Becoming An Instacart Shopper In 2022: The Full Application Process

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Shopping for Instacart has become a popular gig because it offers full flexibility and solid pay, ranging from $10–$30 per hour.

Are you curious about becoming a shopper? Here are the full details of the application process, and how you get can quickly get started.

What you need to know

• You must be 18 or older with access to a vehicle
• The application process is: Apply, do a background check, wait for a decision
• If you are added to a waitlist, watch your email for updates

What Instacart shoppers do

Instacart shoppers visit stores to pick out and purchase items, then deliver the order to customers. Shoppers use their own vehicle to travel to shores and complete deliveries.

The Instacart Shopper app gives step by step instructions that let you know where to go, what to shop for, and how to pay for the order.

Shoppers are paid for each completed order. Earnings are sent via direct deposit once per week, or shoppers can pay a $0.50 fee to use Instant Cashout.

As independent contractors, shoppers can do as many or as few orders as they want. There are no guaranteed minimum earnings—except in California.

More details on shopping for Instacart

• What it’s Like to Be a Full-Service Shopper
• How Much Do Instacart Shoppers Make?

Instacart Shopper Requirements

• 18 years or older
• Able to lift 50 pounds
• For full-service shoppers: Access to a vehicle

More details about the shopper requirements

Instacart is one of several delivery apps that hire delivery drivers who are 18 or older. It’s a great option for younger workers.

Why do you need to be able to lift 50 pounds? As an Instacart shopper, you will frequently have to to deliver heavy items like cases of water and bags of pet food.

Many shoppers use a cart or other device to help with delivering heavy items, but you will still need to be able to lift them off store shelves and load heavy items into your vehicle and onto the customer’s doorstep.

You will also need a modern smartphone to use the Shopper app. The minimum requirements are an iPhone 6s or Android phone running 5.0 or higher.

Vehicle requirements

Any vehicle qualifies for Instacart. You can use a sedan, SUV, truck, hatchback, and any vehicle type that can fit a grocery order. Unlike Uber and Lyft, the vehicle does not need to have 4 doors to qualify.

The only restriction is that you can’t use a bicycle, scooter, or motorcycle.

The application process to become a shopper

You can begin the application process at either shoppers.instacart.com or inside the Instacart Shopper app.

If you begin your application on the website, you will be directed to the app after you create an account.

The Instacart application process: Apply > Wait for background check > Receive the Instacart payment card > Start shopping

Some of the steps in the application process:

• Fill out your basic information
• Confirm that you meet the requirements
• Confirm that you have access to a vehicle (no further details required)
• Take a photo of your driver’s license
• Take a photo of yourself
• Input your address to receive your Instacart payment card
• Review and sign paperwork: Independent Contractor Agreement, Privacy Policy, W-9 tax form
• Consent to a background check
• Link a bank account for payments

Easy requirements!

After completing all of the necessary application steps, you’ll be able to explore the Shopper app and learn more about the ins and outs of shopping.

Check out the app features, read their starter guides, and consider doing some of the order demos that are linked in the main menu.

How do you know when you’ve been accepted? You will get both email updates and notifications from the Instacart app letting you know about your application progress. When you are accepted, you should receive an email along the lines of, “Congratulations, you’re ready to start shopping!”

“Your application is incomplete”

Some applicants run into this problem: You’ve done all the application steps, but the shopper apps says that your application is incomplete.

A common error. Wait 24 hours, then contact Instacart

First, make sure that you’ve finished all of the application steps. Tap on “complete application” and see if there are any actions that you need to do.

If you have already completed all of the steps and the app still says your application is incomplete, you may have run into a common glitch.

Try waiting 24 hours to see if the message goes away. Then, sign in and out of the app or clear the app cache.

If you can’t get the message to go away, contact Instacart shopper support to get more help.

You may be added to a waitlist

You will be added to a waitlist if Instacart is not currently accepting new shoppers.

The Instacart shopper app will let you know when you’re on the waitlist, and Instacart will email you when a spot has opened up for you.

How long is the waitlist? It depends on current market conditions and nobody can tell you when you will get off the waitlist.

Typically you will have to wait at least a few weeks.

Watch out for emails from Instacart when you’re on the waitlist

The Instacart background check

To become a shopper, you must undergo a background check that looks at both your criminal background and your driving record.

The background check is first processed by a third-party company called Checkr, then Instacart makes the final decision to either accept or reject your application.

You must provide a social security number (SSN) for the background check, and you must be eligible to work in the US.

Instacart does not give detailed criteria for the background check, so it’s hard to say exactly what sort of background issues may cause a rejection.

Reports on hiring standards vary, and in the end the final decision is made by a human, so there is always going to be some unpredictable variation.

Instacart says that background checks normally process within 10 days. To check the status of your background check, visit the Checkr applicant portal.

Instacart will let you know how long your background check will take

You will receive an app notification when your background check is complete. Depending on your state, you may also receive an email copy of your background check and motor vehicle report.

Instacart occasionally re-runs background checks for active shoppers. You can be deactivated if Instacart finds new issues that don’t align with their standards.

Paying for groceries: The Instacart payment card

Shoppers use a pre-loaded payment card to pay for customer orders.

During the application process you will provide a shipping address to receive the card, and it should take around 5-7 business days to arrive. You’ll get an email with a tracking number when the card ships.

There is also a digital card option that connect an Instacart payment card to Apple Pay or Android Pay.

By using the digital card, you can start shopping without having to wait for your payment card to ship. But there is a downside to digital cards: You can only shop at retailers that accept Apple or Android Pay.

All Shoppers receive a payment card. Digital is optional

Demos: Learn how to do Instacart orders

As the application process goes by so quickly, you might find yourself suddenly worried about something important: How do you actually DO a delivery?

Fortunately Instacart has a very well-developed series of demos that will walk you through all of the steps you need to take to correctly complete an order.

Find the app demos by tapping on Menu (☰) > Demo Orders. You’ll find numerous demo orders covering different types of orders at different stores.

The demos are a nice feature that many other gig apps don’t have, or don’t execute nearly as well as Instacart does.

Application to activation: Only a few days in some cases

Your results may vary, but getting started with Instacart might only take you a few days.

My application to Instacart from start to finish only took 4 days. The initial application took few minutes, the background check took one day, then the payment card shipped in 4.

Learn more about shopping for Instacart

• The Highs (and Lows) of Instacart Pay
• Not Getting Batches? How to Get More
• Are Double and Triple Batches Worth it?
• Is the Instacart Rating System Fair? How it Works
• How to Pick Better Batches and Avoid Bad Ones