It’s always great to see airline loyalty programs team up with other companies to offer perks and points earning opportunities for members. Last week we learned that Delta SkyMiles is launching a partnership with grocery delivery service Instacart. With this, all SkyMiles members can earn miles for grocery deliveries, while SkyMiles elite members can receive a complimentary premium membership.
This partnership is now live, so SkyMiles members can link their accounts to start taking advantage of benefits (the process is really straightforward).
In this post:
Earn Delta SkyMiles for Instacart purchases
Thanks to a new partnership between Delta SkyMiles and Instacart, it’s now possible to earn SkyMiles for purchases with Instacart. Delta SkyMiles members who link their Instacart account can earn:
- 1x miles per dollar spent with Instacart in the United States, excluding taxes, fees, and tips
- 1.5x miles per dollar spent with Instacart Express, which is Instacart’s subscription service
Personally I value Delta SkyMiles at 1.1 cents each, so to me that’s like an incremental 1.1-1.65% return on Instacart spending. While hardly a game-changer, it’s better than nothing, and something that Instacart users might as well taken advantage of.
Instacart Express for Delta SkyMiles Medallion members
In addition to the ability to earn miles for Instacart purchases, Delta SkyMiles Medallion elite members can also receive a free trial to Instacart Express:
- SkyMiles Silver and Gold Medallion elite members can receive a free three month Instacart Express trial
- SkyMiles Platinum and Diamond Medallion members can receive a free 12 month Instacart Express trial
For those not familiar, Instacart Express is Instacart’s premium membership, providing free delivery on orders over $35, plus other savings benefits, like 5% back on all pickup orders. Note that these memberships will be set up to auto renew, so if you’re not interested in keeping your membership you’ll want to be sure to cancel before then.
Bottom line
Delta SkyMiles has launched a new partnership with Instacart. SkyMiles members can earn 1-1.5x miles per dollar spent with Instacart, plus Medallion elite members can take advantage of a free trial Instacart Express membership.
While we’ve seen all kinds of partnerships from Delta, including with Airbnb, Lyft, and Turo, this one is unique because it’s outside of the travel space. I guess the logic is that road warriors are away from home a lot and might have a greater appreciation for having their groceries delivered due to lack of time at home.
Will you take advantage of this new Delta SkyMiles & Instacart partnership?
Instacart are a bunch of criminals
As soon as their shoppers send you someone else's order that you didn't order and paid for or you report spoiled produce they deliver they block you from returning even if its not what you order! 3 x I received someone else's groceries
Never again!
I spend thousands with Amazon Costco Walmart Sam's club and Doordash all reputable companies
Instacart is a criminal enterprise.
...
Instacart are a bunch of criminals
As soon as their shoppers send you someone else's order that you didn't order and paid for or you report spoiled produce they deliver they block you from returning even if its not what you order! 3 x I received someone else's groceries
Never again!
I spend thousands with Amazon Costco Walmart Sam's club and Doordash all reputable companies
Instacart is a criminal enterprise.
As a side note the Delta partnership has been in place for years
Great company till you have multiple problems over time.
I thought they were great early on during the pandemic they had me fooled
Sadly mistaken
If you already have express delivery when I click on the link it tells me that on the app, like that’s the only benefit. I guess I’ll have to delete that account option.
Great -- now my Instacart delivery is going to be delayed due to a storm in Atlanta...
This was live in the app this morning.
Sounds great b/c I have Instacart accounts for home and our company and am a DL loyalist for domestic travel. Unfortunately, clicking through shows a press release teasing a launch next week. Pretty stupid. If you announce it and I can't sign up right now, good luck hoping I remember to check back at a later time.
Another example of marketing folks (I am one, FTR) being stuck in their own headspace and not the real world.
Don't really see how these 2 partners can have many compliments to each.
They partner up so I can have groceries waiting for me at the airport once I land?
It looks like Instacart is burning VC money just to raise more VC money. FB and Netflix have shown, user growth has its limits. Buying new customers doesn't always equal long term user.
Hey Ben,
Unrelated, but you're written about stuff like this in the past so I thought you'd be interested in this https://youtu.be/BxHPgJxxdr0 Airbus is auctioning off some parts from their A380.
Is this independent of what credit card one is using to make the Instacart purchases?
I'll be taking advantage of this as soon as the offer goes live. Delta has had some really creative partnerships over the years; last year they partnered with Georgia Power and you could get SkyMiles if you renewed your natural gas plan.
That's good. Would it be possible to write about DL's recent Hawaii adds?