TL;DR: Through Aug. 16, Instacart is tossing in a free lunchbox item like Frosted Flakes, Gatorade, or a Sargento snack kit with any order of $10 or more. The freebie changes daily, supplies are limited, and you’re capped at one per account.
Packing lunches five days a week gets expensive and exhausting fast, but Instacart is chipping in this week to help soften the blow. From now through Aug. 16, the grocery delivery app is running its Back-to-School Deal Week, giving away a different lunchbox staple every day to anyone who places a qualifying order.
Here’s the deal: place an order of $10 or more through the Instacart app or site, and you’ll get that day’s featured item tossed in for free. No promo code needed — just tap the Deal Week banner on the homepage or search the brand directly, add it to your cart, and check out like normal. The catch is that it’s one freebie per account, supplies are limited, and the item swaps out daily, so you can’t stockpile the same snack all week.
Mashable Trend Report
The lineup so far has recognizable names, with a different freebie dropping each day:
-
Aug. 10: A Chomps meat stick to kick things off — protein-heavy and easy to toss in any bag.
-
Aug. 11: Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin Sliced Honey Ham, a deli-counter regular that works for sandwiches all week.
-
Aug. 12: A box of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes for mornings when cereal is the only breakfast that’s happening.
-
Aug. 13: A Hot Pockets Italian Style Pepperoni Pizza Sandwich, the microwave-and-go option for after-school hunger.
-
Aug. 14: A Once Upon a Farm Berry Berry smoothie pouch, dairy-free and built for little kids on the move.
-
Aug. 15: A bottle of Gatorade Lower Sugar Rain Berry for refueling after practice or just a long day at recess.
-
Aug. 16: Sargento Mighty Bites Salami & Mild Cheddar, a snack kit that closes out the week on a savory note.
Beyond the daily freebies, Instacart also has a Back-to-School Shopping Hub running through Aug. 16, with in-app deals on supplies and everyday items from stores like Staples, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ulta Beauty, and Bath & Body Works. Staples stands out here — notebooks, pencils, and crayons are priced as low as 25 cents each, as long as you spend $10 or more.
Either way, it’s free money if you’re already shopping — but Deal Week ends Aug. 16, so don’t sleep on it.
