Instacart makes grocery shopping one of the easiest and most convenient tasks when it comes to running a household, and when you have something good like that, it’s only fitting that you’d want to share it.
Can you have Instacart deliver to someone else, though, and does the app support it? Keep reading below for the answer to these questions!
Can You Have Instacart Deliver to Someone Else In 2024?
You can have Instacart deliver to someone else in a few different ways, including via the Group Cart feature, the Send as a Gift feature and simply by sharing an account. Customers can even arrange for Instacart to deliver orders from across the continental U.S. There is also no additional charge in 2024.
To learn more about Instacart group carts, sending Instacart orders as gifts, and even if you can send alcohol to a friend with Instacart, read on for more facts!
You can share an Instacart account with someone and have groceries delivered to them, but it means that you have to trust them with your financial information first.
Instacart, after all, allows you to add multiple addresses to your account.
Therefore, you could ostensibly put your friend’s address on your account and give them your login information ( multiple can be logged into the same account at once).
Afterward, they can shop and check out using your payment info, have the groceries delivered to them, and reimburse you for the purchase.
However, you should only do this if you truly trust the other person, because if they have your login info, they have access to some sensitive financial information.
They could also use your account to order at any time, and if you aren’t paying attention, the headache from dealing with the fall-out would be immense.
What Are Instacart Group Carts?
Instacart group carts are a safer way to share the Instacart goodness with friends or family, allowing you to send groceries to their house but not have control over your account.
The only catch is that they have to be Instacart account holders already, so to use this feature, if they’re not signed up, they’ll need to download the app and join.
Once everyone is on board, you can navigate to your shopping cart.
In the upper-right corner, it says “My Carts.” Tap on that and it will take you to the “Create a group cart” function.
Select it, then hit the white and green “Create A Group Cart” button.
You can opt to let Instacart access your contacts or not. If you do, you can send invites by email, but if you don’t, you can tap on the “Share” button.
This generates a link you can text to whomever you want to join, where they can click on the link to join the cart.
This allows them to add to the group card. It also gives anyone in the group cart the power to check out, but only using their own payment method.
If you’re sending a friend an Instacart order, you’ll add their address to the account, and double-check when you’re checking out that the order is going to the proper location.
One other important thing to note: If someone in your cart has an Express membership, it’s to everyone’s benefit if they do the checking out.
Express memberships waive the delivery fee for orders over $35, usually institute free pick-up, and cut operating fees in half.
Finally, Group Carts are a great way for more tech-savvy individuals to help those who are not well versed with technology.
Can You Send an Instacart Order as a Gift?
Instacart recently rolled out a new function called Send as a Gift, which you can use if you want to surprise your recipient.
Before you check out, you can add your recipient’s address to your account, and make sure it’s selected at check-out.
At the check-out screen, you will see the words “Send as a Gift.” Click the box and it will open new lines where you can enter the recipient’s name and number.
You can even enter a gift message!
When you submit the order, they’ll receive a text that something is coming their way and it will let them track the order in real time.
Can You Send Instacart Alcohol to a Friend?
In states where alcohol delivery via Instacart is allowed, you can send alcohol to a friend!
Those states include:
- California
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Washington, D.C.
The only catch is that your friend must be present for the delivery, and they must have a valid state-issued ID to prove that they are over the age of 21.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Instacart takes EBT, Instacart refund, and Instacart waitlist.
Conclusion
It is possible to have Instacart delivered to someone else, whether you choose to share your login info, use the Group Carts feature, or send an order as a gift.
Be mindful of what you send, however, because if you’re including a bottle of wine to cheer up a friend, they will have to be present, with ID to prove they’re 21+ to receive it.