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Here’s How Costco Same-Day Delivery With Instacart Works

Costco and Instacart have partnered to provide customers with a convenient way to get their favorite products. With Costco Same-Day delivery service, you can get groceries and household essentials delivered within a few hours without having to leave your house.

You can order Costco Same-Day delivery on Costco or Instacart website or app. Delivery fees start at $3.99, and Instacart Express members get free delivery for orders over $35. The order minimum is $35, and item prices are higher than in Costco warehouses. You do not need a Costco membership to order on Instacart; however, members get lower prices.

In this article, we’ll cover how Costco Same-Day delivery works and how to order through Instacart.

How Does Costco Same-Day Delivery Work?

Costco Same-Day delivery is fulfilled through Instacart. You can order groceries and household essentials for same-day delivery on the Costco or Instacart website or app. After placing your order, an Instacart shopper will shop for the items at your local Costco warehouse and deliver them to your door at the selected delivery time.

You can order Costco Same-Day delivery through the Costco website, the Instacart website, or the app. Either way, an Instacart shopper will prepare and deliver your order.

However, if you are not a Costco member, you will have to place your same-day delivery order through Instacart.

You can opt for contactless delivery for Costco Same-Day delivery orders if it does not contain prescriptions or alcohol.

If you are ordering a prescription or alcohol, you will need to be available to show your I.D. to the Instacart shopper before receiving your order.

There is a minimum order for all Instacart orders, including Costco. Costco Same-Day delivery orders have a $35 minimum if you order through Costco’s website.

The minimum order for Costco Same-Day delivery when ordered through Instacart is $10. 

If you want to change your order after it has been placed, you can request it through the Instacart app or website.

Once your assigned personal Instacart shopper begins shopping at Costco, you can message them about any changes or replacements you want to make.

However, you have time until the shopper reaches the checkout lane to ask for a change.

With constantly changing inventory levels, your local Costco warehouse may not have a specific product that you ordered.

You can pre-select product replacements when placing your order through Instacart or work directly with your shopper.

If you have not pre-selected a product replacement, the Instacart shopper will message you to find out what you want to do.

If your Instacart shopper cannot find a good replacement for an out-of-stock item, they will refund the item’s price.

You can also request a refund from Instacart for any unacceptable part of your order within seven days after the delivery is completed.

If you encounter any issues with your Costco Same-Day delivery order through Instacart, you can contact Instacart’s Customer Service department at 1-888-246-7822.

How Much Does Costco Same-Day Delivery Cost?

Costco Same-Day delivery fee starts at $3.99 and will vary based on your location and delivery time. In addition, there may be an extra service charge. If you have an Instacart Express membership, you can get free Costco Same-Day delivery on orders over $35. Costco Same-Day delivery items are priced higher than the warehouse.

Instacart normally charges customers a delivery fee on any order. However, there are a few situations in which you will not be charged for delivery.

First, Instacart Express members get free delivery for orders over $35 (before tax and other fees). The Instacart Express membership costs $9.99/month or $99/year ($8.25/month) if you pay annually.

According to Instacart, you can save an average of $7 on every order with the Instacart Express membership.

Additionally, the Instacart Express membership gives you access to special discounts on select products, and you will pay less in service fees.

All orders through Instacart include a small service fee to contribute to the cost of using a personal shopper.

You can even buy the Instacart Express annual membership from Costco if you are a Costco member. The price online is only $79, and it is delivered to you via email.

Instacart runs promotions frequently and offers a free trial for the Express membership.

You may also get a few free deliveries when you first sign up for Instacart, regardless of whether you sign up for the Instacart Express membership.

Instacart customers may get other offers with credit to use on any order. You could use these extra funds to save on your Costco Same-Day delivery fee.

With Costco Same-Day delivery, remember that items are more expensive than the prices in the warehouse. Therefore, you’ll always save money shopping at the warehouse compared to delivery orders.

