TD and Instacart have partnered up to offer select TD cardholders a six-month free Instacart Express membership for free grocery deliveries and $15 off their next Instacart order.
This offer is similar to recent collaborations we’ve seen between Canadian banks and delivery services, such as the ongoing free DoorDash DashPass for RBC cardholders and free Uber Pass for Aeroplan co-branded credit card holders.
The offer runs from now until August 22, 2022 and applies to select TD Rewards cardholders. Furthermore, the offer is only available to first 75,000 qualifying cardholders, so if you’re keen on taking advantage of this offer, it’s best not to wait.
What Is Instacart Express?
Instacart is a grocery delivery and pickup service that allows customers to order groceries straight to their door.
Instacart Express is a membership option for frequent Instacart users, allowing them to save further on grocery delivery and enjoy exclusive benefits. Perks include $0 delivery fees on orders of $35 or more and reduced service fees.
The membership is available in Canada for either a monthly payment of $9.99/month or an annual payment of $99/year; however, eligible TD cardholders can now enjoy a free membership for up to six months.
Which TD Credit Cards Are Eligible?
There are a total of four eligible TD credit cards that allow you to access the free Instacart Express membership, as well as anyone who holds a TD Visa Debit card.
The following credit cards are eligible:
- TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
- TD Platinum Travel Visa Card
- TD Rewards Visa Card
- TD Business Travel Visa Card
Note that only the TD Rewards qualify for the promotion on paper. If you hold a TD Aeroplan co-branded credit card, you’re eligible for the complimentary Uber Pass membership from Uber instead.
And if don’t have a TD Rewards credit card but happen to hold a chequing account with TD, then be sure to sign up with your TD Visa Debit card as well.
Activate Your Free Instacart Express Membership
Activating the free Instacart membership is fairly simple, and can be done by following these steps:
- Go to the TD & Instacart landing page or open the Instacart app.
- Select “Get Started” to create an account or log in.
- Once logged in, you will see a “Redeem Offer” button.
- Select your eligible TD Credit Card or TD Access Card with Visa Debit on file, or enter your TD card information.
- You can now choose to activate the free six-month Instacart Express membership.
If you currently have an active Instacart Express membership, you’re considered ineligible for this offer, so you may need to unsubscribe or create a new account to take advantage.
You can verify that your Instacart Express membership is active when you are at the checkout of your purchase, where it will show free delivery and a reduced service fee.
Furthermore, the initial $15 Instacart credit will be automatically applied to your Instacart account on your first purchase of $15 or more, and cannot be saved and used at a future date. In order to redeem the $15 credit, the total purchase order must be with one retailer and is redeemable only for non-alcoholic products.
After your free six-month membership period ends, your Instacart Express membership will automatically renew and you’ll be charged a $99 annual membership fee (rather than an ongoing monthly rate as is typical in these types of promotions).
Therefore, if you’re only interested in taking advantage of the offer for the free six months, it’s best to set a reminder to cancel and avoid the higher fee.
Registration Window
The complimentary Instacart Express membership is a one-time offer from TD and Instacart, and is only available for enrollment until August 22, 2022. Benefits will begin on the date you subscribe to Instacart with your eligible TD credit card and end exactly six months from this date.
As long as the activation is completed by the offer deadline, the free membership and $15 credit will automatically apply to your account going forward.
Thus, if you don’t currently have an eligible TD credit card or debit card, you can apply for a new card and use it to activate the corresponding offer anytime before the enrollment period ends.
While I wouldn’t necessarily sign up for a TD Rewards credit card purely for the free Instacart Express, it can be a useful boost if, say, you were about to product-switch from an Aeroplan card to a TD Rewards card anyway.
Maximizing Your Instacart Express Membership
Each Instacart account is limited to up to one free membership, regardless of how many TD credit cards you may have; however, combining multiple cards, multiple accounts, and multiple household members will work just fine.
If you and your partner both hold eligible TD credit cards, it would be most advantageous to activate the second account once the first account’s benefits expire. With two TD credit card memberships in the household, you could enjoy $0 delivery fees for up to one year, plus $30 in free groceries.
The first person would sign up now, with the Instacart Express membership ending in late August 2022. Then, before the offer period ends on August 22, the second person signs up and secures free grocery deliveries for your household through February 2023.
Also, don’t forget that DoorDash also offers grocery delivery services, and you can get a free 12-month DoorDash DashPass with an eligible RBC credit card as long as you register by July 2023. Even after Instacart Express runs out in early 2023, you’ve still got an option for free grocery deliveries courtesy of your well-diversified credit card portfolio.
Conclusion
Eligible TD Rewards cardholders and chequing account holders can sign up for free access to an Instacart Express membership for six months, with $0 grocery delivery fees, reduced service fees and a $15 credit towards their next Instacart purchase.
If you frequently get groceries delivered to your door, you’ll certainly want to activate your Instacart membership and take advantage of this offer for decent cash savings, or stagger your memberships as a household to secure $0 delivery fees on groceries through early 2023.