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How Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Work For Drivers

What are Instacart guaranteed earnings and why should you care? Read about the bonus and how it can help increase your income as a shopper.

Are you tired of shopping for Instacart and earning pennies?

You might want to look into Instacart guaranteed earnings to help increase your payments.

The program isn’t always available, but it’s helpful when you can use it.

Then, you can enjoy shopping without worrying about unpredictable income.

Keep reading for more information about guaranteed earnings and how to qualify for them.

Does Instacart Have a Guarantee?

Instacart offers a guarantee to help shoppers predict how much they’ll earn during a shift.

That way, if it’s slow, you can still make money while you’re out and about.

You’ll need to meet certain requirements to qualify for Instacart guaranteed earnings.

However, the qualifications shouldn’t be too difficult to meet.

Does Instacart Guarantee Minimum Wage?

Instacart offers a guaranteed minimum wage to shoppers in California due to Proposition 22.

The change guarantees that you’ll earn at least 120% of your city’s minimum wage for each hour you work.

You’ll also earn $0.30 for every mile you drive for Instacart.

If you’re in another state, Instacart doesn’t offer a minimum wage guarantee.

Since you’re a contractor, it will be up to you to take batches that can help you earn more per hour.

How Do Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Work?

Instacart guaranteed earnings work by paying you a bonus to meet the guarantee.

For example, the app might guarantee $60 for completing three batches.

If you complete three batches but only earn $50, Instacart would pay you $10 to make up the differences.

Unfortunately, you won’t get a bonus if you make more than the guarantee.

How Do Instacart Promotions Work?

Instacart offers multiple promotions to help attract and retain shoppers.

The promotions help increase your pay so that you want to keep using the app.

Do Instacart Promotions Include Tips?

Luckily, Instacart doesn’t factor in tips when calculating guaranteed earnings.

The same applies to any other promotions from the app.

So maybe you earn $70 from those three batches from the earlier example.

If $30 of that came from tips, Instacart would still owe you the extra $20 to increase your base pay from $40 to $60.

Read more about Instacart tipping to understand the concept more.

How Much Can You Make With Instacart Guaranteed Earnings?

You can make as much as possible with Instacart guaranteed earnings.

If you take multiple good batches with excellent tips, you could make a lot.

Some of the top shoppers make $45 per hour or more.

However, most shoppers can expect to make at least $20 per hour.

At Least Guaranteed Amount

Of course, if you qualify for guaranteed earnings, you’ll earn at least that much.

Using the prior example, Instacart could guarantee to pay you $60 for three batches.

Even if the batches amount to less than that, Instacart will pay the difference.

How Often Does Instacart Do Guaranteed Earnings?

It’s unclear how often Instacart offers guaranteed earnings.

Some drivers believe the app offers the guarantee more often to new shoppers.

That way, the new contractors can get practice shopping and delivering.

Odds are, the app offers a guarantee when there aren’t many orders or the orders are low-paying.

That can encourage drivers to get out and work even when they might not make as much as usual.

Are Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Worth It?

Instacart guaranteed earnings can be well worth it for many shoppers.

It might help you accept more batches that you wouldn’t otherwise, such as if the order is far away or is at a store you don’t know well.

Consider the pros and cons to decide if you should go for guaranteed pay from Instacart.

Pros of Instacart Guaranteed Earnings

  • More predictable pay
  • Doesn’t include tips
  • Helps you learn new stores and areas

Cons of Instacart Guaranteed Earnings

  • Requires completing a certain number of batches
  • Double and triple batches only count as one
  • Not available every day or to every shopper

Conclusion: Are Instacart Guaranteed Earnings Worth It?

Instacart guaranteed earnings are worth it if you qualify for them. The program can help ensure that you make a decent amount for your efforts.

It also encourages you to take batches that might take a bit longer or at stores you aren’t used to.

So you could practice delivering and get more efficient.

Then, when you go out to shop, you might make more, even without guaranteed earnings.

How to Get Instacart Guaranteed Earnings

You can log into your Instacart app and find the $ tab at the bottom of your screen.

Then, tap on Promotions to see what’s available to you.

If you qualify, you’ll see Guaranteed Earnings show up.

When you see a guaranteed earnings promotion, you can learn more about it.

Then, you’ll know how many batches you need to complete and in what period.

You can figure out how much you’ll earn if you meet those requirements.

After you select the promotion, your Instacart app will track your progress.

Then, you’ll receive a notification when you complete the minimum number of batches.

At that point, you can keep working.

However, if you make more than the guaranteed payout, you won’t get any sort of bonus.

So it might make more sense to stop working after you do the minimum.

Other Instacart Promotions to Be Aware Of

Along with Instacart guaranteed earnings, you can earn money from other promotions.

So even if you don’t see the option for minimum pay, you might still be able to increase your income.

Consider two popular promotions on Instacart and how they work.

vector graphics showing people carrying boxes around that have the words "instacart referral code" on them

Instacart Referral Program

When you sign up to be a shopper, you’ll get an Instacart referral code to send to your friends.

If someone uses your code to become a shopper, you can earn a bonus.

The amount you can make depends on where you live, but it could be an extra $300.

However, the driver you refer has to meet certain requirements when they start.

For example, the new shopper might need to finish 30 batches in their first month.

Also, you have to be in good standing with Instacart, and you’ll need to work at least 40 hours every six months.

If you want to take advantage of the promotion, go to the $ tab in your app.

Tap on the invite friends section, and copy your link.

Then, you can share it through a text message or on social media to reach more people.

2. Instacart Peak Boost

Instacart Peak Boosts are special increases in pay during busy times.

You can usually expect a Peak Boost between 4 pm and 9 pm during the week.

Peak Boosts can occur at any time during the weekends.

Fortunately, you can qualify for both a Peak Boost and guaranteed earnings.

That can help you earn more than usual, but Instacart will count your Peak Boost pay toward your minimum income.

You might qualify for Peak Boosts even without guaranteed earnings.

Instacart should tell you what shifts will qualify for the pay as well as individual batches.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re still curious about Instacart guaranteed earnings, you might have questions.

Here’s what you should know.

What is the busiest day for Instacart?

The busiest days for Instacart tend to fall around the holidays, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

However, Saturdays and Sundays tend to be busy all year long.


Does Instacart pay if no orders come in?

Sadly, Instacart doesn’t pay contractors if no orders come in.

In-store shoppers are Instacart employees and so will make a guaranteed hourly rate, even when there aren’t any orders.

Wrapping Up

Instacart guaranteed earnings help encourage shoppers to pick up more batches.

The guarantee can help you predict how much you’ll earn in a day or week as well.

Unfortunately, you won’t always get guaranteed earnings.

Instacart doesn’t seem to have a specific schedule for offering the bonus.

But thanks to other promotions, such as referrals and Peak Boosts, you can still earn more as a shopper.

Do you still have questions about Instacart?

Comment below.

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