Instacart promo code not working? Check the store first
Instacart is the app where a working code fails most often for a reason that has nothing to do with the code. Here are the five reasons, in the order they're usually the problem.
1. Wrong store
This is the number one reason on Instacart and it surprises people. Many Instacart codes are store-specific: a Costco code fails at Safeway, a Sprouts code fails at Aldi, and the app says "invalid" rather than "wrong store." When a code on my Instacart page is for one store, the store is named next to it. If you're shopping somewhere else, switch stores or use a general code.
2. You're not a new customer
New-customer codes match your address, phone number and card, not your email. A roommate who has used Instacart at your address counts against you, and so does a card that has paid Instacart before. A new email at the same address doesn't make you new. How the apps decide.
For existing accounts, the deals that work are the in-app coupons on individual items, store-specific codes, and the Instacart+ trial. I keep those on the existing-customers page.
3. Under the minimum, in groceries
"$35 minimum" means thirty-five dollars of groceries. Service fee, delivery fee, tip and the bag fee don't count. Instacart's minimums are higher than the food apps', so this one catches people who are used to a $15 DoorDash minimum.
4. Pickup versus delivery
Most Instacart codes are delivery only. If you've switched the order to pickup to avoid the delivery fee, the code may fail, and the fee it would have removed isn't there anyway.
5. It expired at the end of the month
Instacart codes tend to run a full month rather than a few days, and they often end on the 15th or the last day of the month. If you're trying one on the 1st, check the "checked" time at the top of my page. If it's from yesterday, I haven't retested since the month changed.
Where the code goes
Enter it before checkout, not at checkout. In the app, tap Account, then Promos and credits, then Add promo code. Codes typed into the box at checkout work too, but in my testing they fail more often. Once the code is in, the discount shows as a green promo line above the total at checkout. No green line, no discount, whatever the confirmation said.
The "free delivery" catch
The new-customer offer gives $0 delivery fees on your first three orders, applied automatically, no code needed. It doesn't remove the service fee, which is a percentage of the order and often larger than the delivery fee. If "free delivery" was applied but the total still looks high, that's why, and it isn't a code problem.
If you've been through all five and the code still fails, send me the code, the store and the message. I'll try it on a real cart at that store and update the page the same morning.