Online grocery delivery service may be a convenience play, but let’s face it — time is money in certain situations. So is an extra grocery delivery fee of $3.99 – 9.99 worth my sanity some days? Oh honey, yes!
That said, some grocery delivery services are better than others. You don’t want to go into it blindly, left to wonder why you were charged an extra 5% on your groceries!
We’re going to dive deep into the best grocery delivery service options. Let’s see which grocery delivery services allow coupons, which require the lowest delivery fee, and which let you cancel last minute.
Oh, and be sure to tip your delivery person. Grocery delivery isn’t the same as curbside pickup. You’ll need to tip.
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1. Walmart grocery delivery annual fee is cheaper than an individual delivery fee.
Walmart Grocery Subscription Cost: $98 yearly or $12.95 monthly for Walmart+
Walmart Grocery Delivery Fee: $7.95 – $9.95
When you place a Walmart grocery delivery order, you’ll pay $9.95 per order. (It’s $7.95 during slower times and in certain markets.)
If you sign up for Walmart+, it’s $98 per year, or $12.95 monthly. So, if you place one order a month and pay for the year as a Walmart+ member, it comes out to $8.17 per order, saving you four dollars over if you paid monthly. If you place more than one Walmart grocery delivery order per month, you’ll absolutely save money if you join.
One thing I like about Walmart grocery delivery is you can order food and household products. Plus, you can link your Ibotta account and earn rebates back on your Walmart Grocery pickup and delivery.
2. Amazon grocery delivery has two options: AmazonFresh and Amazon Prime Now.
Amazon Fresh/Prime Now Subscription Cost: Included with your Amazon Prime Membership — $139 yearly or $14.99 monthly
Amazon Fresh/Prime Now Delivery Fee: Up to $8 on orders under $35
Amazon Fresh delivers groceries from actual Amazon warehouses, while Prime Now delivers from Whole Foods. When I say “Prime Now” I’m referring to Whole Foods’ grocery delivery since that’s what Prime Now has become.
Even though both services are owned by Amazon, pricing will vary — for example, in February 2022 large Hass Avocados were $2.19 each on AmazonFresh, but $2.99 each if you ordered through Prime Now.
To make it more confusing, Amazon Fresh sells the Whole Foods brand 365 Everyday Value, and it’s usually the same price as what you’d find ordering Whole Foods through Prime Now. For example, five-ounce packages of organic 365 spinach were $2.29 through both Amazon Fresh and Prime Now as of February 2022.
Both services are free for Prime members if you spend $35 or more per order.
To simplify the madness, think of it like this: If Amazon Fresh delivers in your area, and you don’t mind that it’s not all coming from Whole Foods, and you’re happy that some items are a bit cheaper, go with Amazon Fresh. If you’re obsessed with Whole Foods and are only looking to order from there, go with Prime Now.
3. Costco, Publix, and Aldi grocery delivery are powered by Instacart.
Instacart Express Subscription Cost: $99 yearly or $9.99 monthly
Instacart Express Delivery Fee: Starting at $3.99
Instacart Express membership costs $99 per year. With this membership, you get free delivery on orders of $35 or more at any stores powered by Instacart. Plus, you’ll get a lower service fee than the 5% Instacart usually tacks on all of its orders.
Overall, it’s more cost-effective to shop stores that do their own grocery delivery, like Walmart. But if you’re not a one-stop shopper, you can place one order at multiple stores through Instacart. And as long as you’re an Express Member and you’re spending $35 or more, you’ll get “free” delivery. (“Free” because it’s not free, you’re paying annually. But you don’t pay per order.)
ALDI, Costco, Publix, and Food Lion all use Instacart. Other, smaller grocers in your area do as well. My local Co-op is an example of a small, local store that is powered by Instacart.
Instacart will offer digital coupons too. Just look for the light red button below the product picture. When ordering your Publix grocery delivery, coupons you clip on the Publix digital coupon site won’t link with the delivery/Instacart site and vice versa. Those coupons will be used in store only.
What’s even cooler is, you’re not required to be a Costco member if you use Instacart to place an order online at Costco.com.
Instacart offers a 30-minute delivery option that’ll cost you an extra $2 priority fee.
In addition to their 45- and 60-minute delivery options, Instacart offers 30-minute delivery for over 300 stores including Ralphs, Safeway, and Sprouts Farmers Market. It’s available in several cities including:
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
Although there’s no item limit or minimum for a 30-minute delivery, put enough items in your cart and the app will update your delivery to a 45- or 60-minute option. The quicker delivery will cost you $2 on top of your delivery fee.
