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Instinct AI shopping: how it compares prices and what it recommends

Instinct AI shopping comes in two forms. One is the comparison you ask for: insurance quotes, a cheaper phone plan, the lowest delivered price, a flight. The other is a recommendation you didn't ask for, which Instinct began sending in late September under the name Instinct Selections. This page collects what users report about both, what each post leaves out, and what Instinct and the press have said on the record. The site has no connection to Instinct, and we haven't run any of these tasks ourselves.

Checked against the official pages listed at the end, 2026-10-20. Instinct Tasks is an independent guide, not Instinct.

Instinct AI shopping at a glance

Most of the reports are about saving money on something the person already pays for. @scottew says Instinct got car insurance quotes from three companies and found one $1,200 a year cheaper; @mitchmalone says it got 11 quotes for home contents insurance and saved $150; @JerimiahLee puts a phone-bill cut at about $850 a year. Instinct also negotiates rather than only comparing: @sparsh_17 says it shortlisted four Airbnbs for a 20-day stay and got 17% off one of them.

Not every comparison ends in a switch, and the honest ones say so. @pitdesi says Instinct checked car insurance and concluded they already had the best rate. What the posts usually leave out is the comparison itself: which companies were asked, and whether the coverage matched.

Instinct Selections: recommendations nobody asked for

On 30 September, TechCrunch reported that Instinct had begun pushing product suggestions overnight under a new feature called Instinct Selections: curated lists for dining, travel and shopping. Founder Noah Shinn said the idea is to partner with "local chefs, designers, architects, travel guides" to bring "human taste" to the product. In the same podcast interview, TechCrunch reported, Shinn said the platform is approaching a billion dollars a year in transactions made through the agent, more than half of them travel.

Business Insider reported on 5 October that users were receiving these picks unasked. Shruti Gandhi, a general partner at Array Ventures, shared screenshots of a five-item shopping list Instinct built from details of Gandhi's upcoming conference and keynote. Business Insider said the recommendations "were not labeled as ads" and that it "could not determine whether Instinct earns money from resulting purchases". It also reported that Shinn had said on the Invest Like the Best podcast that agents should not use their knowledge of users to steer them into purchases they do not want.

For a shopper the difference matters. A comparison you asked for has a goal you set. A Selections pick arrives with Instinct's goal, built from what it knows about you, and Instinct hasn't said whether anyone pays for a place on those lists.

  • Our suggestion: when a pick arrives unasked, ask Instinct where the recommendation came from and what else it considered before you buy.
  • Our suggestion: treat a Selections pick as a starting point and ask for two alternatives at a similar price.

Quotes and bills: insurance, phone, internet, repairs

Bills are where Instinct most often works by negotiating. For internet, @rohinip says it saved $50 a month without them ever talking to Comcast, while @pitdesi says it got a Comcast bill from $100 to $60 a month but hit a wall and handed back a number to call with a script. See Lower your internet bill and Cut your phone bill.

For insurance, see Compare car insurance quotes and Shop for home insurance quotes; note that the 11-quote report was for home contents cover, not homeowners insurance. For repairs, @sanjivvmore says Instinct reviewed a garage door opener quote and emailed competing installers for quotes on the same product specification.

  • Our suggestion: give it your current policy or bill first, so new quotes are compared with something concrete.
  • Our suggestion: ask for the coverage, term and any promotional end date next to each price.
  • Our suggestion: say whether it may accept an offer or only report it back.

Products, private sellers and price drops

Assistant Benchmark republishes a price-hunting prompt from @gabenavarro: find an exact product at the cheapest delivered price and stop at the checkout screen so the real total is visible (Find the delivered price). Other posts describe Instinct watching listings for an out-of-print book until one appeared 60% cheaper, messaging and vetting private sellers of a vintage watch, and going through past Amazon orders to claim refunds on items that had dropped in price.

  • Our suggestion: ask for the delivered total, with shipping and tax, not the list price.
  • Our suggestion: with private sellers, pay yourself on a method with buyer protection.

Travel: fares, seats, stays and credits

Travel is the biggest share of what Instinct handles, by Shinn's account. Users report it finding a flight at half the expected price, booking a better seat after a schedule change, catching a points deal on the Amex site during a multi-city booking, and negotiating that 17% Airbnb discount. The limit shows in @DavidPawlan's post: Instinct tracked a fare drop on a ticket already bought but couldn't submit the credit request, so they used a separate calling service to reach United.

