How Can I Get Food Delivered to My House for Free? US Guide (2026)
In the US, free food delivery usually means a $0 delivery fee: Uber One costs $9.99 a month and Instacart+ costs $99 a year or $9.99 a month, each waiving the delivery fee on eligible orders over a minimum. Service fees, taxes and tips usually still apply. Go through ShopBack US before you pay so part of the order comes back as cash.
Published: 8 October 2026 · Author: Jean Goh, Savings Editor, ShopBack US
ShopBack US is a free cashback app and website. You go through ShopBack, order on DoorDash, Uber Eats or Instacart as usual, and part of what you spent comes back as cash. Sign up for ShopBack before your next delivery order.
If you order groceries from big-box stores instead, Walmart and Target are on ShopBack US too.
How can I get food delivered to my house for free?
You get food delivered for free in the US by removing the delivery fee: use a delivery membership or its free trial, meet the order minimum shown in the app, or skip delivery and pick up. Here are the routes, with the figures each company publishes at the time of writing.
| Route | What the company says | What you still pay |
|---|---|---|
| Uber One (Uber Eats) | $9.99 a month; $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over the storefront minimum; 4-week free trial for eligible first-time members | Other fees, taxes and tips |
| Instacart+ | $99 a year or $9.99 a month; $0 delivery fee on grocery and retail orders of $10+, Costco $35+, eligible restaurant orders $25+; 14-day free trial | Service fees, taxes and tips |
| DashPass (DoorDash) | DoorDash's paid membership for $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders over a minimum | Check the DoorDash app for current price and fees |
| Pickup | No delivery fee, because you collect the order | Food price, taxes and any service fee |
| New-customer and in-app offers | Run by each app on selected stores and first orders | Depends on the offer's terms |
Sources: Uber's Uber One page and Instacart's Instacart+ page, at the time of writing.
Follow these steps on every order:
- Pick the app you order from most. A membership only pays off on the app you actually use.
- Start with a free trial. Uber One offers 4 weeks to eligible first-time members and Instacart+ offers 14 days. Set a reminder before the paid plan starts if you only want to test it.
- Meet the minimum. Combine small orders into one so the $0 delivery fee applies.
- Go through ShopBack before you pay. Clear your cart, close the delivery app, open the store from its ShopBack US page and check out in the same visit.
Free food delivery: what "free" actually covers
Free food delivery in the US usually covers the delivery fee only, and the companies say so in their own terms. Uber's Uber One page says other fees and taxes apply and do not count towards order minimums. Instacart's Instacart+ page says service fees apply on its $0 delivery fee orders.
A delivery order in the US can carry several separate charges:
- Delivery fee. This is the part a membership or free trial usually waives.
- Service fee. Uber says Uber One members get a reduced service fee; Instacart says service fees still apply for Instacart+ members.
- Small-order or minimum-order charges. If your basket is under the minimum, the $0 delivery fee may not apply.
- Priority or long-range delivery. Uber lists Priority Delivery and Long Range Delivery as optional or additional fees that can still be charged.
- Taxes and tip. These sit outside every membership.
So when you compare "free delivery" offers, compare the total at checkout, not the delivery line alone.
Free food delivery 2026: what the memberships cost
In 2026 the main US delivery memberships sit at a similar monthly price: Uber One is $9.99 a month and Instacart+ is $9.99 a month or $99 a year, according to each company.
Uber One. Uber's membership covers both Uber Eats and Uber rides for $9.99 a month. On Uber Eats, members get a $0 delivery fee and a discounted service fee from participating stores when the order meets the minimum shown on the storefront, on standard delivery within at least 3 miles. Uber also lists member-only promos and savings of up to 10% off on delivery and pickup orders over the minimum subtotal. Eligible first-time members can claim a 4-week free trial, and Uber says you can cancel anytime in the Uber One section of the app.
Instacart+. Instacart's membership costs $99 a year or $9.99 a month. Members get a $0 delivery fee on grocery and retail orders of $10 or more, Costco orders of $35 or more and eligible restaurant orders of $25 or more, with service fees still applying. Instacart includes Peacock and New York Times Cooking, lets you add family members to share benefits, and offers a 14-day free trial that renews into the $99 yearly plan. Instacart says that if you order just twice a month, the membership can pay for itself.
DashPass. DoorDash's membership is built around $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders from participating stores over a minimum subtotal. DoorDash sets the price, the minimums and any trial offer in its app, so check the current DashPass terms there before you join.