Anyone can order from Costco using Instacart, but Costco members will see lower prices and better deals.

If you shop at Costco through the Instacart website or mobile app, you will have the option to enter your Costco membership number.

Make sure to link your Costco membership number to your Instacart account before ordering to get the lowest prices possible.

How Long Does Costco Same-Day Delivery Take?

Costco Same-Day delivery only takes a few hours. Priority delivery ensures that the order is delivered as fast as possible, often within 1-hour. Standard delivery windows are typically 2 to 3 hours to give Instacart shoppers enough time to fulfill the order. You can schedule Costco Same-Day delivery up to seven days in advance.

Costco warehouses are quite large, and many of their bulky products can be heavy. Thus, it may take a few hours for a Costco Same-Day order to be delivered.

On the other hand, some of your orders may be eligible for Priority delivery. This service will cost extra, but you will get your order delivered within an hour or two of ordering.

The delivery times reflect the Costco store hours, though they are offset by one hour to give Instacart shoppers the time to shop.

In other words, if your local Costco warehouse opens at 10 am, then the earliest you could schedule a same-day delivery would start at 11 am.

You can check Costco’s store hours to determine when they are open. However, we recommend checking the delivery times on Instacart since this accurately shows the current availability for delivery appointments.

Instacart gives customers the option to schedule their Costco Same-Day delivery order up to 7 days in advance.

However, ordering a week in advance for delivery may result in some items being out-of-stock at Costco when the Instacart shopper shops for your order.

How to Order Costco Same-Day Delivery on Instacart

To order Costco Same-Day delivery, you can use the Instacart website or the app. You will need an Instacart account, but you do not need a Costco membership; however, Costco members see better prices on Instacart. Once you are signed in to Instacart, you can select Costco as your store and place your same-day delivery order.

Ordering from Costco through Instacart is simple. Both the Instacart app and website are user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Here are step-by-step instructions to order Costco Same-Day delivery on Instacart using the Instacart app:

1. First, sign up for an Instacart account or log in to an existing account.

2. Choose Costco as your store to go to Costco’s Instacart storefront.

3. Search for products by using the search bar towards the top of the screen or browsing Costco’s departments. Then, add items to your cart.

4. Open your cart to review your order and confirm everything looks correct.

5. Choose a date and time to receive your Costco Same-Day delivery order.

6. Enter your payment and delivery information. Add your Costco membership card number here to ensure you get the best prices. Then, submit the order.

Do You Need Costco Membership to Order on Instacart?

You do not need a Costco membership to order on Instacart; however, Costco members get better prices and deals on Instacart. In addition, Costco Same-Day delivery orders through Instacart are also eligible to earn 2% rewards with the Executive Costco membership and 2% cashback with the Costco Anywhere credit card.

As long as you order through Instacart, you can order from Costco without a membership.

However, you cannot place a Same-Day delivery order directly through Costco’s website if you are not a Costco member.

You should get a Costco membership if you plan to frequently order Costco Same-Day delivery on Instacart. In addition, being a Costco member brings you many valuable benefits that make the membership worth it.

First, entering your Costco membership card number on Instacart will unlock better prices for items.

Secondly, Instacart orders count towards the rewards component of the Executive membership.

All Costco Executive members earn 2% rewards on the original warehouse price for any item included in the Instacart delivery order.

Similarly, the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi gives users 2% cashback rewards.

You could potentially save up to 4% of your order if you are an Executive member and paying for your Instacart order with this Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi.

Can You Order Alcohol With Costco Same-Day Delivery?

You can order alcohol with Costco Same-Day delivery in select states. There are 14 states, plus Washington D.C., that allow alcohol delivery via Instacart. Upon delivery, you must present a valid government I.D. showing that you are at least 21 years old. You can order alcohol just like any other item on Instacart.

To place an order for alcohol using Costco’s Same-Day delivery, you should start with the Instacart app or website. Then, shop for alcoholic beverages as you would any other product.

