Instacart starts delivering prescriptions from Costco in several states

Instacart has announced that following a pilot program, it has expanded its delivery of prescriptions from Costco pharmacy into multiple states. The expansion will enable Costco pharmacy customers in a variety of states to get their prescriptions delivered directly to their home, eliminating the need to make a trip to the store.READ: Instacart adds two new features to speed up grocery delivery

Instacart has been testing Costco pharmacy deliveries as part of a pilot program in Washington state and Southern California, according to the company, which says it is expanding these deliveries to include the following states: New York, Florida, Delaware, Arizona, California, and Illinois, as well as Washington DC.

The idea is that Costco customers can now complete their entire Costco 'trip' through the Instacart service, getting their groceries, various household items, and prescription in the same order. The prescription delivery expansion means the service now covers around 200 Costco destinations in these states, though the company plans to increase the number to cover the entire US 'in the coming months.'

If you get your prescriptions from a supported Costco pharmacy, Instacart says that customers will get a text when their prescription is ready for pickup — this message will include a link that will take the customer to the Costco website where groceries can be added to the order (if desired). The prescription deliveries are available to people over the age of 18 who have a valid government ID available to show the delivery driver.

Instacart says the prescriptions are picked up after they're placed in tamper-proof bags. As well, the company enables customers to schedule their prescription delivery up to one week in advance, which will help ensure it arrives on time in light of the platform's increased demand and delivery times.