Your credit card could be earning you food delivery perks
Key takeaways
- Many credit card issuers are now partnering with food delivery apps to bring rewards, discounts and limited time offers for free memberships to cardholders.
- The best card for you will depend on your preferred delivery service and then choosing a card that has a complimentary partnership or discounts.
- Capital One has partnered with Uber, Chase has partnered with DoorDash and American Express has partnered with Grubhub.
Over the last few years, food delivery apps — like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Instacart — have grown from relative obscurity to an industry completely reshaped by a global pandemic.
Many credit card issuers are now leveraging the popularity of these services and partnering with food delivery apps to bring rewards, discounts and free premium memberships (for a limited time) to their customers. Many of our top picks are also among the best credit cards for restaurants or best grocery rewards cards too, meaning that you can earn even more rewards on dining and grocery purchases.
Top credit cards for DoorDash
Chase has partnered with DoorDash to bring food delivery benefits to a few of its most popular rewards and co-branded cards.
Best overall card: Chase Sapphire Reserve
If you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve® you’re eligible for a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for 12 months, so long as you activate by Dec. 31, 2024. For context, DashPass includes unlimited DoorDash deliveries with no delivery fee, as well as reduced fees on orders over $12. Sapphire Reserve card members enrolled in DashPass will also receive a $5 DoorDash credit per month (through Dec. 21, 2024) that can be redeemed at checkout.
Eligible Chase credit cards
You also get a year-long complimentary DashPass membership with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Additionally, Chase Freedom Unlimited®*, Chase Freedom Flex℠* and Chase Slate Edge℠ members can receive a free DashPass membership for three months if they activate it by Dec. 31, 2024. After that, if you don’t cancel your membership, you’ll automatically be enrolled in DashPass at a 50 percent discount for the next nine months.
Chase’s one-year complimentary DashPass membership is also available for a number of its co-branded credit cards. Cardmembers must activate this benefit by Dec. 31, 2024. Eligible co-branded Chase cards include:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Aeroplan® Card*
- United℠ Explorer Card*
- United Quest℠ Card*
- United Gateway℠ Credit Card*
- United Club℠ Infinite Card*
- British Airways Visa Signature® Card*
- Aer Lingus Visa Signature® card*
- Iberia Visa Signature® card*
- United Club℠ Business Card*
- United℠ Business Card*
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card*
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card*
- IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card*
- Disney® Premier Visa® Card*
- Disney® Visa® Card*
- The World of Hyatt Credit Card*
How to activate
To activate your Chase card’s DoorDash offer, simply add your eligible Chase credit card as a default payment method to the DoorDash app and click the activation button. To receive DashPass benefits, you must use your eligible card at checkout. You can also activate your DashPass offer by visiting the DashPass and Chase activation page.
Top credit card for Grubhub
Unlike Chase’s partnership with DoorDash, American Express’s partnership with Grubhub doesn’t offer free delivery. But it does have its own perks. One benefit of using an eligible American Express credit card on food orders with Grubhub is that you can pay for your order with Amex points.
Best overall card: American Express Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is a great rewards card for foodies and casual takeout lovers alike. You can earn up to $120 in dining credits annually ($10 per month; enrollment required) on eligible purchases with Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.
Plus, this card allows you to earn 4X Membership Rewards points on restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 4X points on Uber Eats and U.S. supermarkets purchases (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points).
How to activate
To earn the $10 in monthly dining credits or 4X points on restaurants and Uber Eats orders, simply pay for eligible purchases with your card.
To use your American Express points to pay for food on Grubhub, add your eligible American Express card to your account. Your points should automatically show up at checkout and you can choose the amount you would like to spend using your points.
Top credit cards for Uber Eats
Numerous American Express and Capital One cards offer Uber and Uber Eats perks, making the cards perfect for going out and staying in.
Best overall card: The Platinum Card from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers up to $200 in Uber Cash each year, which can be used toward Uber Eats orders and rides. You’ll get $15 per month in Uber Cash, plus an extra $20 in December.