Make sure you are prepared before your Instacart shopper delivers your order. You will need to present a valid government I.D., which the shopper will scan in their Instacart app.

Sometimes, the shopper can enter the I.D. information manually, but this is not allowed for Costco orders.

There are three types of I.D.s accepted for Costco alcohol delivery orders through Instacart: a US-issued driver’s license with a picture, a US-issued military I.D., and a state-issued identification card.

There are 14 states (plus Washington D.C.) that allow alcohol delivery. The states you can order alcohol with Costco Same-Day delivery include:

  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • Washington, D.C.

Costco has special Beer, Wine, & Spirits gift cards available for customers to use in its warehouses. Unfortunately, these gift cards cannot be used with Costco Instacart orders.

Do You Tip Costco Same-Day Delivery?

Although Instacart adds a default 5% tip, we recommend tipping your Costco Same-Day delivery driver a minimum of 15-20% of the order total. Since Costco Same-Day delivery is powered by Instacart, the drivers will keep 100% of their tip. In addition, you can add your tip before or after receiving the delivery.

Instacart shoppers work hard to select the best products and deserve a reward, especially if they provide a good service. Therefore, we recommend tipping your Instacart shopper 15-20% of your order total.

When you’re at the checkout, you may notice that Instacart adds a default 5% tip to your order total. If you have previously placed an order with Instacart, the default will be the same percentage as what you tipped last time.

You can customize the tip amount as you desire on Instacart or remove the tip entirely if you want to wait until after the order is completed.

However, we recommend against holding the tip until after the delivery. This is because Instacart shoppers can see the estimated tip amount they will receive before claiming an order.

Thus, Instacart shoppers will be much less inclined to pick up your order if it looks like they may not get a tip at all.

If you want to add the tip after the order has been received, you will have 24 hours to make this change.

To add or change a tip on a completed Instacart order, view the order under “Your Orders” and rate it.

After submitting a rating, you will see the option to adjust the tip. You can do this both on the Instacart website and the mobile app.

Can You Use EBT With Costco Same-Day Delivery?

Unfortunately, you cannot use EBT with Costco Same-Day delivery. In addition, EBT is not accepted for any type of Costco online ordering, so you can only use your EBT card in a Costco warehouse. For a Costco Same-Day delivery order, you will need to use one of Instacart’s accepted payment methods, including most credit and debit cards.

Instacart only accepts EBT payments for select stores in the U.S. The current participating stores include Aldi, Food Lion, Publix, and more. Check out our article to see the full list of stores where Instacart takes EBT.

Since you cannot use your EBT card with Costco Same-Day delivery, you must use one of Instacart’s accepted payment methods.

The accepted payment methods for Costco Same-Day delivery orders are most credit and debit cards, China Union Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.

Cash is not accepted on Instacart, and you cannot pay with a Costco gift card either because Instacart does not accept any store gift cards.

If you want to use your EBT benefits at Costco, you need to shop in a warehouse. All Costco warehouses accept EBT cards to pay for SNAP-eligible items.

Conclusion

Costco Same-Day delivery can save you a lot of time. You can buy groceries and household essentials in bulk without the hassle of navigating a Costco warehouse. While Costco’s same-day delivery service through Instacart is more expensive than shopping in person, it can still be worth it, especially when you’re in a time crunch.

If you’re interested in learning more Costco shopping tips, check out the related articles below.

Related Articles:

Everything You Need to Know About Costco Online Shopping

Are Costco Warehouse and Online Prices the Same? (No, Here’s Why)

Costco Delivery: How It Works and How Much It Costs

Costco Membership: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

How to Contact Costco Customer Service Plus Costco’s Return Policy

About the Author

Alex Burgess is a registered dietitian and content creator with over two years of experience. She loves sharing nutrition information and has a passion for studying gut health.

During her free time, she enjoys hiking with friends, cooking a new recipe for her family, or watching her dog frolic at the dog park.

By Alex Burgess

November 12, 2022