How to Become an Instacart Shopper: A Complete Guide

Instacart is a grocery delivery and pickup service. You can use it to get your groceries delivered to your doorstep, or you can have someone else collect your items so that you can pick them up at a designated store.

In most respects, Instacart is a lot like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and the other popular delivery apps that have popped up in the last few years. However, its focus is mainly on grocery shopping, whereas many of these other apps focus on delivering meals from restaurants (while also occasionally delivering groceries).

What are Instacart shoppers?

Instacart “shoppers” are the people who pick items up at grocery stores for Instacart’s customers.

The responsibilities of an Instacart shopper depend on whether they’re a full-service shopper or an in-store shopper:

• In-store shoppers: These shoppers visit designated grocery stores and collect customers’ items for them. They’re part-time employees of Instacart (rather than contractors) and work scheduled shifts totaling up to 29 hours per week.
• Full-service shoppers: These shoppers actually drive to customers’ homes and deliver groceries directly to them. Full-service shoppers are independent contractors, not employees. As such, they can choose their own working hours, and their income depends on how many orders they deliver. 1

How much Instacart shoppers make depends on which type of shopper they are—a full-service shopper or an in-store shopper.

Full-service shoppers

Full-service shoppers are paid by the order, not by the hour. Instacart guarantees a $7–$10 minimum for all full-service orders, but your exact earnings will depend on:

• Where you live
• The number and type of items you deliver
• How much the items weigh
• The travel distance required for delivery
• How much your customers tip (if they tip anything)
• What time of day it is (you’ll earn more during peak hours)

Instacart claims that its full-service shoppers can realistically expect to make around $25 per hour, although most online reports suggest that average rates are closer to $20 per hour.

In-store shoppers

As traditional (part-time) employees, in-store shoppers make a regular, hourly wage. The rate you’re offered will depend on where you live, but in most cases, it will probably be around $15 per hour (or less).

How to get paid more as an Instacart shopper

If you’re a full-service shopper, you have some control over how much you make. (As an in-store shopper, you essentially have to take whatever Instacart offers you.)

As mentioned, some times are busier than others for Instacart shoppers. You can optimize your earnings by working during peak times, as there will be more orders available and you’ll get paid more for them.

Peak times include weekday evenings (4 pm to 8 pm), weekends, and any time there’s a major televised event, such as a football game or the finale of a popular series.

How do Instacart shoppers get paid?

Instacart pays its shoppers by direct deposit. You’ll need to provide bank account details to get your payments.

When do Instacart shoppers get paid?

Instacart shoppers are usually paid on a weekly basis. However, in some locations, full-service shoppers also have the option to get paid immediately for a small fee of $0.50. 2

If this option is available to you and your balance is high enough, you’ll see Instacart’s “Instant Cashout” feature in the “Earnings” tab in the app.

To become an Instacart shopper, you have to meet several requirements: 3 4

• You must be 18 years old or older
• You must be legally eligible to work in the US
• You must have an iPhone or Android smartphone (iPhone 6s / Android 5.0 or newer).
• You must have the Instacart Shopper app (linked below)
• You must be able to lift 40 lb without accommodation (50 lb if you want to be a full-service shopper)
• You must have a vehicle and a license to drive it (if you want to be a full-service shopper)

Required information and documents

To become an Instacart shopper, you’ll need to provide:

• Your Social Security number
• Details for a US bank account
• A photo of yourself

If you want to become a full-service shopper, you’ll also need to provide a snapshot of a driver’s license. You may also need to provide information about your vehicle, such as:

• Your license plate number
• The model and make of your car
• Other vehicle or registration information
• Insurance information

Instacart will specify exactly what they need from you in their app when you sign up as a shopper.

Follow these simple steps to get started with Instacart:

Step 1: Download the Instacart Shopper app

The first step is to get the Instacart app on your smartphone. Use the buttons below depending on whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone.

Where to download Instacart

App Store Google Play

You can also visit the download page on Instacart’s website and enter your phone number; Instacart will text you a download link.

