Nowadays, you don’t need a college degree to get reasonable-paying jobs. Many businesses are hiring people to run errands and other menial jobs that require little or no special skills.
Making money through Instacart is done by becoming an Instacart shopper. As an Instacart shopper, you buy groceries and other things requested by the customer from stores affiliated with Instacart and deliver them to the customer’s home. You can do multiple runs in one day and increase your earnings.
How much Money can you make with Instacart?
The average Instacart shopper can earn up to 25 dollars per hour. There are two types of jobs at Instacart; your job determines your pay. We have in-store shoppers and full-service shoppers. You can earn at least 5 dollars for delivery-only service for a single item.
Instacart has different pay structures, pay per item, pay per batch, pay depending on the distance covered, and pay based on the item and the effort it takes to complete the order. You can get up to at least 25 dollars in one order by running double batches.
In-store Shoppers vs. full-service shoppers
In-store shoppers are part-time workers who receive orders from customers and stage them, in-store shoppers can work as much as 29 hours a week, and these shoppers do not run deliveries. You can be an in-store shopper and earn money even if you don’t own a car. The payment for in-store shoppers is an hourly rate that is agreed upon at the start of the job.
On the other hand, full-service shoppers perform both shopping and delivery duties, so having a car is a very important tool for a full-service shopper. The working hours of full-service shoppers are very flexible; you can choose a working system that fits your schedule.
As a full-service shopper, you can get up to 10 dollars from one full-service delivery; you can also get other orders that pay more than 10 dollars if the bulk of the order is much.
Each delivery can be completed within 30 minutes, so if you are a fast shopper, you can get in at least six to eight orders daily, giving you a daily pay of at least a hundred dollars.
The highest pay rate for a single order is about twenty-five dollars; this can be done by experienced shoppers only.
Where do you get money to pay for the items bought?
As an Instacart shopper, upon completion of the registration process, you are given an Instacart shopping card to make purchases. Please avoid using your own money or cards in making payments. It takes time for the money to be reimbursed, and sometimes, it might not be refunded to you.
Who is eligible to work as an Instacart Shopper?
- Anyone who is above the age of 18 can work as an Instacart shopper.
- You must be cleared legal legally to work in the US.
- You must be able to lift loads that weigh at least 25kg without assistance from anybody.
- You must own or have constant access to a smartphone that runs the Instacart app. The app is available on recent mobile phones like the iPhone 6 and other higher versions of iPhones. It is also available on Android version 5.0 or higher.
- If you are interested in becoming a full-service shopper, you must have unlimited access to a car, which will be used for deliveries.
- You should also pass a background check which will be conducted after your application.
How to become an Instacart shopper
- The first step in becoming an Instacart shopper is to sign up on the Instacart website and complete a registration process. The official Instacart website is instacart.com.
- Next is to download the Instacart app and sign in. The Instacart app is available on the App Store for iPhone and Google play store on Android phones. Once the app is downloaded, you complete the application process. Some of the documents that might be requested during registration are your driver’s license, social security number, bank information details for your payment, and contact information.
- Once your application is received, a background check will be conducted on you to verify that the information you submitted is correct and not falsified. A typical background check can take up to 10 days.
After the background check is completed, you will be notified, and an Instacart shopping card will be sent to you via mail, so you can start working. You check for available orders near you and complete them.
Does Instacart pay for the gas costs?
As a full-service shopper, you are a freelancer worker; therefore, Instacart does not cover any additional cost required to complete the job. You are responsible for fuel for your vehicle and also the maintenance of your vehicle. Instacart is only responsible for the Instacart shopping card used to pay for items bought.
Instacart modes of payment
There are two modes of payment on Instacart; you can be paid via direct deposit or through instant cash-out, whichever is more convenient for you.
Direct deposit
This payment method is done weekly. All your orders from Monday to Sunday are compiled, and the money is paid directly to your bank account every week on Wednesday. To do this, you must choose this as your preferred payment channel and provide a bank account where the money is deposited.
Instant cash-out
You can also request instant cash out as your preferred payment means. In this case, you can get your payment immediately after completing a service run. Earnings can be withdrawn multiple times in one day. The minimum amount you can withdraw at a time is five dollars, and the maximum is five hundred, but there is a maximum withdrawal limit of three thousand dollars per day. This method of payment has a service fee of 50 cents for each transaction.