Free food delivery best deals in the US for 2026
The best free food delivery deals in the US are usually membership free trials, new-customer offers inside each app and pickup.
- Free trials. Uber One's 4-week trial and Instacart's 14-day trial each give you a stretch of $0 delivery fees on eligible orders. Both renew into a paid plan, so set a reminder.
- New-customer offers. Delivery apps usually show first-order offers inside the app when you sign up with a new account. Read the terms on the offer itself.
- In-app promotions. Restaurants and stores run their own promos inside DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart. Codes from random coupon sites are often expired or limited, so use the app's own offers or the codes listed on the store's ShopBack page.
- Pickup. If you live close to the restaurant, pickup removes the delivery fee every time, membership or not.
- Bigger, fewer orders. One weekly grocery order that clears the minimum costs less in fees than several small ones. Our guide on saving on grocery delivery covers grocery fees in more detail.
DoorDash vs Uber Eats free food delivery: price comparison 2026
DoorDash and Uber Eats both offer free delivery the same way, through a monthly membership that removes the delivery fee on eligible orders over a minimum, so the cheaper app for you depends on which one carries the restaurants you order from.
| What matters | DoorDash | Uber Eats |
|---|---|---|
| Membership | DashPass | Uber One |
| Price | Shown in the DoorDash app | $9.99 a month, according to Uber |
| Free trial | Check the DoorDash app for current trial offers | 4 weeks for eligible first-time members |
| $0 delivery fee applies to | Eligible orders over a minimum from participating stores | Eligible orders over the storefront minimum from participating stores, standard delivery within at least 3 miles |
| Other benefits | Set by DoorDash | Uber One credits on rides; reduced service fees |
How to compare fairly. Build the same order in both apps, at the same time of day, and compare the checkout total with fees and tax. Delivery fees change with distance and demand, so a one-off check tells you less than comparing two or three of your usual orders.
The break-even maths. Divide the monthly membership price by the delivery fee you usually pay. At an illustrative $4 delivery fee, a $9.99 monthly plan breaks even at about three delivery orders a month. If you order once or twice a month, pickup or paying per delivery may cost less than a membership.
DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart free food delivery in the US: which to use
Use the app whose membership matches what you order: Uber Eats or DoorDash for restaurant meals, and Instacart for groceries and household items, with restaurant orders of $25 or more also covered by Instacart+.
- DoorDash is a natural fit if most of your orders are takeout and the restaurants near you are on it. DashPass is the membership to look at.
- Uber Eats suits you if you also ride with Uber, because one Uber One membership covers both, at $9.99 a month.
- Instacart suits weekly grocery runs. Instacart+ gives a $0 delivery fee on grocery and retail orders of $10 or more, and on eligible restaurant orders of $25 or more.
Whichever app you choose, the order of steps is the same: trial or membership, meet the minimum, then go through ShopBack before you pay.
How ShopBack lowers what you pay for food delivery
Before you pay for an online order, go through ShopBack first. ShopBack is a post-purchase discount: go through it before you pay and the effective price drops. Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles.
A worked example, for illustration only. On a $40 Instacart order at an illustrative 2%, $0.80 comes back, so the effective price is $39.20. On a $200 month of Instacart orders at an illustrative 2%, $4 comes back. Check the live rate on the Instacart page on ShopBack, because real rates, and which orders qualify, change. DoorDash works differently: ShopBack pays a fixed cash amount on eligible DoorDash orders, so your effective price is what you pay at checkout minus that amount; the live amount is on DoorDash's ShopBack page, which also sets out which kinds of customers and orders qualify, so read it before you order.
The steps ShopBack lists for delivery apps:
- Clear your cart first and close the delivery app.
- Open the store from its ShopBack US page, on the ShopBack website or app.
- Place the order in that same visit. If payment fails, restart from ShopBack.
- Avoid other links and extensions, such as ads, VPNs, ad blockers or other cashback extensions, while you order.
- Start again from ShopBack for each new order.
Delivery fees, service fees, taxes and tips usually do not count towards what earns cashback, so the cash comes back on the food or grocery amount.
Promo codes, memberships and ShopBack: what works together
A delivery membership, an in-app offer and ShopBack can sometimes work on the same order, but not always, so check the merchant's terms on ShopBack first. On ShopBack US, purchases made with promo codes not featured on ShopBack usually do not earn cashback, and some stores treat a whole order as ineligible if any promo or discount code is used. Membership sign-ups, free trials and membership orders can also be excluded on some stores.
