As the pandemic rages on, we can now use Covid-19 as our justification for being too lazy to leave the house. Online grocery delivery services now eliminate even the need to make the trek to NTUC FairPrice.

And now that all three major food delivery apps — GrabFood, Foodpanda and Deliveroo — offer grocery delivery, we can get groceries on-demand, allowing us to stay in and continue scrolling through Netflix.

On-demand grocery delivery apps in Singapore

Deliveroo Groceries

You’ll probably have seen the ads for Deliveroo Groceries everywhere of late.

Although Deliveroo is the slowest to jump on the on-demand groceries bandwagon, they also happen to be promoting their service right about the time Singapore went back to Phase 2. Great timing.

What’s new this time is that Deliveroo now has Giant and Cold Storage on their platform, and they’re currently offering free delivery from both supermarkets until May 31, 2021.

At time of writing, Deliveroo is the only app that delivers from such big supermarkets, and there’s a good range of fresh produce and pantry staples. We were also pleasantly surprised to learn that Cold Storage and Giant have not raised their prices on the platform, too.

Apart from Giant and Cold Storage, Deliveroo also delivers from a few other small grocery outfits like Marks & Spencer and Kuriya Japanese Market; delivery fees range from $5 to $10. Lead time is about 25 to 60 minutes for most places.

Pandamart by foodpanda

There are two ways to buy groceries through foodpanda.

The first is to order them through foodpanda shops — mostly convenience stores like 7-11, Cheers, Shell Select, Caltex Starmart and selected liquor stores. These are fine for bread, milk, cup noodles and booze, but they’re somewhat lacking in “real” food options.

The second option is to order from pandamart. pandamart functions like foodpanda’s very own supermarket brand. They do delivery 24/7 in as little as 20 minutes, with a minimum order of just $5, although the delivery time increases the farther you live from an outlet.

Pandamart delivery is free for quite a wide range of addresses, and guess what, their grocery prices are actually comparable to, say, NTUC FairPrice’s. This and their superfast 24/7 delivery make Pandamart one of the most cost-effective grocery delivery options.

That might sound perfect, but the problem is that there are only 14 pandamart outlets in Singapore. So, if you are unlucky enough to not live close enough to one, you’ll have to pay delivery charges starting from about $2.

Perhaps one day when we’ve fully accepted the “new normal”, proximity to a pandamart outlet will have a stronger impact on property prices than proximity to MRT stations…

If you’re new to pandamart and want to give it a try, use promo code TAPINTOMART to get $12 on your first order, plus 2 x $10 off vouchers if you spend $20. Valid till May 31, 2021.

GrabMart by GrabFood

Not one to miss out when there’s money to be made, Grab also launched a grocery delivery service last year, accessible through the “Mart” button on the Grab app.

Similar to foodpanda shops, GrabMart offers delivery from a variety of petrol station retailers and convenience stores, including Cheers, FairPrice Xpress, Shell Select and the usual liquor stores.

Their selection features lots of smaller supermarkets and minimarts, but at the moment they don’t have any partnerships with the big supermarket chains.

Just like GrabFood, GrabMart delivery charges are usually in the $3 to $5 range, although this depends on dynamic pricing, and there is a 30per cent service fee and a $0.30 platform fee. You can usually expect to get your groceries in under an hour.

Otherwise, prices are similar to what’s being sold in the actual shop. That said, since their focus is on convenience stores, prices tend to be higher than ordering the same item from a supermarket.

Here are the current GrabMart promo codes:

• GMARTNEW – Get 50 per cent (capped at $10) off your first GrabMart order when you spend at least $25. Valid til June 30, 2021.
• GROCERIES – Get 30 per cent (capped at $10) off your order when you spend at least $25. Valid till June 30, 2021.
• RAYA 30 – Get 30 per cent off your order when you spend at least $25. Valid till May 31, 2021.
• BIGCART – Get $10 off your order when you spend at least $70. Valid till May 31, 2021.

Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh evolved from Amazon’s previous foray into on-demand grocery delivery, Amazon Prime. They’ve since refined their services, acquired a massive warehouse and rebranded themselves as Amazon Fresh.

Amazon Fresh delivers from 7am to 12 midnight on weekdays, 10am to midnight on Sundays and 7am to 11pm on Saturdays. You can place orders on Amazon.sg or through their app.

Their prices are very similar to what NTUC FairPrice is charging — even the discounts seem to run parallel to NTUC’s, not unlike RedMart.

Unlike RedMart, where you’d need to order your groceries in advance, Amazon Fresh offers two-hour delivery. It’s free for orders over $60; otherwise $5.99.

But to use Amazon Fresh, you need to be an Amazon Prime member which costs $2.99/month. That might be a dealbreaker since there are more competitive grocery options out there.

Which is the best grocery delivery app in Singapore?

If you’re a casual grocery shopper who’s just looking for some booze and snacks, GrabMart might be your best bet. Well, they have the most promo codes anyway.

Ignoring promo codes, Pandamart offers the most convenience with its 24/7 delivery — bonus points if you’re lucky enough to live close enough to one of their outlets to enjoy free delivery with a very low minimum spend.

ALSO READ: #StayHome: Online grocery and food delivery services available in Singapore

If you want to shop at big chains, Deliveroo Groceries is your best option thanks to their partnership with Cold Storage and Giant.

Sorry, Amazon Fresh, you didn’t make the cut. We think that imposing Prime membership AND a minimum order of $60 is an unnecessarily tall order given that the food delivery apps are offering much better deals.

Stay home and share this article with your friends and family!

This article was first published in MoneySmart.