A week ago, I was shopping at Costco and it hit me. This would be my last in-person visit of the year. You could already feel it, see it and hear it. Halloween blinking mixed with Christmas tinsel and trees. Tall carts of seasonal mums stuck in odd spots. Outdoor patio furniture snaked through it all, providing a seat for someone to browse their phone. The holiday insanity was already underway.
Sure, the samples were ample — they knew we were coming. Low blood sugar took over my brain and I grabbed the two Oreos with orange cream handed my way, inhaling them.
“Damn, Oreos are delicious. When was the last time I had one?”
Damn, Oreos are delicious. When was the last time I had one?
This isn’t common. Typically Instacart does our Costco runs. And they want me to pay an extra $79 — to charge me more.
We shop Costco often. At least twice a month, but more if I’m honest. When we need milk and bananas, might as well get blueberries. Dish soap is on sale and soon we’ll need dishwasher detergent. I add both. It’s easy to hit $35 for free delivery. It’s less annoying than going to the grocery store and definitely less expensive.
It’s worth noting I’ve come full-circle on Costco. When Gary and I started dating a decade ago, I laughed.
“What’s a single, middle-age guy without kids needing a Costco card for?”
What’s a single, middle-age guy without kids needing a Costco card for?
Now I’m the Costco addict, something that’s taken me a long time to admit. To myself.
It might have been in Maui, again laughing that we were at Costco, when I started to realize I was hooked. We ended up with a spoiled salad and I went in to return it. But I couldn’t because I didn’t have my own Costco card.
I had a meltdown in the parking lot, telling Gary that obviously he wasn’t committed to our relationship since I didn’t have my own Costco card.
Our Costco cart has continued to grow since we got Radio, our doodle dog, during Covid.
Through lots of doctors, specialists and dozens of dog food trials, we end up at an eastern medicine doctor who advised us to start cooking Radio’s food. A 32-quart batch that Gary makes every few weeks for our 54-pound child.
Pork loin, ground turkey, bone broth and fresh veggies. Yes, many days Radio eats way better than we do. And to think, I was the one who judged people for introducing their toddlers to sushi.
Should we try Instacart+?
Over the past few months, the “ads” for Instacart+ started to show up; I ignored them.
Gary was placing an order and he brought it up. “What’s this plus? Should we try it?”
What’s this plus? Should we try it?
Here’s the difference between Gary and me: he thinks it made sense to get the extended warranty on my Subaru. I think we wasted $10K.
Trial underway, I did get a bit tickled to see the prices drop a few pennies on the first few orders.
But here’s the thing. You can’t actually “see” how much it’s saving you. There is nothing while you build your cart or at checkout – or even after your delivery – that shows how much + saved you.
You do see a “savings” number at the bottom of the receipt, but that’s just the amount items were discounted added up.
Gary forwarded me the email alerting me our trial was ending. I got curious. I could see some prices drop, so I believed we were saving money. But I wanted to know how much, and whether it was enough to offset the annual $79 + fee.
A few orders went by, and now we have until Tuesday to decide if we keep + or cancel it.
Should I mention I used to be a reporter? And I’m sorta suspicious in general.
I assumed AI would be able to do its thing and quickly come back and tell me it made sense to keep plus; because of course we’re saving money. That’s the American way!
What $79 Actually Buys
Here’s what the marketing for Instacart+ promises: “Instacart+ members get lower item pricing on every delivery order over $35 at Costco Same-Day as compared to non-Instacart+ members.”
Instacart+ members get lower item pricing on every delivery order over $35 at Costco Same-Day as compared to non-Instacart+ members.
But the more digging we both did, the less clear it was where the savings were. The 62-page terms and conditions document, last updated May 7, 2026, promises one core benefit: a waived delivery fee. But delivery is already free at Costco on $35+ orders.
So I’m going to repeat this, because it doesn’t make sense. The only promise in the $79 contract is what I was already getting for free.
Lower prices fall under “additional perks” which are “not guaranteed, may vary by user, and may be modified or ended at any time.”
Same Cart, Different Prices
Before we go further, let me remind you of the Dec. 2025 work from Consumer Reports and Groundwork, which could be that nag you’re feeling at the back of your memory. The report found Instacart showing different shoppers different prices for the same items. A follow-up test found evidence of the same price experiments at Costco. Costco didn’t respond to the researchers. Instacart said it stopped.
Claude and I came to the same conclusion. The only way to really figure out how much I was saving was to go shopping with and without plus. Exactly what I was hoping to avoid.
Turns out it was easier than expected. Plus is applied in Gary’s Costco account but not in mine. Same membership but plus is only activated in one profile. Easy peasy.
So I did an order in each account on Saturday Oct. 17, but for Oct. 18 delivery. I’m going to pre-empt this by calling out the flaws in my testing method. I should have repeated this test at least two more times on different days of the week and different delivery times. I could have contacted both Instacart and Costco to allow them to respond to why their value prop failed.
I didn’t do either. Nobody is paying me to do this work; I did this analysis for myself. And because I’m a bit anal about money.
My test: nine items
The Instacart+ account paid: $106.79
The no plus account paid less: $104.46
On top of the $79, plus cost me an additional $2.33. That’s 2.2% more. Only blueberries were cheaper.
There is no guarantee that you’ll save money. The only commitment made is ours — to pay the $79 annual fee. What we get in return is…nothing.
When or if you ever break even is even more unclear, given I found most items cost more with the plus account.
Why Bother?
I’m not happy with this outcome. We wanted to use Instacart to shop at other stores and get free delivery on orders over $10. We figured it was a great way to spend less with Amazon.
But why bother? Transparency is important. It’s clear what I’m paying on Amazon and where I save. I already pay my taxes. That’s throwing away more than enough.
Instacart+ is now cancelled.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I got a $1.50 hotdog with a soda in the food court. I’m never sure if I should get Coke Zero or Diet Coke; the output varies by the day. I also treated myself to a cold 25 cent water to calm myself on the drive home.
No, I didn’t buy the Oreos. If I did, I’d be dead or still in a sugar coma from eating them all.
When life stops making sense, we shop don’t go to Costco. More soon.
Really cute and informative article. Didn't think I needed to spend money on another third party vendor sucking money out of my accounts. You confirmed it. Thanks for sharing. By the way I'm a little concerned about your nutrition choices when you shop! LOL