The safe order of steps:
- Read the store's ShopBack page for what qualifies.
- If you want a code, use one featured on that page.
- Then open the app from ShopBack and pay.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get food delivered to my house for free in the US?
The most reliable way is a $0 delivery fee from a membership or free trial. Uber One costs $9.99 a month with a 4-week free trial for eligible first-time members, and Instacart+ costs $99 a year or $9.99 a month with a 14-day free trial, according to each company. Both waive the delivery fee only on eligible orders over a minimum, and service fees, taxes and tips usually still apply. Before you pay, go through ShopBack so part of the order comes back as cash.
Is food delivery ever completely free?
Rarely. A $0 delivery fee usually removes only the delivery fee. Uber says other fees and taxes apply to Uber One orders, and Instacart says service fees apply to Instacart+ orders. Tips are separate too. Pickup is the one option with no delivery fee at all, because you collect the order yourself.
How much does Uber One cost and what does it include?
Uber One costs $9.99 a month, according to Uber at the time of writing. Members get a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible Uber Eats orders over the minimum subtotal from participating stores, standard delivery within at least 3 miles, plus Uber One credits on rides. Eligible first-time members can claim a 4-week free trial, and you can cancel anytime in the app.
How much does Instacart+ cost and does it cover restaurants?
Instacart+ costs $99 a year or $9.99 a month, according to Instacart at the time of writing. Members get a $0 delivery fee on grocery and retail orders of $10 or more, Costco orders of $35 or more and eligible restaurant orders of $25 or more. Service fees still apply. Instacart offers a 14-day free trial that renews into the paid yearly plan.
What is DashPass?
DashPass is DoorDash's own paid membership. DoorDash positions it around $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders that meet a minimum subtotal from participating stores. Prices, minimums and trial offers change, so check the current DashPass terms in the DoorDash app before you join.
Is DoorDash or Uber Eats better for free food delivery?
It depends on which app has more of the restaurants you order from. Both run a monthly membership, DashPass on DoorDash and Uber One on Uber Eats, that removes the delivery fee on eligible orders over a minimum. Uber One costs $9.99 a month. Compare the same order in both apps, with fees, before you pick a membership.
When does a delivery membership pay for itself?
Divide the monthly price by the delivery fee you usually pay. At an illustrative $4 delivery fee, a $9.99 monthly plan breaks even at about three orders a month. Instacart says that if you order just twice a month, Instacart+ can pay for itself. If you order less often, a free trial or pickup may cost less.
Can I get free delivery without a membership?
Sometimes. Delivery apps usually run new-customer offers and in-app promotions on selected restaurants, and choosing pickup avoids the delivery fee entirely. Free trials, such as Uber One's 4-week trial for eligible first-time members and Instacart's 14-day trial, also give you a stretch of $0 delivery fees before the paid plan starts.
How does ShopBack lower the cost of food delivery?
Go through ShopBack before you pay for an online order and part of what you spend comes back as cash. Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. On a $40 order at an illustrative 2%, $0.80 comes back, so the effective price is $39.20. Check the live rate and what qualifies on the store's ShopBack page, because rates and eligible order types differ by store.
Do promo codes and delivery memberships work with ShopBack?
Not always. On ShopBack US, codes not featured on ShopBack usually do not earn cashback, and some stores treat a whole order as ineligible if any promo code is used. Membership fees and free trials may also be excluded. Check the merchant's terms on the store's ShopBack page before you pay.
Key takeaways
- Free food delivery in the US usually means a $0 delivery fee; service fees, taxes and tips usually still apply.
- Uber One is $9.99 a month with a 4-week free trial for eligible first-time members; Instacart+ is $99 a year or $9.99 a month with a 14-day free trial, according to each company.
- Each membership waives the delivery fee only on eligible orders over a minimum, so combine small orders.
- Pickup removes the delivery fee every time, with or without a membership.
- Before you pay for any delivery order, go through ShopBack US and check the live rate and terms on the store's page.
Ordering on DoorDash? Open ShopBack, tap DoorDash, then check out See what qualifies and the live rate before you order.
Related reads
Earn cashback on delivery orders in the US: DoorDash · Uber Eats · Instacart · Walmart · Target
Disclaimer
The views and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author.
Membership prices, free trial eligibility, order minimums, fees and delivery terms at DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart, and ShopBack cashback rates and terms, change over time. Please check each company's own app or website and the store's page on ShopBack before you order.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or financial advice.
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