Skip and Instacart do not use one shared fee system. Skip calculates its own delivery and service charges, while Instacart applies a separate stack for grocery and pickup orders. The exception is restaurant ordering inside Instacart in Canada: those orders are fulfilled, paid for and supported by SkipTheDishes under Instacart’s interface. Memberships and promotions apply only within the program and order type named in their terms, so a “$0 delivery” label does not mean the entire order is free of fees.
Skip and Instacart are separate platforms—with one important restaurant connection
For ordinary grocery, pickup and restaurant shopping, Skip and Instacart calculate charges independently. A Skip cart uses the fees, membership rules and vouchers shown by Skip. An Instacart grocery or pickup cart uses Instacart’s retailer-specific pricing and promotions. Having an account or membership on one service does not automatically change fees on the other.
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Canada’s restaurant integration is the reason the services can appear to overlap. Instacart’s Canadian restaurant catalog is powered by SkipTheDishes. Skip provides the restaurant catalog, fulfillment, payment processing and customer support for those restaurant orders. Skip is the merchant of record for the charges, refunds and disputes, and the transaction is in Canadian dollars. This arrangement is different from an Instacart grocery order, even when both orders appear in the same Instacart app.
Skip serves more than 450 Canadian cities and towns, according to its FAQ. Availability, participating restaurants and participating grocery retailers still depend on the address you enter.
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- GROCERY SHOPPING MADE EASY: Get your entire grocery store list delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Prefer pick up? Order your groceries online, pick up at your local store, and skip the fees and tipping.
- GROCERY COUPONS AND DEALS: Discover exclusive deals and grocery coupons found only on the Instacart app.
- SHOP GROCERY STORES NEAR YOU: Instacart connects you with over 85,000 supermarkets and stores across North America.
- Redeem in the app: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Enter the main menu Tap Credits, promos & gift cards Enter the code Redeem on the website: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Click Account or your name Click Add promo or gift card Enter the code
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
How the final checkout total is built
Use this model to read either platform’s receipt:
item subtotal + delivery fee + service fee + applicable priority, long-distance, pickup or other fees + taxes + tip − eligible promotion or credit = final total
Not every order has every line. The amount and even the presence of a fee can change with the platform, retailer or restaurant, delivery address, order size, delivery window, membership status and offer terms. Compare the final checkout total rather than a headline such as “$0 delivery.” A delivery waiver can leave service fees, taxes, tips, item-price differences or other surcharges untouched.
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Delivery fee
Skip states that delivery fees are determined by your distance from the business. The fee appears after you enter the delivery address and is repeated in the order summary. A different address, restaurant or store can therefore produce a different delivery charge even when the basket value is similar.
Service fee
Skip calculates a service fee as a percentage of the item subtotal. The percentage and dollar amount can vary by business and order value. Skip displays the exact amount at checkout, so the subtotal alone is not enough to predict the fee.
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- GROCERY SHOPPING MADE EASY: Get your entire grocery store list delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Prefer pick up? Order your groceries online, pick up at your local store, and skip the fees and tipping.
- GROCERY COUPONS AND DEALS: Discover exclusive deals and grocery coupons found only on the Instacart app.
- SHOP GROCERY STORES NEAR YOU: Instacart connects you with over 85,000 supermarkets and stores across North America.
- Redeem in the app: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Enter the main menu Tap Credits, promos & gift cards Enter the code Redeem on the website: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Click Account or your name Click Add promo or gift card Enter the code
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
What Skip+ waives—and what it does not
Current Skip+ conditions specify $0 delivery at participating partners when the order reaches at least $15 before associated taxes. Individual partners can set a higher minimum. Skip also states at least 40% service-fee savings at participating partners. These are membership benefits, not a promise that every Skip order has no additional charges.
Skip advertises a $9.99 monthly Skip+ price in 2026, but membership pricing and offers can change. Check the price and the partner’s minimum shown in your account before subscribing. A restaurant or store that is not participating will not receive the Skip+ delivery benefit.
Where to find Skip promotions and rewards
Check the Offers area, My Skip, promotional emails and Skip’s social pages. Promotion notifications can be enabled in account settings. A voucher may be a fixed-dollar discount, a percentage discount or another benefit. Its terms can exclude taxes and fees, impose a minimum subtotal, limit eligible businesses or prohibit combination with another voucher.
Referral credit applies to the item subtotal before taxes, tip and delivery fee. Skip Rewards points are not earned on fees, taxes, tips or the discounted portion of an order. Treat the terms attached to the specific voucher or credit as controlling; the presence of a balance in your account does not mean it can pay every line on the receipt.
