Tired of paying full price for everyday essentials like paper towels, toilet paper, and dishwasher pods? So are we!

That’s where some really cool and hidden credit card perks come into play. Chase and Instacart have a partnership through December 2027 – and with this partnership, several Chase co-branded and business credit cards include $120 or $240 annual Instacart credits per eligible credit card. 

These credits are broken down into $10 or $20 monthly credits that can be maximized for online purchases that get delivered right to your door the same day. In 2026 alone, I have six eligible Chase cards and a total of $960 in Instacart credits ($80 per month) to help me save money on miscellaneous expenses every month and avoid running to the store every few days. 

Let’s run through the entire process from enrolling in this benefit to maximizing these credits so you also can save time and money on your next purchase.

How to Enroll

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

1. Instacart Account (free to join here)
2. Eligible Credit Card
   • For Chase Business cards, check a list of eligible cards using this link.
   • For Chase Co-Branded cards, check a list of eligible cards using this link.
   • For Chase United cards, check a list of eligible cards using this link.

Chase Business cards give a $20 monthly credit, co-branded cards give a $10 monthly credit, and the United cards give a monthly $10-$20 credit.

Majority of the co-branded cards from Chase are inlcuded in this offer like Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG, Avios programs, and a few more!

At time of writing this, I have enrolled 4 Chase credit cards so steps make look slightly different for you, but the general process should be the same:

1. Create an Instacart account
2. Add an eligible credit card as a payment method in Instacart
3. Navigate to the Instacart and Chase home partnership page for your type of Chase card   – click “Get started”
   1. This link for business cards
   2. This link for co-branded cards
   3. This link for United cards
4. Select the card you just added as a payment method – click “Confirm payment method”
5. Click “Check card eligibility” – then “Continue” – then “Activate now”

Rinse and repeat for every eligible card you hold.

By doing so – you are activating complimentary Instacart+ membership for 3 months per card, which gives you access to $0 delivery fees and those monthly credits mentioned earlier.

Begin Shopping

Here’s where the savings begin. You can use the Instacart app or access the Instacart website on your laptop. And then you’ll need to pick a store to do your shopping.

I usually opt for a large retailer versus a grocery store, gas station, or restaurant. There might be a small markup on the prices, but the overall product selection is much better. If something is out of stock at the large retailer, then I opt for a grocery store.

From here, do some shopping for anything and everything. I try to shop for repeat purchases like toilet paper, paper towels, personal care items, cleaning products, etc.

With Instacart, there is a large variety of stores to choose from so really there’s a ton of options – all personal preference on what you want to save money on. 

What has helped me more recently is starting a notes tab on my phone and as a product around my apartment gets low, I make a note of it for next month’s order. 

There’s typically a $10 minimum order to waive the delivery fee so there are some tips below to maximize these credits.

And that’s why we can’t value these credits at 100% face value. Instacart does not charge a delivery fee with Instacart+ ($10+ orders), but there is tax, tip, and a service fee to account for.

Realistically, you can value these credits around 50% of the total credit amount. Here’s some math to prove this on my most recent order.

My total through Instacart for February 2026 was $44.72  and that order included: 

• $80 in credits
• Six eligible cards
• 10 total items
• a $2.49 service fee per order
• 15%-20% tip on each order

I went a step further and totaled those exact items for what I would have paid directly with Target – that total would have been $98.63. 

So essentially, I was able to nearly $100 of needed items for $45 with a little bit of patience and strategy. That could be hundreds of dollars over the course of a year:

• $55 saved each month X 12 months per year = $660 saved per year

How to Maximize

What if we take this even further for us, ultra frugal folks?

In my defense, my mom once argued about a $.50 cent difference on her car payment so it’s fair to say frugality is a learned habit for me! But here’s some ideas to maximize even further:

1. Use coupons within Instacart

The most common ones I see are for delaying delivery times by a few hours or the next day – that can save $2 per order

As of February 5 (two days after writing this), I am seeing reports this coupon is no longer available for some users unfortunately. I am still seeing them in my Instacart as of publishing this article in February 2026. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

There are also coupons on individual items. I personally don’t chase these coupons and just see them as an extra incentive when buying certain products.

2. Get your total right

If you’re using a $10 credit, get as close to $10.01 as possible. I always delay my delivery by a few hours and aim for $12.01 ($10 credit + $2 coupon) – you can get pretty creative with this, such as adding a banana for $0.39 or a box of pasta for less than $1.00.

Wiser Wallet Tip – if you are using a delivery delay coupon like in tip #1, you can squeeze out an extra item or two and pay the same price.

Here’s an example before the $2 coupon:

Here’s an example after the $2 coupon was applied

Same price (1 cent difference), but I got an extra 2 rolls of paper towels:

3. Consider In Store Pickup 

An obvious way to lower the total is poor tipping and this is something I would not recommend.

Sometimes you also find stores that offer pickup options instead of delivery so that’s an option as well. 

I always tip at least 15% per order and what’s really cool is sometimes the same driver will get multiple orders, so that’s an added bonus for them. 

My advice is be generous and don’t be cheap with tipping – you can always use maximizing tips to keep costs low for each order.  

And if you have multiple eligible cards and are planing to use at the same store, ensure you start a new cart and change your payment method to the next eligble credit card. 

Let’s Wrap This Up

Chase and Instacart have a partnership where you can earn monthly Instacart credits from an eligble Chase credit card. Then you can use those credits for everyday purchases like essentials, groceries, or anything you want. 

Many Chase credit cards are eligible and with a little strategy, you can maximize these credits every month to help you save both time and money.