Grocery delivery, membership optional
The honest guide to paying per order — no $99 Instacart+, no $139 Prime, no $98 Walmart+. Who actually delivers without an annual fee, and what each trip really costs.
The verdict
our honest pickWinner: Instacart
Instacart is the honest answer: you pay per order with no required annual fee, and Instacart+ ($99/yr) is optional. If you want the lowest cart on top of no membership, default to Aldi on Instacart. Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods both hard-require Prime ($139/yr), so skip them if an annual fee is a dealbreaker.
The picks, ranked
- 1InstacartBest no-membership pick
Pay per order with no required annual fee — Instacart+ at $99/yr is optional, so skip it. You get a 5% service fee (capped at $20), $5.99 delivery on $35-plus orders, and a suggested 10% tip, plus store choice across Aldi, Sprouts, Wegmans and more. The cleanest membership-free option when you don't want to commit.
- 2Aldi (delivery)Cheapest no-membership cart
The value leader among membership-free options. Aldi rides Instacart, so there's no annual fee to shop it, and it models about 12% under Walmart on our canonical 12-item basket ($45.30 vs $51.29). The same per-order Instacart fees apply, but the cheaper cart absorbs them. Best pick if the lowest total matters most to you.
- 3Walmart+No service fee, pay per order
You can order Walmart delivery without the $98/yr pass — you just pay $7.95 per trip on $35-plus orders (the membership is what waives it), or $9.95 under $35. There's no percentage service fee either way, and Walmart's shelf prices are our cheapest broadly-available baseline. A solid no-membership backup, though the per-order fee adds up if you order weekly.
What "no membership" rules out
Two big names are off the table if you refuse an annual fee. Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods both require an active Amazon Prime membership ($139/yr) with no per-order option, so a single delivery effectively costs $139 plus fees. Since the 2022-2023 Instacart split, Whole Foods runs on the same Amazon Fresh rails under the same Prime gate. That leaves the Instacart marketplace, where you pay per order with no required annual fee, and Walmart, which lets you order delivery without the $98/yr pass for a flat $7.95 per trip.
The per-order tradeoff
Going membership-free means you pay the delivery fee every single time. On Instacart that's $5.99 on orders of $35 or more, plus a 5% service fee and a suggested 10% tip; under $35, delivery jumps to $9.99. A typical $60 no-membership order runs about $3 service, $5.99 delivery, and $6 tip — roughly $15 on top of groceries. That's the cost of freedom: no $99 or $139 sunk up front, but no free-delivery perk either. The fewer times you order, the more that math favors paying per trip.
How to decide
Run one number: how many delivery orders will you place this year? Instacart+ ($99/yr) breaks even near 17 orders — about once every three weeks — and Walmart+ ($98/yr) pays off around 13. Order less than that and staying membership-free is the cheaper, lower-commitment choice; there's nothing to cancel and nothing wasted in a slow month. Want the lowest cart on top of no membership? Default to Aldi on Instacart. Want store variety? The broader Instacart marketplace wins. Either way, clear $35 so delivery stays $5.99 instead of $9.99.
Frequently asked
What grocery delivery has no membership fee?
Instacart — you pay per order with no required annual fee (Instacart+ at $99/yr is optional). Its marketplace covers Aldi, Sprouts, Wegmans and more. Walmart also lets you order delivery without the $98/yr Walmart+ pass, for a flat $7.95 per trip on $35-plus orders.
Can I use Instacart without Instacart+?
Yes. Instacart+ ($99/yr) is optional. Without it you pay per order: a 5% service fee (capped at $20), $5.99 delivery on $35-plus orders ($9.99 under $35), and a suggested 10% tip. It's the cleanest no-membership grocery delivery available.
Does Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods work without a membership?
No. Both require an active Amazon Prime membership ($139/yr) with no per-order option. Since the 2022-2023 Instacart split, Whole Foods delivery is fulfilled by Amazon Fresh under the same Prime gate. If you won't pay an annual fee, skip both entirely.
Can I get Walmart delivery without Walmart+?
Yes. You can place a Walmart delivery order without the $98/yr membership — you just pay $7.95 delivery on $35-plus orders (or $9.95 under $35), since the membership is what waives it. There's no percentage service fee either way, so it's a viable no-membership option.
Is it cheaper to skip the membership?
If you order infrequently, yes. Instacart+ ($99/yr) breaks even near 17 orders and Walmart+ ($98/yr) around 13. Below that, paying per order costs less than the annual fee — and you avoid committing to a subscription you might not use in a slow month.
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