Delivering dinner shouldn’t devour your budget. Whether you’re using Instacart to stock up on the ingredients for your world-famous chili or filling your weekly DoorDash cart with staples and snacks, Rakuten makes it simple to stack Cash Back, coupons and membership perks so your grocery delivery won’t break the bank.

Below you’ll find seven proven strategies to save money on grocery delivery with Instacart and other major delivery platforms. Put them together and you’ll consistently beat markups, trim delivery fees and turn routine grocery orders into reliable Cash Back. These are the best ways to save on grocery delivery. Bon appetit!

1. Stack Rakuten Cash Back With Delivery Subscriptions

Your weekdays are spent grinding spreadsheets and attending meetings that could have been emails. Your weekends are filled with yard work and cheering on your kids at soccer. Who has two hours to spend at the supermarket? That’s where grocery delivery services like Instacart come in. 

For a small fee (it starts at $3.99 with Instacart), you can order groceries online from your local supermarket and have them delivered right to your door. Or you could sign up for a grocery delivery subscription ($9.99 a month with Instacart+) to have the delivery fee waived on most orders. A membership starts to pay off if you place three or more orders a month, but stacking Rakuten Cash Back on your orders makes your break-even point even easier to reach. 

How does Rakuten work? Brands like Instacart pay Rakuten to send them shoppers, and then Rakuten shares that money with its members. Earning Cash Back on grocery orders combined with the per-order savings from signing up for a membership will have you practically making money on grocery deliveries. 

Here’s how the math breaks down for a hypothetical Instacart shopper who places four orders per month with an average order of $30. (This example assumes a $3.99 delivery fee without a membership, 5% Cash Back and a $5 Rakuten promo code when you sign up for a membership.)

2. Use Rakuten Coupons at Checkout

Hold on. Rakuten has another way to stack savings? Yup. The chart above includes a $5 Rakuten promo code, which is a discount code you can apply at checkout to lower your price even more. Rakuten frequently offers coupons and promo codes at Instacart and other grocery delivery services (as well as over 3,500 other retail partners).

Before you sign up for a grocery delivery membership, check Rakuten’s store pages for Instacart or another favorite service to see both the current Cash Back rate and any grocery delivery coupons on offer. The key is that not only will promo codes reduce your cart subtotal, but they may also decrease your service fees, which many delivery services charge as a percentage of your subtotal. Lower the subtotal with a coupon or promo code, lower those pesky fees.

Here’s a quick guide to stacking Rakuten coupons and Cash Back. (Pro tip: Download the Rakuten Browser Extension, which will do most of this for you automatically.)

1. If you don’t have the Rakuten Browser Extension, start your shopping trip at Rakuten to find any available coupons or promo codes. Prioritize codes that will reduce your subtotal.
2. Click the Shop Now button on Rakuten’s Instacart store page.
3. You’ll arrive on Instacart’s site. Shop and add items to your cart as you normally would, and then enter your promo code at checkout.
4. Place the order. Cash Back will be applied automatically.
5. Track pending Cash Back in your Rakuten account.

3. Pick Up Your Order

Delivery is so convenient. You just place your order and then carry on living your life. Your groceries magically arrive on your doorstep a few hours later, as though dropped off by the proverbial stork. But the service fees can be a killer, especially if you place several large orders each month.

If you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of the convenience to save a lot on the price, you can avoid those fees by simply picking up your order yourself. With Instacart’s curbside grocery pickup service, you can place your order online, Instacart will do the actual shopping for you just like with a delivery order and then you can go to the store to pick it up yourself. The best part: No service fees on pickup orders!

4. Avoid Small-Order and Late-Night Fees

You’ve been dreaming about making that Parmesan-crusted salmon all day. You finally get home, pull out all the ingredients and…uh-oh. You don’t have any Parmesan. You flock to Instacart to see if you can have it delivered, but the small-order fee costs more than the cheese itself.

Small-order fees are often only a few bucks, but once you add the service fees and delivery charges it can quickly turn a cheap order into an expensive splurge. The fees typically kick in when your order is below $10 to $15 (Instacart’s cutoff is $10). Also beware the similar late-night fees, which many stores charge for orders that come in after 10 p.m.

Here are a few strategies to avoid big fees on little orders:

• Plan your meals and grocery list ahead of time so you don’t need to place a separate order for a single item you forgot.
• Schedule earlier deliveries to dodge late-night add-ons.
• Counterintuitively, spending a couple of dollars more to cross the small-order threshold may actually save you money on your total order. That’s especially true when the Rakuten Cash Back you earn can make up the difference.

5. Share Orders

The best way to save on grocery delivery fees is to have fewer deliveries. So why not combine your order with your roommates’, neighbors’ or family members’ orders? Consolidating multiple grocery orders into one delivery lets everyone split the delivery fee, and you can earn Cash Back on a larger subtotal. (If you truly want to share, you could rotate who places the order and scores the Cash Back.)

Let’s compare the prices of one consolidated order vs. three individual orders. We’ll assume:

• Three shoppers, each with a $100 subtotal
• $3.99 delivery fee
• 10% service fee
• 5% Rakuten Cash Back

6. Take Advantage of Deals for First-Time Users

Instacart and other grocery delivery and grocery pickup services frequently offer incredible deals for first-time users. The most common one: waiving the delivery fee for your first few orders. The offers change regularly, so make sure to check Rakuten store pages for Instacart, DoorDash and other delivery services to see what the current deals are.

7. Use Rakuten to Compare Grocery Delivery Apps

Cash Back rates, coupons, promo codes and other offers change frequently, so make sure to check back often to stay on top of the best prices for various grocery delivery and grocery pickup services. To consistently find the lowest true total cost, you can put together a quick comparison in a spreadsheet every so often.

1. Price the same items in at least two locations, such as Instacart and a supermarket’s own site.
2. Itemize prices, and then calculate delivery fees, service fees, small-order or late-night fees, and tips.
3. Factor in any available Rakuten coupons and the current Cash Back rate.
4. Pick the lowest out-of-pocket total.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Cash Back work with grocery delivery promo codes?

Cash Back typically tracks when you use promo codes listed or approved on Rakuten. Third-party or unlisted codes can void Cash Back, so always confirm eligibility in the store’s terms and conditions.

What is the best strategy to combine Rakuten rewards with delivery memberships?

Go through Rakuten to sign up for a membership, and then stack Cash Back and coupons to offset monthly fees and accelerate payback.

How can I reduce fees on small or late-night orders?

If your order is subject to a small-order fee, add another inexpensive item to your cart to push your order just over the minimum threshold. To avoid late-night surcharges, place your order before 10 p.m.

Are discounted gift cards worth buying for future grocery delivery savings?

Rakuten frequently offers discounts and Cash Back on gift cards. Check Rakuten’s Gift Cards page to see if there’s an offer for Instacart or another grocery delivery service. 

How can I track which delivery app offers the best price, including fees and Cash Back?

Price the same order across services, calculate all fees, apply Rakuten coupons and Cash Back rates, and choose the lowest final total after rewards.