Working for Instacart guarantees a lot of things, including the ability to work on your own schedule and the freedom to cash out your earnings whenever you want.
What people sometimes struggle with, however, is meeting their earning goals on a consistent basis, since by nature gig work tends to ebb and flow.
So what about Instacart guaranteed earnings? It seems like a great way to keep the money coming in and hit those financial goals on the daily. Read on below for the info you need.
Are Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Possible In 2024?
Instacart guaranteed earnings are possible as part of the company’s promotions program. By completing a certain number of batches, shoppers are guaranteed a set amount of money, e.g., six batches for $70. Even better, that amount only includes Instacart’s base pay and does not apply to tips. Shopper response to guaranteed earnings is mixed.
To learn more about how Instacart’s guaranteed earnings program works, what other promotions Instacart offers its shoppers and whether tips factor into any of them, keep reading!
How Does Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Work?
Occasionally Instacart will target promotions like the guaranteed earnings program at their shoppers.
“Complete five or more batches and get $75!” it might read.
It can be a little misleading, though.
That’s because you will accept the batches and deliver them; if the Instacart base pay doesn’t equal $75 total for all five, the company will actually pay you the difference.
So for example, say you completed all five and your total was $55. Instacart would then give you the difference, $20.
Instacart sees this as a win/win: more of their batches get snapped up, while shoppers can count on seeing those big payments in their earnings, and that’s before tips.
It’s not, however, a promotion where you deliver five batches and then receive a $75 bonus on top of the Instacart base pay, as some might believe.
There’s really no rhyme or reason as to how Instacart decides to whom they are going to send these promos, but one commenter on this Reddit thread speculates they may target newbies.
It’s definitely a good way to get the newer shoppers to commit to more batches and help them learn the ropes.
But it would also be a crafty way to get the seasoned pros, who might be waning in terms of interest in Instacart, to recommit.
Are Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Legit?
Chatter on Reddit’s r/InstacartShoppers is fairly mixed when it comes to Instacart guaranteed earnings.
Some definitely see it as a nice way to make a certain amount of money.
But others warn their fellow shoppers from being bamboozled by Instacart.
“It’s kind of insane that Instacart won’t put out a more detailed explanation of promos,” one user wrote.
“Their intentions are to purposely confuse us, which is downright sh***y.”
“Just don’t use that as an excuse to take low-paying batches,” another said. “That’s the whole point of this ‘promo.’”
They do kind of have a point – it would be more motivating to take just about any batch that came your way if you were trying to get a certain number of them.
And Instacart has been known to operate in a way that benefits the corporate elites – not their workers.
So proceed with caution. If you get a guaranteed earnings promo but you’ve noticed batch scarcity the past few times you’ve shopped, it might not be worth taking it.
How Do Promotions Work On Instacart?
Occasionally Instacart will send its shoppers special promotions to get their earnings up and so that Instacart doesn’t have as many undesirable batches sitting around unclaimed.
The Rideshare Guy says that as of February 2022, these promos are only for new shoppers, and they’re extremely targeted to different cities in the U.S.
One promotion is the guaranteed earnings promo, which I’ve detailed.
Another version rewards you with a bonus for completing a certain number of batches.
Instacart also has a referral bonus program. Send a friend or family member your link and when they have completed any bonus requirements necessary you get cash.
Instacart also has a Guaranteed Earnings referral bonus, where the referrer gets cash and the referred gets access to guaranteed earnings.
Do Instacart Promotions Include Tip?
Instacart promotions do not include tip. Tips are always extra pay on top of the Instacart base pay.
So if you receive a guaranteed earnings promo, any tips you may receive from those batches do not apply toward the total you will ultimately receive.
If your guaranteed earnings are $60 and you only earn $50 without tips, you’re getting the extra $10 boost.
That’s even if your total with tips is far above $60.
I think for a promo where people have pointed out how Instacart is ultimately benefitting, only counting Instacart’s base pay and excluding tips from the sum total is fair.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on Instacart 1099, should you tip Instacart delivery drivers, and Instacart refund policy.
Conclusion
Instacart guaranteed earnings can be mutually beneficial to both the shopper and the company, ensuring the shopper receives a set pay for a certain amount of batches.
Meanwhile Instacart doesn’t have to worry quite as much about undesirable batches sitting in the queue forever and customer satisfaction taking a dip.
