Instacart’s rewards program for shoppers includes priority choice of orders before stores open

Delivery service Instacart is rolling out a new Uber Pro-like incentive program for its shoppers called Cart Star. Cart Star’s tiered incentives are available in three categories: gold (for 200 points); platinum (for 1,000 points); and diamond (for 2,000 points). Shoppers earn points based on the number of orders they complete in the preceding three-month span. To maintain their place in the program, shoppers must keep an average customer rating of 4.7.

The company’s highest diamond tier offers more exclusive benefits. Diamond shoppers will be able to have first access to delivery batches before stores open. They will also have access to two days of caregiving for a child, senior, or pet per quarter for the cost of $1 per hour or $10 per day through Instacart’s partnership with Care.com.

Image: Instacart

Instacart says that platinum and diamond cart shoppers will receive recognition notifying customers of the shopper’s status, the number of orders shopped, and how long the shopper has been on the platform. Shoppers on all levels get access to cash back on gas and discounts on car maintenance via its partnerships with third-party companies Upside and CarAdvise, with better rewards for the higher tiers.

Instacart has recently rolled out changes for shoppers who are working for the service as it tries to maintain growth while competition for gig workers increases. In April, the company made moves to protect shoppers from “tip-baiting” practices from customers who insert a large tip amount while placing an order and later eliminate it without citing any actual issue. More recently, in May, the company announced it would filter out negative ratings from “hard to please” customers that frequently give low ratings. On the customer side, it recently debuted Instacart Plus, a refreshed version of its Instacart Express subscription.