Step 2: Check for openings in your area

Before you sign up as an Instacart shopper, check that your area has openings for full-service or in-store shoppers. Open up the Shopper app that you just downloaded and enter your ZIP code. It will let you know whether there are available slots.

If there aren’t, don’t worry; just check back in a few weeks or months to see if anything’s opened up.

Step 3: Create an account

To create your Instacart shopper account, go to Instacart’s signup page and enter:

• Your name
• Your phone number
• Your email
• Your zip code
• Your referral code (if you’ve been given one)

You’ll then have to choose whether you’d like to be a full-service shopper or an in-store shopper and fill out a questionnaire confirming that you meet Instacart’s requirements.

Step 4: Complete the sign-up process in the Instacart app

As we’ve already mentioned, you’ll have to provide certain information and documentation before you can become an Instacart shopper.

Most importantly, you’ll have to give Instacart your bank account information and (if you applied for the full-service position) send them a photo of your driver’s license. Instacart will direct you to provide this information in their app.

Step 5: Wait for the results of your background check

Once you submit all of your information, Instacart will run a background check on you. You may have to wait several days for it to be completed (Instacart says its checks are “quick,” but many reports suggest that they can take up to 10 days).

If you get impatient, you can use the Instacart shopper app to check the status of your application.

Step 6: Start shopping

Assuming you’re approved, Instacart will send you an email explaining the next steps.

If you’ve signed up to be a full-service shopper, you’ll start seeing orders once your account has been approved.

If you’ve applied to be an in-store shopper, you’ll have to attend an in-person onboarding session to complete the signup process. Instacart will send you information on how to book this meeting.

Being an Instacart shopper is a great side hustle for some people, but it’s not for everyone.

Pros of shopping for Instacart

The advantages of Instacart shopping as a side hustle or part-time job include:

• You can set your own schedule: If you’re an in-store shopper, you can book shifts that you want to work in advance. If you’re a full-service shopper, you can sign on with the app to take orders pretty much any time you want.
• Regular payments: You’ll get paid at least weekly regardless of whether you’re a full-service shopper or an in-store shopper. As a full-service shopper, you may also have the option to receive instant payments.
• No startup costs: You don’t have to take any courses or obtain expensive certifications to get started with this side hustle (although as a full-service shopper, you do need a vehicle, and you’ll have to pay for your own gas).
• Choose whether to become an employee: As a full-service shopper, you’ll be your own boss. If you prefer the security of having a traditional employer, you can also become an in-store shopper.
• Accessibility: Anyone can be an Instacart shopper. Instacart even accepts applicants with arrest and conviction records (which makes this one of the few accessible side hustles for felons). There are also accommodations available for people with disabilities.
• Peak times are outside office hours: If you’re trying to fit your side hustle around another job with normal office hours, Instacart is a great option, since there’s more work available during evenings and weekends.

Cons of shopping for Instacart

You should also consider the downsides of this side hustle, which include:

• No guaranteed orders (for full-service shoppers): There won’t always necessarily be any orders available to deliver, especially during quiet times or when there are a lot of other Instacart shoppers in the area.
• Wear and tear on your car: If you work as a full-service shopper for any length of time, your vehicle maintenance and repair bills will add up. This will offset some of your profits.
• Potential insurance costs: You may need to upgrade your insurance policy if it doesn’t cover accidents that happen while you’re driving for compensation (i.e., driving as part of a job or side hustle).
• Other expenses: If you have to pay for phone calls, parking, or other travel expenses during deliveries, these will also come out of your profits (although you can deduct them from your taxes if you keep detailed records and receipts for these expenses).
• Low pay: On Indeed, a popular job site, Instacart shopping gets a rating of 2.9/5 from reviewers, with many complaints about the low pay that shoppers earn and the low tips. 5 At one point, Instacart even had to be pressured into dropping a controversial policy where it used tips to reach its base pay rate instead of adding them on as an extra. This side hustle has decent pay, but it isn’t a way to get rich.

The bottom line is that shopping for Instacart isn’t a perfect gig (if it was, everyone would do it). However, it’s a flexible and accessible job that almost anyone can get into. All you need is a vehicle and a few hours per week to shop.