Instacart promo codes: the new-customer offer and what existing customers get instead

Instacart treats existing customers a little better than the food apps do. There are store-specific promotions that don't care how old your account is, coupons clip inside the app like paper ones, and some credit cards include the membership. Here's how it all fits together, starting with the deal for people who've never ordered.

New customers: $0 delivery fees on your first 3 orders

The new-customer offer is attached to the sign-up, no code to type. As of this writing, a fresh account gets $0 delivery fees on its first three orders, with a $10 minimum per order. The app shows it at checkout.

On top of that, the code WELCOME15 took $15 off when I tested it today. The name suggests it's meant for new accounts, so try it on your first order rather than saving it. The current state of that code is on the Instacart page.

Two things to know. New-user offers are matched on phone number, card and address, so a roommate's account at the same address counts as yours. And the service fee stays. Free delivery zeroes the delivery line. The service fee, which is a percentage of the subtotal, and the tip are still there. "Free delivery" means the delivery line only.

Existing customers: the four things that work

1. Store-specific codes. Unlike DoorDash and Uber Eats, Instacart runs promotions tied to one retailer, and some of those apply to accounts that have ordered before. They fail at any other store, which is the most common reason an Instacart code says not valid. Any I've confirmed go in the table on the Instacart page, with the store named.

2. In-app coupons. Tap any product and look for the coupon tag. These are manufacturer coupons and they clip to your order the way they would at the store. They cluster on packaged goods like cereal, yogurt, snacks and cleaning products. Most people never look for them.

3. The Instacart+ trial, and the cards that include it. Instacart+ is $9.99 a month or $99 a year as of this writing: $0 delivery on orders over $35, a lower service fee, and credit back on pickup. There's a free trial if you've never had it. Beyond the trial, some credit cards include a stretch of Instacart+ as a benefit. Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve and some Mastercard World and World Elite cards have done so in recent years. The terms change year to year, so check your card's benefits page. All of these work on existing accounts and have to be activated from the card's side, not in the app.

4. Pickup. Some stores offer it with no delivery fee and a lower service fee, and Instacart+ members get credit back on it.

The fees no code touches

Instacart's prices are the part people miss. Many stores on Instacart are priced above what you'd pay in the aisle, and that markup is part of how Instacart makes its money. No promo code, coupon or membership changes it. The service fee is reduced by Instacart+ but never removed. So a "free delivery" order on a cart of groceries still carries the service fee and tip, and the groceries themselves may cost more than in the store.

That's still a good deal for a weekly shop, because the orders are bigger than a takeout order and the saving scales with them. Just know what "free" means before you compare it with driving to the store.

Why a code says not valid

• It's for a different store. A Costco code with a Safeway cart just says not valid; it doesn't tell you why. Check the store first.
• It's a new-customer code on an old account. The everything-store "existing customer" codes on coupon sites are mostly new-user codes relabelled.
• A second account at the same address. The new-user match runs on address, phone and card, so a fresh email alone doesn't make you new.

My code list started today, so there's no graveyard of dead codes yet. If a code on the Instacart page fails for you, tell me the store and the error and I'll retest it that day.