Instacart Mastercard

Rewards by category

Our take

The Instacart Mastercard is Chase's no-annual-fee co-brand for grocery delivery: a World Elite Mastercard that pays 5% on Instacart purchases, 5% on travel booked through Chase Travel, 2% at gas stations and restaurants, and 1% on everything else, with no foreign transaction fees. Approval alone comes with a $50 Instacart credit — automatic, with no spend requirement to unlock it.

The headline rate now carries a cap. Since April 30, 2025, the 5% applies only to the first $6,000 of Instacart purchases per year — a statement-cycle year, not a calendar one — and spending past that earns the 1% base rate; before that date the category was uncapped. Redemption, at least, is simple: points convert at 100 to $1 with no minimum, as a statement credit, direct deposit, gift cards, or through Chase Travel, so 5% really means five cents on the dollar.

That cap is why the card no longer wins its own category at higher volumes. At our assumed grocery volumes, the cap blends the headline 5% down to roughly 4.33%, while the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express — 6% on groceries, capped at the same $6,000 — blends to about 5.17%. In plain terms, the Blue Cash Preferred beats the Instacart Mastercard at Instacart itself, though it charges a $95 annual fee where this card charges none.

The card still earns a slot in two kinds of wallet. If your Instacart spending is light to moderate — comfortably under the cap, which works out to $500 a month — the full 5% holds and there is no fee to justify. And even when groceries go elsewhere, a $0-fee card with 2% at gas stations and restaurants and no foreign transaction fees is a serviceable backup. Heavy Instacart households should do the fee math on the Blue Cash Preferred instead, and either way route general spending to something better than this card's 1% base rate.

The math

Run $250 a month of flights through this card and you're earning about $150 a year at our conservative valuations. There's no annual fee to earn back — everything above the 1% base rate is pure upside.

Where it lands in our rankings: #3 for flights

Store bonuses

• Instacart5%

Key benefits

• $50 Instacart credit automatically on approval (no minimum spend)
• No foreign transaction fees
• World Elite Mastercard benefits

Common questions

Does Instacart Mastercard have an annual fee?

No — Instacart Mastercard has no annual fee.

What does Instacart Mastercard earn on flights?

5% on flights (book via chase travel).

What rewards does Instacart Mastercard earn on everything else?

1% on all other purchases, in Cash Back.

Does the Instacart Mastercard's 5% on Instacart have a cap?

Yes. Since April 30, 2025, the 5% applies to the first $6,000 of Instacart purchases per year, and spending beyond that earns the 1% base rate. Note that the year is a statement-cycle year rather than a calendar year, so the cap resets on your statement schedule, not on January 1. Before that date the category was uncapped.

Is the Instacart Mastercard the best card for Instacart purchases?

Not for heavier spenders. At our assumed grocery volumes the $6,000 cap blends the 5% down to roughly 4.33%, while the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express blends to about 5.17% on its capped 6%, so it beats the Instacart Mastercard at Instacart itself. Stay under the cap, though, and the full 5% holds — with no annual fee to justify.

What is the Instacart Mastercard's welcome bonus and how do points redeem?

Approval comes with a $50 Instacart credit — automatic, with no spend requirement. Points redeem at 100 points to $1 with no minimum, as a statement credit, direct deposit, gift cards, or through Chase Travel, so rewards behave like plain cash back with no valuation guesswork.