Instacart grocery and pickup fees
Delivery fee and delivery windows
Instacart’s grocery delivery fee varies by retailer, delivery window and order total. You see the fee while selecting the delivery window and again at checkout. Instacart+ members receive $0 delivery fees on eligible grocery orders of at least $10 per retailer. The threshold is measured separately for each retailer in a multi-retailer cart.
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- GROCERY SHOPPING MADE EASY: Get your entire grocery store list delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Prefer pick up? Order your groceries online, pick up at your local store, and skip the fees and tipping.
- GROCERY COUPONS AND DEALS: Discover exclusive deals and grocery coupons found only on the Instacart app.
- SHOP GROCERY STORES NEAR YOU: Instacart connects you with over 85,000 supermarkets and stores across North America.
- THOUGHTFUL GIFT: Share the gift of time by taking a chore off a friend’s or family’s to-do list. Perfect for new parents!
- Redeem in the app: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Enter the main menu Tap Credits, promos & gift cards Enter the code Redeem on the website: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Click Account or your name Click Add promo or gift card Enter the code
Service fee
The Instacart service fee supports platform operations and varies with location and cart composition. It is shown at checkout. A delivery-fee waiver does not automatically waive this service fee.
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Pickup orders
Pickup orders generally have no Instacart service fee, although a retailer may charge its own pickup fee. Read the pickup line items for the specific store rather than assuming every retailer treats pickup identically.
Other Instacart charges
- Long-distance fee: may apply when the delivery distance meets Instacart’s long-distance conditions.
- Priority fee: can be added when you choose priority delivery.
- Bag or bottle fees: may be required by the retailer or local rules.
- Taxes: depend on the items and your location.
- Tip: is a separate amount you choose for the shopper or delivery worker.
Instacart notes that the final service-fee total can change when an order is altered through replacements or refunds. A replacement can change the item subtotal and cart composition; a refund can reduce it. Recheck the final receipt instead of comparing the initial authorization with the completed order.
Instacart+ benefits for grocery versus restaurants
Grocery benefit
For eligible grocery delivery, Instacart+ generally requires at least $10 from one retailer to waive the delivery fee. The waiver does not erase service, priority, long-distance, bag or bottle charges, taxes or tip. Retailer participation and eligibility are shown in the cart.
Restaurant benefit inside Instacart
Restaurant orders powered by Skip use a separate Instacart+ rule: $0 delivery applies when the order is above $15 before taxes, fees and tips. Alcohol is excluded from this restaurant benefit. Instacart+ members also receive a reduced service fee identified as an Instacart+ perk. These restaurant terms are not the same as the $10-per-retailer grocery threshold.
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- GROCERY SHOPPING MADE EASY: Get your entire grocery store list delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Prefer pick up? Order your groceries online, pick up at your local store, and skip the fees and tipping.
- GROCERY COUPONS AND DEALS: Discover exclusive deals and grocery coupons found only on the Instacart app.
- SHOP GROCERY STORES NEAR YOU: Instacart connects you with over 85,000 supermarkets and stores across North America.
- THOUGHTFUL GIFT: Share the gift of time by taking a chore off a friend’s or family’s to-do list. Perfect for new parents!
- Redeem in the app: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Enter the main menu Tap Credits, promos & gift cards Enter the code Redeem on the website: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Click Account or your name Click Add promo or gift card Enter the code
Because Skip is the merchant of record, contact and dispute handling for the restaurant order follows Skip’s process even though you started in Instacart. If you change the payment method in the Skip webview, the change applies only to that restaurant order; it does not update the payment method saved for grocery orders.
Promotions: what they cover and what they leave behind
Skip vouchers, referral credit and points
Skip vouchers can be dollar-based or percentage-based. Unless the voucher says otherwise, taxes and fees may be excluded, and vouchers usually cannot be combined. Referral credit is narrower: it applies to the item subtotal before taxes, tip and delivery fee. Rewards points exclude fees, taxes, tips and discounted portions, so a discounted order can earn fewer points than its original subtotal suggests.
Instacart’s first-three-orders example
Instacart documents a new-customer offer in which each qualifying order must reach at least $10 with one retailer. The offer waives standard delivery only. Service fees, other fees and taxes remain payable, and the offer may be restricted from combining with another promotion. Read the offer panel for the expiration date, eligible retailer and any order-count limit before placing the order.
Can a promotion pay a service fee or tip?
Usually not unless the specific terms expressly include that line. Delivery-only offers reduce or remove delivery charges; vouchers that apply to the item subtotal do not automatically transfer to service fees, taxes or tips. Tips remain a separate amount, and many credits explicitly exclude them. If the checkout preview still lists a fee after the discount, the promotion has not covered it.
