 100% of tips and heavy pay on big orders. In-store shoppers earn an hourly wage that’s set in the offer letter.
Do you need a car to be an Instacart shopper?
For full-service shopping, yes. You need regular access to a reliable car, since you deliver the groceries yourself.
Do Instacart shoppers pay for the groceries?
No. Instacart mails you a payment card, and you use it at the register. It usually arrives 5 to 7 business days after you finish signing up.
How often does Instacart pay shoppers?
Weekly by direct deposit, between Wednesday and Friday. After 5 batches you can cash out instantly for a small charge, or use the Shopper Rewards Card to get paid automatically after every batch.
Next step
Still deciding between apps? See the full list of gig economy apps that pay.
Every delivery and shopping gig is in the app-based gigs hub. Want to earn from the couch between batches? Check what’s paying right now, or grab a few apps that pay real money.
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