4. Kroger grocery delivery lets you use digital coupons — and delivers in as little as 30 minutes.
Kroger Grocery Delivery Subscription Cost: $79 yearly
Kroger Delivery Fee: $5.99 to $9.95 on orders under $35
Kroger grocery delivery (and Kroger sister stores Fred Meyer, Smith’s and Ralphs) gives you the option to add digital coupons to your order in the stores’ apps. These digital coupons will automatically be applied to your delivery order. As far as combining coupons goes — rule of thumb is if you’re able to stack coupons together in store, you can stack them for your grocery delivery order too.
Make sure to take a look at Kroger’s digital coupon policy.
Thanks to a partnership with Instacart, Kroger has rolled out 30-minute delivery to more than 2,700 stores nationwide. Kroger delivery reaches around 50 million homes and offers more than 25,000 items.
Don’t have a Kroger storefront in your area? You’re not totally out of luck. Kroger has built fulfillment centers strictly to handle delivery orders. Just check your zip code on the Kroger delivery site to see if your area is serviced.
5. Target grocery delivery is in 5,000 metro areas across the U.S., thanks to Shipt.
Target Grocery Delivery Cost: $99 yearly with Shipt
Target Grocery Delivery Fee: $7 to $9.99
We have a lot to say about Target grocery delivery with Shipt, their delivery company. But it’s about more than just Target. Shipt recently announced expansion into 1,000 new stores across the country, giving 2 million more potential customers access to their same-day delivery service. New store partnerships include CVS and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Here’s a quick look at what you should expect to pay when you sign up for Target grocery delivery through Shipt:
- Standard membership is $99 a year or $10.99 a month.
- The membership gives you free same-day delivery from a large list of stores.
- Orders $35 and over have free delivery — everything else will cost an extra $7.
- Without a membership, you can do a basic delivery for $10.00 plus applicable service fees.
- Or use Shipt passes for single orders (3 for $27 or 5 for $40).
Target Circle users should use the Target app for Shipt orders. Why? Because Target Circle offers aren’t available in the Shipt app. Place your same-day delivery order through the Target app instead to get gift card and Circle savings.
Your 5% discount through Target RedCard applies to your grocery order, but not your delivery fee.
Just like when you’re shopping inside a Target store, you can either get 1% back in Circle savings or use your Target RedCard for 5% savings. You can stack your RedCard savings with individual Circle offers (but not the 1% total Circle discount). You have to order through Target, not SHIPT, though.
6. Safeway grocery delivery has $20 off your first order.
Safeway Delivery Subscription Cost: $99 yearly for FreshPass
Safeway Grocery Delivery Fee: $3.95 and up
Safeway grocery delivery fee starts at $3.95 with a $30 order minimum. Delivery fees vary based on the time of your order and your location. If you choose Rush Delivery (delivery within two hours of ordering), that will take you to Instacart, which charges lots of fees and marks up the price of your items.
For your first order you can get $20 Off + FREE Delivery when you spend $75 or more* using promo code SAVE20 at checkout.
Tip: If you find yourself getting weekly Safeway grocery delivery, consider joining FreshPass, which waives fees on orders over $30. It’s only $99 if you pay up front for a year ($8.25 a month), meaning you’ll save overall with yearly even if you usually choose four-hour delivery ($3.95 per delivery). Plus, you get a $5 monthly credit with annual subscription. Or, you can make monthly payments for $13.99.
7. Giant Eagle grocery delivery lets you cancel your order at any time — and they don’t charge a fee.
Giant Eagle Grocery Delivery Subscription Cost: N/A
Giant Eagle Grocery Delivery Fee: $9.95
Giant Eagle may be one of the only grocery stores that allows you to cancel your grocery delivery order without slapping you with a fee.
I’m not saying you should do this as a habit, but if you get into a bind and you need to cancel, do so online or call the store to cancel your order.
Keep in mind that there’s a $35 minimum on Giant Eagle grocery delivery orders and a $9.95 service fee.
8. Uber Eats will deliver you convenience store goodies.
Uber Eats Subscription Cost: $9.99 per month
Uber Eats Delivery Fee: $0.49 to $7.99
Craving a Slurpee? Yeah, you can get that delivered from Uber Eats. Whether it’s a gallon of milk, a pint of ice cream, or some chips, you can get it to your door without putting on any pants.
Be sure to check the promotions tab in your Uber Eats account too. I have an offer for $20 off a $30 convenience store order. That’s a lot of Slurpees!
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