It’s also worth noting that the Amex Platinum comes with up to $155 in Walmart+ membership credits per year ($12.95 in statement credits per month, plus taxes) when you pay for your membership with your card.
Eligible American Express cards
The Amex Gold is also a great choice as you’ll earn 4X points on Uber Eats purchases and get up to $120 in annual Uber Cash ($10 per month; expires at the end of the month), which can be applied to both U.S. Uber Eats and Uber rides.
How to activate
To take advantage of the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum’s Uber perks, simply add your eligible card to your Uber account.
Eligible Capital One credit cards
In November 2022, Capital One announced a partnership with Uber that includes new benefits for numerous cardholders. For instance, you can earn 10 percent cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases, plus a complimentary Uber One membership (issued in the form of statement credits), through Nov. 14, 2024, with these cards:
- Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Additionally, you can get up to six months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through Nov. 14, 2024 with these:
- Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Uber One normally costs $9.99 per month. Some of its benefits include no delivery fees on eligible Uber Eats orders, up to 10 percent off eligible Uber Eats orders, exclusive promotions and more.
How to activate
To earn 10 percent cash back on Uber rides, use your eligible card to pay for Uber and Uber Eats purchases. To activate Capital One’s Uber One membership perks, add your eligible card to an existing Uber One account or sign up for a monthly Uber One membership and add your eligible card as a payment method.
Top credit cards for Instacart
Fans of Instacart grocery pickup and delivery services are in luck. Many card issuers count Instacart orders as grocery purchases (allowing you to earn bonus rewards on Instacart spending just like you would with spending at a physical grocery store), but several Chase cards offer extra perks with Instacart, including up to a year of complementary Instacart+ membership.
Best overall card: Instacart Mastercard
The Instacart Mastercard® from Chase is the obvious choice if you use Instacart for most of your grocery and household shopping. This card not only earns 5 percent back on all Instacart app and Instacart.com purchases (as well as higher rewards rates on an array of other everyday spending categories), but it also comes with a welcome offer that includes one free year of Instacart+ membership and a $100 Instacart credit upon approval for the card (terms apply).
Other eligible Chase credit cards
Similar to Chase’s partnership with DoorDash, the issuer has teamed up with Instacart to give select Chase cardholders a complimentary Instacart+ membership (must activate by July 31, 2024). The length of your complimentary membership varies based on which card you have.
For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with up to one year of complimentary Instacart+ membership, plus up to $15 in statement credits each month (through July 2024). The Chase Sapphire Preferred, however, comes with up to six months of complementary Instacart+ membership and up to $15 in statement credits each quarter (through July 2024).
Eligible Chase cards with a three-month complimentary Instacart+ membership and $10 in statement credits per quarter include the Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Slate Edge.
Instacart+, a $99 annual value, comes with several valuable benefits, including free delivery on Instacart orders over $35, reduced fees and 5 percent back on eligible pickup orders on top of the card’s ongoing rewards rates.
How to activate
To activate your complimentary Instacart+ membership with an eligible Chase card, start by signing up for a free Instacart account (you can order for delivery or pickup with or without an Instacart+ membership). Next, add your eligible Chase card to your account and join Instacart+ with that card. The offer will be automatically redeemed and you’ll enjoy three to 12 months of complimentary membership depending on the card you hold.
The bottom line
When you’re tired or when the weather is particularly nasty, food and grocery delivery apps such as DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Instacart are a fast and convenient way to tame a growling stomach. These apps make it easy to have your favorite foods delivered to your door with just the click of a button. And thanks to many card issuers partnering with food delivery services, you may be able to get perks like a free annual premium membership, higher rewards rates or exclusive discounts.
*The information about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Aeroplan® Card, United℠ Explorer Card, United Quest℠ Card, United Gateway℠ Credit Card, United Club℠ Infinite Card, British Airways Visa Signature® Card, Aer Lingus Visa Signature® card, Iberia Visa Signature® card, United℠ Business Card, United Club℠ Business Card, IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, Disney® Premier Visa® Card, Disney® Visa® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, and The World of Hyatt Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
