Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Instacart’s Whole Foods home deliveries now cost less than Amazon Prime’s

Bruce Brown
By

If your only reason to subscribe to Amazon Prime is for low-cost Whole Foods Market grocery home deliveries, Instacart is now a better deal. Instacart’s recent fee structure changes give it an edge over Prime membership for grocery deliveries, Business Insider reports.

Before Instacart’s fee reductions, an Amazon Prime membership cost less than joining Instacart for a year. The two programs are significantly different in other aspects, but viewed only from the standpoint of Whole Foods home delivery cost, Amazon Prime had been a bargain compared to Instacart.

Recommended Videos

Instacart has delivery arrangements with about 300 chain stores and had been the only third-party delivery service for Whole Foods orders. Amazon disrupted Instacart’s business when the online retailer bought Whole Foods Markets and began offering free delivery for orders over $35 as yet another perk to its tens of millions of U.S. Prime members.

Related

Losing its former single-source arrangement with the high-profile Whole Foods stores was the first blow, but Amazon’s Prime membership fee — which includes a raft of services in addition to Whole Foods grocery deliveries — added to the business threat.

But now the pricing advantage between the two companies has shifted. Instacart dropped its Express membership fee from $149 to $99 per year.  Instacart also removed an unpopular five-percent service fee it formerly added to all Express delivery orders.

Express members get free delivery on all orders over $35. Non-Express members pay a delivery fee for each order, but they also get a break from the new pricing structure. Instacart reduced the Non-Express delivery fee from $6 to $4.

Amazon Prime members pay $119 annually or $13 a month for a multitude of services including no-cost two-day shipping for online purchases for many items, Amazon Prime Video, Music, Audio Books, and more.

When Amazon announced its Whole Foods Market acquisition in 2017 speculation was rampant about how the deal would play out for Whole Foods customers and competitors. Adding grocery home delivery for Prime members was the resulting add-on for Amazon customers. Orders under $35 have delivery fees, but deliveries are free when customers order $35, the same as with Instacart.

Instacart and Amazon Prime home delivery services aren’t your only choices to help you avoid trips to the grocery store. Digital Trends surveyed several of the top apps ready to do your shopping.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown
Contributing Editor
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
This Wi-Fi robot vacuum is discounted from $199 to $79
The iHome AutoVac Juno robot vacuum cleaning the floor.

Robot vacuum deals are consistently getting cheaper it seems, with it now possible to buy a robot vacuum for just $79. That’s the case at Walmart with the iHome AutoVac Juno Robot Vacuum down to $79 for a limited time. It usually costs $199 so you’re saving a huge $120 off the regular price making now the perfect time to upgrade to all the convenience that comes from having a robot vacuum. Keen to learn more? Let’s take a look.

Why you should buy the iHome AutoVac Juno Robot Vacuum
You won’t see iHome feature in our look at the best robot vacuums but that’s not to say that there aren’t benefits to buying such a cheap robot vacuum today. With the iHome AutoVac Juno Robot Vacuum, you get up to 2,000pa of strong suction power with up to 100 minutes of runtime ensuring that plenty can be accomplished.

Read more
The Narwal Freo X Plus is an entry-level robot vacuum loaded with premium features
The Freo X Plus vacuuming pet hair.

Narwal launched the Freo X Ultra earlier this year, and we found it to be an exceptional robot vacuum and mop combo -- though its $1,400 price tag made it a luxury item for most shoppers. Thankfully, many of the Freo X Ultra's best features can be found on the newly launched Narwal Freo X Plus, which offers an affordable alternative to the flagship vacuum and mop combo.

The Freo X Plus should be much more appealing to frugal shoppers, as it clocks in at just $400. That's a full $1,000 cheaper than the Ultra, yet it still holds up to seven weeks of dust, can lift its mopping plate when traveling on carpet, and produces up to 7,800 Pa of suction to pull out dirt and debris from your carpets. It can even apply 6 Newton units of downward pressure while mopping, allowing it to tackle tough stains with ease.

Read more
Samsung’s new Smart Refrigerators are already discounted
samsung smart refrigerator deal may 2022 last chance bespoke 4 door french feature

For great refrigerator deals, go straight to the source and buy Samsung’s latest Smart Refrigerators for a great discount. As part of its Spring Black Friday sale, Samsung has discounted six different smart refrigerators with up to $1,200 off some of them. If you’ve been waiting to buy a new refrigerator and you want to invest in a high-end smart refrigerator, this is your chance to do so while saving substantial sums of money. The best thing to do is click the button below to see for yourself what’s on sale. Alternatively, read on and we’ll take you through what we know.

What to shop for in the Samsung smart refrigerator sale
Samsung easily makes some of the best smart refrigerators around so you simply can’t go wrong with whatever you buy. One immediately tempting option is the . It usually costs $4,214 but it’s down to $3,199 as part of this sale. It has changeable door panels which feature the Beverage Zone with two temperature settings which are perfect for drinks and desserts. There’s a choice of an internal dispenser or a built-in AutoFill Water Pitcher. The fridge has a modern design which blends into any kitchen while its automatically opening doors work through a simple, light touch of the sensor, saving you from needing to juggle too much at once. You can also customize the lower-right storage space to be a refrigerator or freezer with five adjustable temperature settings.

Read more