Instacart Instant Cash Out - How To Cash Out On Instacart Fast!

If you're currently working as an Instacart Shopper or are thinking about becoming one, you might be wondering: how does Instacart pay you?

Gig apps like Instacart are an effective way to make money quickly.

However, people are often surprised at how long some of these side hustles can take to pay, and this includes being an Instacart Shopper.

So, if you're wondering when does Instacart pay and how Instacart Instant Cash Out works, this is absolutely the post for you.

Time to clear up all of the payment details and confusion so you can focus on your side hustle!

When Does Instacart Pay?

Instacart pays you every week through direct deposit for the previous batches you completed between the previous Monday through Sunday. Usually, Instacart's direct deposit takes two to three business days to process, so you get money from Instacart around Wednesday.

Instacart-Earnings

So, if you made $300 as an Instacart Shopper between Monday to Sunday, that money would probably reach your bank account around the following Tuesday or Wednesday.

It's important to know how Instacart pays shoppers in the first place so you aren't surprised when money doesn't appear in your bank account after completing a batch right away.

This sort of payment schedule is common for driving gigs, but if you need money in a day or two, you're going to need to use Instacart's fast payment method instead.

Does Instacart Have Instant Pay?

In 2019, Instacart rolled out Instant Cashout to let shoppers cash out their daily Instacart earnings without having to wait a week or more to get their money.

Instacart-how-to-cash-out

This is similar to apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. For example, with DoorDash Fast Pay, you can also withdraw your daily earnings without having to wait.

Here's what Instacart says on its website about the program:

“We look forward to making Instant Cashout available to more shoppers over the coming months and continuing to develop more features that fit around your life. All U.S. shoppers can expect to have access to Instant Cashout by June 2019 and will be informed by email when the feature is available in your area.”

So, the great news is you can cash out your daily Instacart earnings instantly in many markets, which lets you get money fast.

Note: you need to have at least five delivery completions and a balance of at least $5 to use Instacart's Instant Cash Out feature.

Update: Instacart Introduces Full Batch Earning Cash Outs After 2 Hours

In April 2022, Instacart announced that Shoppers can now cash out their full batch earnings instantly just two hours after completing a batch. This is because Instacart customers now only have 2 hours to reduce tips after receiving their order. Customers still have up to two weeks to add a tip, but this change reduces tip bating and helps Shoppers get paid faster.

So, you can now complete an Instacart batch, wait two hours, and then use the Instant Cash Out feature to get the money in your bank account. If you're doing gig work for quick money, this change is excellent news.

Now, let's cover how you cash out on Instacart.

How To Cash Out On Instacart

Cashing out on Instacart with its Instant Cash out feature takes four easy steps:

Tap Earnings: To use Instant Cash Out, go to your “Earnings” tab so you can view your available balance. You need at least $5 to use Instacart's Instant Cashout.
Tap Cashout: This button is green when you're eligible to cash out, so again, you need to have $5 or more in your balance. Instant Cash Out also needs to be available in your market.
Confirm The Payment: Instacart's Instant pay costs $0.50 whenever you use it, so you have to confirm this fee and the transaction. This fee deducts from your total balance, but there isn't a limit to how many times you can use Instant Cash Out.
Get Paid: Once you confirm the transaction, you should see earnings appear in your bank account instantly or within 30 minutes.

Instacart-instant-cashout

That's all there is to it!

However, there are a few important things to know about cashing out on Instacart.

For starters, you don't get your tips when you use Instant Cash Out.

This is because Instacart gives customers up to 2 hours to reduce any tips they make in case someone changes their mind or realizes they made an error when tipping. Customers also have up to 2 weeks to add tips.

So, you get your tip money during Instacart's regular payment schedule, which is paid weekly and comes every Wednesday or so.

The second thing to note is that even though a $0.50 fee doesn't seem like much, if you use Instacart Instant Pay every day of the week, that's:

$3.50 in fees per week
$14 in fees per month
$168 in fees per year

Again, this is if you use this payment feature every day, but if you can avoid $20 to $50 in fees per year by only using Instant Cash Out when it's urgent, this is a good Instacart trick to keep in mind.

How Long Does Instacart Instant Cash Out Take?

In theory, using instant pay on Instacart should deposit money in your bank account immediately.