  • Our suggestion: ask for the fare rules, baggage and change fees next to each fare.
  • Our suggestion: for a fare-drop credit, ask it up front whether it can file the request or only watch the price.

How to ask Instinct for a comparison you can check

A prompt you can adapt: "Compare three to five options for [what you need]. For each, give the delivered price, the terms that differ and where you found it. Tell me which you would pick for [my priority] and what would change that. Don't buy, book, accept an offer or message anyone until I reply."

  • Ask for a table with a source for every price.
  • Ask which option suits which kind of buyer, instead of a single pick.
  • Ask what it couldn't check: sellers that didn't reply, sites it couldn't reach.
  • Keep the approval with you: name the action and ask to see it first.
  • Check one number yourself before you approve anything.

Comparison tasks to try

  • Compare car insurance quotes Money · A comparison against your current policy, which may turn up savings or may confirm you already have the best rate.
  • Shop for home insurance quotes Money · A set of competing quotes compared against your current policy, for you to decide on.
  • Lower your internet bill Money · A lower quoted rate on the same service, or a number and a script for you to finish the call, with any offer checked by you before it is accepted.
  • Cut your phone bill Money · A line-by-line breakdown of your phone bill and priced alternatives, with any plan change or carrier call approved by you; the author's figure is their own estimate.
  • Compare garage door opener quotes Home · A side-by-side comparison of the existing quote and any responses, with email drafts and a decision about the work left to you.
  • Compare vendors in another time zone Shopping · A side-by-side comparison of vendor answers and quotes gathered while you sleep, with the choice, price and order left to you.
  • Find the delivered price Shopping · A comparison of in-stock options including item price, shipping and available discounts.
  • Buy a vintage watch from private sellers Shopping · A short list of listings with seller answers side by side, and a purchase made only when you approve it, on a payment method with buyer protection.
  • Track a rare book listing for a price drop Shopping · An alert naming a qualifying listing's price and seller, for you to verify before buying.
  • Get Amazon refunds for price drops Shopping · A list of past purchases where the price has since dropped, with refund requests filed through Amazon support for the difference.
  • Send a gift when you cannot be there Shopping · A present you chose from a short list, ordered within budget, with a confirmation showing the right address and a delivery date before the occasion.
  • Find a flight below expected price Travel · A flight found and booked at roughly half the price the author expected to pay.
  • Research and book a rental car Travel · A rental car researched and booked, as one line in a larger list of completed tasks.
  • Research options for a flight change Travel · A laid-out set of options for changing an existing flight — fees, fares, alternatives — for you to decide between. Whether anything was actually booked is not stated in the source report.
  • Get a better seat after a flight change Travel · Your seats after a schedule change checked against the seat map, a better seat taken where it is free or approved, and the new seat confirmed on the booking.
  • Negotiate a discount on a long stay Travel · A shortlist of rentals for your dates, hosts' replies to a request for a lower rate, and a booking made only on your approval.
  • Book a multi-city trip and catch points deals Travel · A multi-city itinerary booked, with a points-based deal applied that the author says they would have missed manually.
  • Get an airline credit after a fare drop Travel · A record of what you paid, a check for a lower fare on the same flight, and a reviewed credit request to the airline; not a guaranteed credit or refund.
  • Set up meal delivery for a relative Family · A reviewed meal-provider shortlist and first-order plan with the relative’s preferences and explicit approval boundaries.
  • Find a doctor who takes your insurance Health · A short list of providers your plan lists as in network, with reviews and booking routes, and intake forms pre-filled for you to check before anything is submitted.

By category: Creative (1), Family (8), Food (9), Health (4), Home (22), Learning (1), Money (17), Privacy (5), Shopping (28), Travel (32), Work (19).

Questions about shopping with Instinct

What is Instinct Selections?

A feature Instinct began rolling out at the end of September 2026 that sends curated picks for dining, travel and shopping. Noah Shinn says it draws on recommendations from chefs, designers, architects and local guides. Users report receiving these lists without asking for them.

Does Instinct get paid for its recommendations?

It hasn't said. Business Insider reported that the Selections recommendations were not labeled as ads and that it could not determine whether Instinct earns money from resulting purchases.

Can Instinct negotiate my bills?

Users report it lowering internet and phone bills, sometimes over chat with the provider. In other reports it reached a point where it handed back a phone number and a script for the user to call.

Does Instinct always find a cheaper option?

No. One user says it checked car insurance and concluded they already had the best rate. Ask for the comparison itself, not just the verdict.

Sources