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| Order or feature | Skip | Instacart grocery or pickup | Instacart restaurant in Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery-fee trigger | Distance from the business; shown after address entry | Retailer, delivery window and order total | Skip-powered restaurant rules; Instacart+ waiver above $15 before taxes, fees and tips |
| Service-fee treatment | Variable percentage of subtotal; exact rate and amount at checkout | Varies by location and cart composition; pickup generally has none, but a retailer pickup fee may apply | Reduced service fee for eligible Instacart+ members, labeled as an Instacart+ perk |
| Membership threshold | Skip+ participating partner, at least $15 before associated taxes; partner minimums can vary; at least 40% service-fee savings stated by Skip | Instacart+ eligible grocery order of at least $10 per retailer | Instacart+ restaurant order above $15 before taxes, fees and tips; alcohol excluded |
| Promotion scope | Voucher terms control; taxes and fees may be excluded; referral credit applies to item subtotal | Offer-specific; documented first-three-orders example covers standard delivery only | Restaurant promotion and membership terms apply separately from grocery offers |
| Payment and support | Skip handles the order | Instacart and the retailer handle the grocery or pickup transaction | Skip provides catalog, fulfillment, payment processing and support; Skip is merchant of record |
| Extra charges | Taxes, tip and any fee shown in the order summary | Priority, long-distance, pickup, bag or bottle fees, taxes and tip may apply | Taxes, service and other applicable fees, and tip; alcohol is excluded from the restaurant delivery waiver |
Why the fee changed after you placed the order
Different address, business or delivery option
Skip recalculates delivery from the distance to the selected business. Instacart changes delivery pricing when you switch retailers, windows or order size. A new address or delivery option can therefore alter the fee before payment is finalized.
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- GROCERY SHOPPING MADE EASY: Get your entire grocery store list delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Prefer pick up? Order your groceries online, pick up at your local store, and skip the fees and tipping.
- GROCERY COUPONS AND DEALS: Discover exclusive deals and grocery coupons found only on the Instacart app.
- SHOP GROCERY STORES NEAR YOU: Instacart connects you with over 85,000 supermarkets and stores across North America.
- THOUGHTFUL GIFT: Share the gift of time by taking a chore off a friend’s or family’s to-do list. Perfect for new parents!
- Redeem in the app: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Enter the main menu Tap Credits, promos & gift cards Enter the code Redeem on the website: Sign up for Instacart or log into your existing account Click Account or your name Click Add promo or gift card Enter the code
Replacement or refund
On Instacart, a replacement or refund can change the final service-fee total. The completed receipt reflects the adjusted cart, not necessarily the amount shown when you first submitted it.
Membership or threshold was not met
Check whether the order reached the relevant pre-tax threshold and whether the business participates. Skip+ uses a $15 minimum at participating partners, while Instacart+ uses $10 per retailer for eligible grocery delivery and more than $15 before taxes, fees and tips for the Canadian restaurant benefit.
The discount applied to a narrower line
A promotion may have reduced the item subtotal or standard delivery while leaving service fees, taxes, tip or a priority charge. Expand every line in the checkout summary and compare the promotion’s wording with the amount actually removed.
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A practical checkout checklist
- Enter the exact address. On Skip, wait for the delivery fee to appear after address entry. On Instacart, confirm the delivery or pickup location and retailer.
- Choose the order mode and window. Instacart’s delivery fee is tied to the retailer and delivery window; pickup can have a retailer fee even when Instacart’s service fee is absent.
- Check the threshold. Verify the pre-tax subtotal for the participating Skip+ partner or the per-retailer Instacart+ minimum.
- Expand the fee breakdown. Look for service, priority, long-distance, pickup, bag or bottle fees, taxes and tip.
- Open the promotion terms. Confirm eligible items, minimum spend, expiration, exclusions and whether stacking is allowed.
- Compare the final total. Treat the amount on the final review screen and receipt as authoritative, especially after substitutions or refunds.
- Save the right support path. For an Instacart restaurant order, use the Skip-powered order’s support flow; changing its payment method will not alter your grocery-order payment setting.
Price differences beyond fees
Even when two platforms show the same product or meal, the item price may differ. Skip says vendor prices on its platform can differ from prices at the physical store. Instacart notes that some in-store sales may not apply to its orders. Compare the displayed item prices, quantities and substitutions as well as delivery and service lines; a lower delivery fee can be offset by higher item prices or a promotion that applies only to a limited subtotal.
Bottom line for choosing between the services
Use Skip’s checkout when you want its restaurant and local-business catalog, Skip+ benefits or Skip vouchers. Use Instacart’s grocery flow when the retailer, delivery window or Instacart+ grocery threshold suits your order. If you order a restaurant through Instacart in Canada, remember that the experience is powered and supported by Skip, with the separate $15 restaurant threshold for Instacart+.
The reliable comparison is the completed receipt: item subtotal, every fee, tax, tip and the exact promotion credit. Membership labels and “free delivery” badges describe one component, not the total cost.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
