6 Mariano’s Rules That Cost Illinoisans at Checkout
At Mariano’s, you can only redeem 1,000 Kroger Points a day toward groceries.
With Thanksgiving shopping coming up, Illinoisans will want to plan around limits like that.
Here are the Mariano’s rules that cost Illinoisans at checkout.
1. Pickup Fee Under $35
Mariano’s charges a $4.95 service fee on pickup orders under $35.
Pickup is free once an order reaches $35, so the fee hits small orders hardest.
On a $32 order, that fee adds roughly 15% to your bill.
Pennies matter here.
At $34.99, you still pay the fee.
No store gets every fee right, and this is the one we’d watch on a small order.
2. Substitute Pricing
Your Mariano’s pickup order can come back with a substitute, and if you accept it, you’re charged the price of the substituted item.
The catch?
Mariano’s says an out-of-stock item can be upgraded to a larger quantity or swapped for a different brand.
Either one can carry a higher price than the item you picked, so the total on your receipt may not match your list.
When you arrive, a pickup associate reviews any substitutions with you.
You can refuse a substitute before your order is completed and loaded into your car.
A substitute can also go back to a store for a full refund at any time.
The final price may change because of substitutions.
3. Delivery and Express Fees
Mariano’s delivery fees change with the day and the time slot you pick.
Check before you book.
A standard delivery fee is $9.95, and Express Delivery adds a $4.95 surcharge on top of it.
Boost is a paid membership for free delivery on orders of $35 or more, yet even Boost members still cover the $4.95 Express surcharge.
Psst! How much do you know about Mariano’s, Kroger and the grocery aisle? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Grocery Chain IQ
Answer these questions on Mariano’s, Kroger and the grocery aisle. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Which Ohio town’s supermarket scanned the first barcode in 1974?
4. Fees SNAP EBT Can't Cover
A Mariano's online order paid with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card still needs a second card.
SNAP EBT cards can't pay for tips, delivery fees, ordering fees or convenience fees.
Those charges go on your credit or debit card instead.
Keep a backup card handy.
That backup card is also charged if the final total at fulfillment runs higher than the total shown at checkout.
Any item that's no longer SNAP eligible goes on that second card too.
The pickup or delivery address on your order decides which state's rules apply, so an Illinois address brings Illinois rules.
5. One-Load Digital Coupons
Mariano's digital coupons come with a household limit.
Most offers can only be loaded one time per household.
If someone else in your household loaded an offer, you can't remove it from your card, either.
So a second card in your household often can't pick up the same discount.
First load wins.
6. Points Redemption Limits
Mariano's Kroger Points program caps grocery redemptions at 1,000 Points a day.
At 100 Points for $1 off groceries, that's $10 a day.
Points redeem only in 100-Point steps, so your 250-Point balance turns into $2 off with 50 Points left over.
Once you redeem Points, the program terms say they can't be reinstated, refunded or reversed.
Redeem with care.
How Mariano's Points Add Up
You earn 1 Point for every $1 you spend on many groceries.
That means earning 1,000 Points takes about $1,000 of grocery spending.
Points expire on the last day of the month after you earn them, so Points from October shopping end on November 30.
Kroger Credit Card Points follow separate terms.
Balances from different months don't combine.
Points at the Pump
Mariano's Points also work at gas stations, where every 100 Points take 10 cents off per gallon.
You can redeem them at Mariano's Fuel Centers or participating bp or Amoco gas stations.
The terms limit a fuel discount to one purchase of no more than 35 gallons.
Gallons past 35 cost you the regular pump price.
Fill-ups have a ceiling.
Fuel purchases generally don't earn Points.
A fuel discount can't be combined with any other fuel offer.
Card Holds and Missed Slots
Mariano's treats your checkout total on a pickup order as an estimate that may change.
Coupons, substitutions, taxes, weighted items or price updates can all move the final number.
Your bank can hold that estimated total for 3 to 7 business days.
Plan around the hold.
Your pickup time slot is a one-hour window, and you can book a slot up to seven days ahead.
If you can't pick up on your scheduled date, the items get restocked, and you'll need to place the order again.
Paper Coupons and WIC at Pickup
Mariano's pickup orders take paper coupons only in person at time of pickup, which the help page says may increase your pickup time.
Digital coupons are applied at the time of pickup.
Load your digital coupons first.
The store currently can't accept the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for pickup or delivery orders.
Families who rely on WIC need another way to pay for those orders.
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