Uber Grocery Delivery: How It Works, Pricing & If It's Worth It

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Uber grocery delivery lets you order groceries — even after stores are closed.

Uber has offered grocery delivery since 2020, causing apps like DoorDash to add their own grocery delivery to stay in the competition. But with after-hours ordering and other features, Uber Eats is trying to assert themselves and take on big players like Amazon Fresh and Instacart.

Does Uber Eats deliver groceries? You bet they do, and it’s giving me even fewer reasons to leave the house. Here’s what you need to know:

Uber grocery delivery can bring you groceries in under an hour.

two iphone screenshots side by side showing a list of grocery stores available for uber delivery and the main Albertsons page in the uber eats app

Located in the Eats app (iOS / Android), the Uber grocery service will bring your grocery essentials right to your door from stores like Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Aldi, Publix, Walmart, and more. It’s available in over 400 major cities and towns.

They let you order from Sam’s Club and Costco — even if you don’t have memberships.

Here’s how to order groceries from the Uber Eats app:

Go to the mobile app or UberEats.com
Click the “Grocery” icon
Choose your preferred grocery store
Click “add to cart”
Choose how many you want of each item
Go to your shopping cart and click “Go to checkout”
Choose the delivery time and click “Place order”

You can schedule an Uber grocery order even after a store has closed for the night.

a supermarket aisle with no people in it with the lights dimmed after hours

Thought of a grocery list at 3 a.m.? You can place and pay for your order for delivery for the next available time slot with no problem. Or you can just pick a time that works best for you the next day.

Don’t worry, your groceries won’t be sitting out all night long; a shopper will gather your order just before the scheduled delivery slot.

You can schedule grocery delivery up to two days in advance.

a screenshot from the uber eats app showing delivery times for uber grocery

With Uber’s grocery service, you can plan ahead and get your weekly grocery shopping out the way. They allow you to order up to 48 hours in the future.

On Tuesday, we were able to place an advance order at Jewel-Osco all the way through Thursday night.

TIP: You can add loyalty cards to your account for ACME Markets, Albertsons, Andronicos, Costco, Fresco y Mas, Harvey’s, Jewel-Osco, Pak ‘N Save, Pavilions, Randall’s, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Vonn’s, and Winn-Dixie to earn points even when ordering through Uber Eats.

Uber lets you make product replacements and talk to your shopper while they’re getting your groceries.

A woman opening the door to her car to exit, holding an Uber eats bag in her hand.

You don’t want to get your grocery order and find they replaced your soy milk with cow’s milk. Uber will let you choose multiple replacement options while placing the order.

You’ll also be able to communicate with your shopper in real time as they collect your groceries. So, if any replacements you chose aren’t available, you can talk directly to your shopper to find something else or get a refund.

Get Uber grocery delivery free if you’re an Uber One member.

a screenshot of the uber eats app showing the uber one membership benefits, including free grocery delivery

Delivery fees range from $0.49 to $7.99, depending on how far the store is from your home. And don’t forget surges. You can pay up to $15 for grocery delivery if it’s a busy time.

But you can get an Uber One subscription for $9.99 a month (or $99.99 a year). As long as your cart is over $30, you’ll get your stuff delivered for free, even during a surge.

You can also get free delivery until Dec. 31, 2022, on your first grocery order of $30 or more.

TIP: If you want to save money on your next Uber Eats delivery, check our tips on How to Get Free Uber Eats Food.

Double-check the per-item prices; products are often more expensive through Uber grocery than they are in store.

Perdue Harvestland Chicken Drumsticks on shelf at Walmart. Price sticker reads $3.43 per pound.

Beware that when you order grocery delivery through Uber Eats, you’ll most likely pay more for each item than you would if you shopped in the store.

We compared a few items from Jewel-Osco through Uber Eats to Jewel-Osco’s in-store prices and discovered that prices are about 10% more than in stores, which isn’t great if you’re trying to beat inflation.

Eggland’s Best Large White Eggs: $4.39 Uber Eats, $3.99 in store
Simply Orange Mango: $5.27 Uber Eats, $3.99 in store (reg. $4.79)
Horizon Organic Vitamin D Whole Milk: $6.59 Uber Eats, $5.99 in store
Sparkle Pick A Size Paper Towels: $4.44 Uber Eats, $3.99 in store

If you have a Walmart in your area, though, use their delivery service — it’s much cheaper and prices aren’t inflated.

A delivery person handing a Walmart bag to a woman in her front doorway.

Listen, as exciting as it is that Uber grocery delivery is a thing — and you can preschedule grocery delivery at any time of the day — we’ve already experienced this level of convenience with Walmart Plus Delivery.

And better yet, prices with Walmart Delivery are the same as they are in store. We have lots to say about Walmart Grocery Delivery.

Use Uber grocery delivery if you have a specific store in mind (that isn’t Walmart). It’s a better alternative to Instacart, which has a reputation for raising prices even higher (about 15%).

Not only that, but Uber grocery’s delivery charge for Jewel-Osco was $0.99, and Instacart’s delivery charges tend to be much higher than Uber’s. A Jewel-Osco delivery costs just $0.99 on Uber versus the $3.99 flat fee for Instacart.

Both Uber and Instacart have $9.99 subscription plans for unlimited delivery, but the order minimum for Instacart is $35, and for Uber, it’s only $30.