Help stock food banks with your monthly credit card benefits

You probably don’t need us to tell you that many Americans currently lack a regular financial safety net, resulting in a massive need to stock their pantries right now.

Food pantries can be a lifeline for those in need, and maintaining a steady flow of donations and food to food banks is critical to providing assistance. Cash donations are usually the most effective way to help food banks, as the purchasing power of banks is much greater than that of individuals.

But if you want to help beyond just donating cash, there’s a way to do it at no extra cost: by maximizing the benefits of a credit card you probably don’t use anyway.

Many popular Chase credit cards, e.g World of Hayat credit card (See rates and fees) and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (See rates and fees), Offer $10-$20 in monthly Instacart credits plus a certain number of free Instacart trial months (activate by December 31, 2027). A $10 or $20 credit typically doesn’t make up for a large portion of a traditional grocery order, so anecdotally, cardholders who don’t use Instacart frequently often forget to take advantage of these credits.

However, Instacart has what it calls “Community cartswhich works in partnership with Feeding America. Through this program, you can place Instacart orders for delivery to food banks across the country.

Each food bank has its own page that lists the most requested items, making shopping relatively easy. Many of these items cost between $1 and $3, so you can order many items using your $10 or $20 Instacart credit. (Or you can just get one more expensive, high-demand item, like a big jar of peanut butter.)

There is a minimum order of $10 for community carts, and no delivery or service fees apply. So, if you place an order that’s roughly equivalent to your $10 or $20 monthly credit, your only expense will be any excess amount plus the tip.

Instacart defaults to a $2 tip for these deliveries (which I think is often lumped together since delivery isn’t instant).

You can register multiple eligible Chase cards with Instacart to place a few orders of $10 or $20 — one on each eligible card. You’ll know it worked when you see $10 or $20 subtracted from the order screen, as shown above.

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How to link your Chase cards to Instacart

To get this grocery delivery feature, all you have to do is Sign up for Instacart And sign up with an eligible Chase co-branded card (until December 31, 2027). Eligible cards include those from Marriott, Hyatt, Southwest Airlines and IHG.

Here are the Chase cards that offer a $10 monthly credit for Instacart purchases:

Information for Aer Lingus Visa Signature, Iberia Visa Signature, Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful and Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier was collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Cards that offer a $20 monthly Instacart credit include: Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (See rates and fees) and Inc Business Unlimited Credit Card. These also offer a free three-month Instacart+ membership (when activated by December 31, 2027). You can use your ink card to sign up for Instacart here.

Bottom line

Using your monthly Instacart credit is a simple way to support those who need it now. While a $10 or $20 grocery purchase may not seem like a lot, know that every little bit makes a difference.