Quick points: Earn Delta SkyMiles on Instacart grocery deliveries

When Delta launched its partnership with grocery delivery service Instacart earlier this year, it introduced a new way for SkyMiles members to earn miles from the comfort of their homes.

By linking your SkyMiles and Instacart accounts, you can earn 1 mile per dollar spent with Instacart grocery deliveries, excluding taxes, fees and tips. SkyMiles members who subscribe to Instacart’s $99-annual Express membership will enjoy a 50% mileage earning bonus, for a total of 1.5 miles per dollar spent on eligible orders.

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How to link your accounts

Linking your Delta and Instacart accounts is easy and can be done via this landing page.

Just be careful when linking your accounts so you don't end up with a surprise charge. Specifically, when you add your Delta SkyMiles number to your Instacart account, your Instacart Express membership will immediately begin. Consequently, you are authorizing an Instacart Express membership charge of $99/year to be billed automatically to any active card on file with Instacart after your free trial expires. If you're not interested in keeping the membership after the promotional period, you'll want to set yourself a reminder to cancel.

Related: Your credit card now has you covered if you forget to cancel a subscription service

Depending on your status with Delta, your "free" Instacart Express membership will differ in length:

• 3 free months for eligible SkyMiles members.
• 12 free months for eligible Diamond/Platinum Medallion members.

After this time, you will be automatically billed for a $99 Instacart Express membership unless you cancel your Instacart Express membership before that.

Instacart Express offers three main benefits:

• $0 delivery fee on orders over $35.
• 5% credit back on eligible pickup orders (excludes alcohol).
• Lower service fees versus non-member pricing.

Related: Your definitive guide to online grocery delivery services

Best credit cards to use with Instacart

There are a variety of credit cards that can use you use to amplify your earnings on Instacart and other grocery store purchases. Here are some of our favorites for grocery shopping:

• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar). That's an 8% return based on TPG valuations.
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Earn 6% back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per calendar year (then 1% back). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.
• Instacart Mastercard®: Earns 5% cash back on Instacart purchases.
• Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target).

Bottom line

Delta's partnership with Instacart is a neat way to earn bonus miles on your grocery delivery orders. TPG values Delta SkyMiles at 1.41 cents apiece, so by linking your accounts, you're getting an additional 1.41% (for general customers) or 2.12% (for Instacart Express customers) back on your purchases. Depending on what grocery credit card you pay with, you could walk away with a net return of around 10% back in points on your next Instacart purchase.