Instacart Adds Discounted Membership for SNAP Recipients

Delivery company provides nutrition assistance to low-income families

12/22/2022

Instacart is discounting its membership program for SNAP recipients for their first year.

In an effort to connect more people with healthy and affordable food, Instacart is now offering a discounted Instacart+ membership for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. Instacart+ benefits include unlimited free delivery on orders over $35, 5% credit back on pickup orders, lower service fees and more.

SNAP participants nationwide can sign up for one year of the service for $4.99 per month, with membership increasing to $9.99 per month after the first year. Additionally, anyone who has used an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) SNAP card to purchase groceries on Instacart in the past six months is eligible.

Research recently published by Instacart, the University of Kentucky and No Kid Hungry found that online grocery shopping helps low-income families stretch their food budgets, assist with meal planning and save overall time and money. According to the study, SNAP recipients and other lower income household shoppers who grocery shop online also purchase more fruits and vegetables than in-store shoppers.

“Our research has shown that online grocery shopping can provide very real benefits for families on tight food budgets, including SNAP recipients,” said Courtney Smith, SVP of program research, innovation and impact at No Kid Hungry. “Instacart’s discounted membership for SNAP recipients is one solution that can help more food-insecure families tap into the many benefits of online grocery – including saving time, managing their budgets, and reducing transportation barriers.”

In September, Instacart rolled out its sweeping business initiative dubbed Instacart Health to bring product innovations, new partnerships, cutting-edge research and policy advocacy to the health space. Instacart Health is focusing on three specific areas where the company believes it can make the most impact, including Nutrition Security, Health Made Easy and Food as Medicine.

San Francisco-based Instacart currently partners with more than 900 national, regional and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 75,000 stores across 13,000-plus cities in North America on the Instacart Marketplace.