And, if you look at what some other Instacart Shoppers are saying on Reddit, you see the feature usually pays you the second you confirm the transaction.

DiggerJKU says: “It’s instant and within seconds it’s in my account. I only do it once my work week is done on Friday but I can confirm it’s instantaneous.”
JuiceeRed says: “It’s instant.. once you hit the button for payout it’s in your account.”
karna68 says: “Longest it's taken for me was about 1/2 hour.”
todayiseveryday says: “It deposits in seconds for me. I just wait until Sunday since tips don’t deposit for me until Wednesday.”
djtat2 says: “Instant but keep in mind it’s only instacart pay the tips are paid weekly like usual.”

Again, your tips take longer to process, and in some cases, you might have to wait half an hour to an hour for the money to actually reach your bank account.

My Instacart Instant Pay Isn't Working

Instacart Instant Cash Out is available in almost every market since it's been a few years since the program rolled out.

However, many shoppers report having trouble using Instant Cash Out, and there are some common reasons for having trouble getting paid.

Usually, the problems relate to not being able to connect your debit card to the Instacart app or your bank rejecting the payment.

Here's what some Instacart Shoppers say one one Reddit thread and another thread:

DeadRed_Wolf says: “Contact your bank. Maybe they think some unauthorized activity going on.”
me230422 says: “Have you tried deleting and reinstalling the app? That fixes like half the issues with the app.”
Fragrant-Accountant4 says: “Can you add a different debit card instead? Maybe try buying like a visa debit gift card at a grocery store then putting $5 on it and adding that if you’re having this much trouble? It’s super annoying to have to put it on a different card but at least you’ll have your money?”
Signal-Drawer9675 says: “I had the same problem a few months ago, but ended up working when i used my debit Visa card. Im with RBC bank but im pretty sure any bank would work too.”

If you run into trouble using instant pay with Instacart, your first step should be to uninstall and reinstall the app.

Next, try adding a different debit card or virtual Visa card since sometimes, it's your card that's the problem for whatever reason.

Finally, you can also try contacting Instacart Shopper support through the app or messaging its Twitter account.

Also note that many Canadian Instacart Shoppers report problems with Instant Cashout; for some reason, Instacart doesn't work well with many major Canadian banks.

In this case, all you can do is contact shopper support and wish for the best!

Instacart Alternatives To Make More Money

I think you can make good money doing Instacart, and there's a reason it's one of the most popular food delivery gigs around.

But, if you're stuck on the Instacart waitlist or are having trouble with cashing out instantly and want to try a few other side gigs, you're not out of options.

As mentioned, DoorDash is one viable food delivery gig that's available in over 5,000 cities across the United States and Canada.

You can also deliver for DoorDash with a car, bike, or scooter, so it's more flexible than Instacart which requires a car.

Typically, Dashers earn around $12 to $20 per hour, but you can earn more if you get lucky with tips, drive at peak times, and follow some useful DoorDash tips and tricks.

There are plenty of other driving gigs or side hustle ideas out there as well.

For example, if you want to make money with a truck or cargo van, you can complete delivery jobs with apps like GoShare and Roadie, which both pay you for delivering packages to people.

Finally, with apps like TaskRabbit, you can complete odd jobs for people in your city to make some extra cash on the side.

The bottom line is there are lots of jobs like Instacart out there, so you can try several gig apps to maximize your earning potential.

Extra Reading – Is DoorDash Worth It For Drivers?

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Soon Do You Get Paid With Instacart?

You can get paid instantly with Instacart if you use its Instant Cashout feature. However, this costs $0.50 every time you use it, and you need a minimum balance of $5 to cash out instantly.

2. How Many Times Can You Cash Out On Instacart?

There isn't a limit to how many times you can use Instant Cashout with Instacart, so you can cash out daily. Just keep in mind the $0.50 fee adds up surprisingly fast, so avoid cashing out every day unless you need cash urgently.

3. What Time Does Instacart Cash Out On Sunday?

Instacart pays weekly for your earnings between Monday through Sunday. But since bank transfers can take a few days to complete, you usually receive your weekly Instacart earnings around Wednesday most weeks. You can use the Instant Cash Out feature to get your money instantly, as mentioned.