Kroger’s Paid Membership Sounds Great—Until You Notice One Catch

Did you know Kroger has a paid annual membership, similar to Costco or Sam’s Club? As a loyal Ralph’s shopper and OG Ralph’s pick-up spokesperson (I got into their free curbside pick-up during the pandemic, and I’ve been telling every single person I know about it ever since), I’m embarrassed to admit I had no idea this was a thing until very recently, when I saw a 50% off promotion for it pop up in my checkout. 

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Ralph’s, to be clear, is under the Kroger grocery umbrella, along with places like Food 4 Less, Fred Meyers, Harris Teeter, and more. Their free pick-up simplified my grocery habits to a life changing degree; I will never default back to in-person shopping. I’ve had a pretty positive experience with their pick-up, which is why the idea of a paid Kroger subscription service intrigued me. (If you knew me, you’d be shocked by that; I am notoriously cheap).

All this to say: I did a little digging to see whether this annual membership is really worth it. Trigger warning: Math is involved.

What do you get with Kroger’s Boost membership? 

Okay, so Kroger offers two memberships: Boost and Boost Essential. Boost is $99 a year, and Boost Essential is $69 a year. 

Here is the (admittedly short) list of perks under the full-priced Boost membership: 

• 2x fuel points
• Free same-day grocery delivery
• Disney+, Hulu or ESPN+ (all with ads)
• Exclusive offers

I won’t lie—off the bat, that looks a little underwhelming. “Exclusive offers” is so vague; it’s difficult to know what that really translates before you sign up. And choosing a streaming services “with ads” feels almost like a consolation prize they tacked on to bulk up the package.

Meanwhile, Boost Essential also has the above perks, but only offers next-day delivery instead of same-day delivery, plus a one-time six-month streaming promo rather than an ongoing subscription benefit. (Sort of like a signing bonus that’s not a part of your actual membership in the long term.) 

But look, despite my initial reservations, Boost does have value when you break it down. 

The TV perks in particular make a lot more sense when you consider that all three of those streaming services individually cost more than $99 a year—yes, even with ads. So while the list may feel lackluster compared to all the shiny things Costco or Sam’s Club offers with their memberships, you’re still getting a deal on just that alone. But obviously you have to measure it against other TV bundles and streaming add-ons you can find elsewhere, like your phone provider. 

Kroger delivery fees are around $6.95 for standard next-day delivery and $9.95-$14.95 for same-day delivery. If you have 15 grocery deliveries in one year using that lowest $6.95 fee, you’re already surpassing $99. So for loyal Kroger shoppers that rely on delivery, that alone might be worth the membership.

And let’s not forget about the fuel points.

Kroger has a pretty decent gas rewards program built-in to their free membership. I know this because I compared a bunch of gas rewards programs from different grocery stores earlier this year, and for something that’s free to use, it’s nothing to sneeze at. You get one fuel point per dollar spent, and every 100 fuel points gets you 10 cents off per gallon at participating gas stations, like Shell and Kroger family fuel centers. That can add up pretty quickly if Kroger is your main grocery store.

Twice the fuel points would yield two fuel points per dollar spent, so you can really rack up some savings. It’s not a life-changing discount by any means, but let’s do that math:

With Boost (regular or Essential), if you spend $250 at Kroger a month, you get 500 fuel points a month. That’s 50 cents off the gallon every month, no matter where you live. I don’t know about you, but I could really use that right about now… 

So what’s the verdict? Is Boost worth it?

If you want (or need) to get your groceries delivered, I’d love to say that Boost is definitely worth the annual fee. (Hell, even if you just want one of those streaming services at a discount, it’s worth the fee.)

But I have one big reservation here that I have yet to talk about, which is…

Instacart will frequently fulfill same-day Boost deliveries. And yes, you have to tip Instacart. 

When your Boost deliveries come from Kroger drivers, you aren’t supposed to tip. But Kroger will frequently fulfill same-day deliveries through Instacart, which requires a tip. When you factor that in, the cost of this membership can go way up. To avoid that, you would have to consistently use next-day delivery, in which case…

Just go with Boost Essentials. You still get the extra fuel points. And you can try out one of the streaming services for six months—and if you want to keep it, trust me, there’s always another bundle out there that can give you a discount.