How to Order Groceries, Prescriptions, and Rides from Your Phone

Three categories of phone-based errand surprise more of our readers than any other with how easy they are once set up: grocery delivery, prescription refills, and ride-share. None requires technical knowledge. Each takes ten or fifteen minutes to set up the first time, then becomes routine. For many seniors — particularly those who no longer drive at night, or who recover slowly from a small illness — these three services genuinely extend independence.

Grocery delivery

Three apps cover almost every American household:

• Instacart — delivers from the local store you'd shop at anyway (Costco, Wegmans, Safeway, H-E-B). Delivery fee around US$4–8 plus a service fee around 7–10%. Best when you want a specific store's selection.
• Walmart Grocery — delivery from a nearby Walmart. Free delivery with a Walmart+ membership (US$98/year); pay-per-order otherwise. Best for low prices on staples.
• Amazon Fresh — delivery from Amazon's grocery warehouses. Free with Prime membership. Best for shoppers already using Amazon.

How to set up: Install the app. Create an account using your email and a phone number. Enter your delivery address. Add a credit card. The app will show the available delivery windows for your address.

Building an order: Either search ("milk", "bread"), or browse departments. Tap an item to add it to your cart. When done, tap the cart icon, choose a delivery time, and place the order. Each delivery slot is usually 1–2 hours wide.

Common gotchas:

• "Substitutions" — if the store is out of an item, the shopper will pick a similar one. Each app lets you say "no substitutions" or pick a specific substitute in advance.
• Produce quality — for fruits and vegetables, leave a note ("ripe avocados, please") or photograph what you want.
• Heavy items — many seniors specifically use delivery for the 12-pack of water or the bag of cat litter that's hard to carry. Worth the delivery fee.

Prescription refills

Most major US pharmacy chains have an app that lets you:

• Request refills (often by scanning the barcode on the pill bottle).
• See refill history and remaining refills.
• Schedule pickup at the counter or arrange delivery.
• Set a notification when a refill is ready.

The big four:

• CVS Pharmacy — same-day delivery available in most areas, US$5 or so per delivery.
• Walgreens — similar service, similar pricing.
• Walmart Pharmacy — lower prices, no delivery in most regions.
• Costco Pharmacy — best mail-order pricing if you don't need same-day; you don't need a Costco membership to use the pharmacy.

Mail-order pharmacies (Express Scripts, OptumRx, and the chain-specific services) deliver a 90-day supply by mail at lower cost. Particularly useful for medications you take long-term. Ask your insurance which mail-order service is in-network.

Ride-share

The two major apps in the United States are Uber and Lyft. Both work the same way: you tap a button to request a ride, a nearby driver accepts, the car arrives at your location in 5–15 minutes, and you pay through the app — no cash, no card to hand over.

Setup: Install the app, create an account using your email and phone number, add a credit card. Both apps verify your identity with a one-time code by text.

Requesting a ride: Open the app. Your current location is filled in automatically. Type the destination in the box (or pick from saved locations like "home" or "doctor's office"). The app shows you the price upfront (no surprise meter). Tap "Confirm." A driver accepts within seconds and you see their car on the map approaching.

Three tips:

• Check the licence plate when the car arrives. The app shows you the make, model, colour, and licence plate of the driver's car. Don't get into a car that doesn't match.
• Save your home address in the app. Then the return trip is one tap.
• Use the "share trip" button on your way to send live location to a family member. They can watch your trip progress in real time.

There's also GoGo Grandparent (US$3 plus the ride cost) — a service designed for seniors that lets you call a phone number from any phone and request an Uber or Lyft without using the app yourself. Helpful for seniors with no interest in installing the ride apps themselves.

Payment safety

Each app stores your credit card. Three rules:

1. Use a credit card, not a debit card. Credit cards have stronger fraud protection.
2. Turn on transaction notifications in your bank app (see our online-banking guide) so you see every charge.
3. Don't save your card to apps you'll only use once. Pay as a guest if the app allows it.

Tipping

All three categories tip through the app, not in cash. Standard tips:

• Grocery delivery: 15–20% of the order, more for difficult deliveries (heavy items, walking up flights of stairs).
• Prescription delivery: US$3–5 if it's a private courier (the apps often have an in-app tip button).
• Ride-share: 15–20% of the fare; the app suggests tip amounts when you rate the driver at the end.

Frequently asked questions

Written by David Chen. Last verified 12 June 2026.