Even More Groceries for Free 🍉🥐🍗

 Last August I shared with you about how you could get groceries for free through a few different Chase credit cards and their Door Dash benefits. Today I'm here to tell you about a different promotion I happened across this fall which nets me even more free groceries every month! In October, I opened a Chase Ink Business Cash* card. It's $750 sign up bonus after spending $6,000 in 3 months (I can pretty much do this with just grocery shopping and dining out!) was pretty attractive, but when you factor in the $0 annual fee it got even better! Then when you consider 5% cash back when you use the card to pay your internet, cable and phone bills, it's pretty great. But as I went about setting up the card, I happened upon a little hidden benefit - Instacart+.

 I've used Instacart a few times, primarily to order groceries when I was on vacation and didn't have a vehicle, but I've never considered Instacart+ to be something I'd use. For one thing, Instacart prices are often WAY higher than regular grocery store prices. So why did this benefit intrigue me? Well, I did a little learning and a little digging and I found out that some stores offer same as in-store pricing on Instacart. That's nice, but I already have a Fred Meyer Boost membership and a Walmart + membership, so why would I want to add Instacart to this mix? Well, because the Chase Ink Business Cash wants to give me $20 in free groceries every month, that's why! Yep, in addition to 3 months of free Instacart+, this credit card will give me $20 in free groceries for as long as I have an Instacart+ membership. I was pretty excited about that. I did the math and that equals $240 in free groceries a year. If I decided to continue my Instacart+ membership after the three free months it would cost $99 a year OR $79 a year for Costco members, which I happen to be. So right there you're looking at $160 in free groceries a year. But wait, IT GETS BETTER!

 As I went about setting up my Instacart+ account, I saw a little note at the bottom about unlocking special offers. It said I could get $10 a month in free groceries with an eligible Chase co-Brand card. I happen to have one of those - the Chase Aeroplan card that I used for my biggest redemption ever last spring. So I added this card to my account and sure enough, another $10 credit showed up! I got curious and looked a little further and saw "Get 3 free months of Instacart+ and $20 monthly credit with your eligible Mastercard." I have a couple of Mastercards, so I thought I'd run them through and see if they qualified, and sure enough, one of them did! Before they closed them down in October, I opened a Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard, and this card made me eligible for three more free months of Instacart+ in addition to another $20 monthly credit. The catch is, this credit is only good on the second order made on the card. That took a little figuring out, so hopefully I can save you the trouble.

 Here's the reality though, you're not actually getting groceries completely free. There is a $2.49 service fee for orders in the $10-30 range as well as any taxes and tips you might incur. You really should tip your driver! These guys work hard and do the shopping as well as the delivery. So here's a realistic picture of what I spending and getting in a month:

Order #1 - This order is the first one with my Hawaiian card, the one that has to be made to enable the $20 credit later. The minimum order is $10, so that's what I shoot for. I order sale items at Fred Meyers so they are close to the same price you'll see in the store. They say they are the same, but in reality if you pull up the Instacart and the Fred Meyers websites side by side you'll see a few cents' difference. I always schedule my order ahead, which gives me a $2 credit. So, with $10 in groceries, $2.49 in service fees and a $2 tip, less the $2 order ahead credit, you're looking at about $12.49-$13 for $10 in groceries (I figure on going a few cents over the $10 minimum).

Order #2 - This order is done with my Chase Ink Business Cash card's* $20 credit. The $2 order ahead credit will eat into this, so I order $22 worth of groceries. Again, there's a $2.49 service fee and a $2 tip, but I get $22 off this order for a grand total of $4.49-$5 (again adjusted for overage) for $22 worth of groceries.

Order #3 - I use my Chase Aeroplan card for this one with a $10 credit. I order $12 worth of groceries to maximize my credit and factor in the $2.49 service fee and a $2 tip, but I get $12 off this order for a grand total of $4.49-$5 (again adjusted for overage) for $12 worth of groceries.

Order #4 - Finally, I've unlocked my second order credit on my Hawaiian card, so I do the same thing I did before with the Chase Ink Business Cash card - I order $22 worth of groceries. Again, there's a $2.49 service fee and a $2 tip, but I get $22 off this order for a grand total of $4.49-$5 (adjusted for overage) for $22 worth of groceries.

 What's the grand total? I spend $26 for $68 worth of groceries, getting me $42 in completely free groceries every month, delivered straight to my door! This is food that I would be buying anyways, so this is a real benefit to my budget every month, and it helps out on days/weeks where I can't get to the grocery store in person or I just need a few things. Combining these orders with my Door Dash ones I mentioned before, I'm getting over $100 in free groceries every month! I'm hoping to add to this list by opening a few more cards with similar benefits in the near future.

 Don't think you qualify for a business credit card? Think again! You don't have to have a booming corporation to open one of these. In fact, according to this great article, you can legitimately claim a business from babysitting, selling items on Facebook marketplace, or even hosting a yearly garage sale! I chose to qualify for my business cards through this blog and your generous donations last year.

Here's the Thing: My family's not going to eat on $68 worth of groceries for the month, but every little bit helps, and this is one thing I can do to benefit my family's budget. It takes a few extra steps one or two days a month, but it's worth it for me!

As a reminder, this December I'm looking for those who would like to partner with me in providing content by donating. You can learn more here, or if you'd just like to donate, click here.
Thank you for your consideration!

*If you apply and are approved for a Chase Business Card for the first time through my link, I'll receive a little bonus too! https://www.referyourchasecard.com/21a/SUTGFUZWTT