Online Ordering

HOW TO PLACE AN ORDER

You can either search for a specific item you’re looking for, or browse by department. We also make recommendations based on what you bought before.

Add items to your cart by tapping or clicking +Add or Add to Cart. You can also adjust the item quantity by using the + or – buttons.

You can check what’s in your cart anytime while you’re shopping by clicking or tapping the shopping basket button. You can see the next available delivery time, as well as the amount needed to reach any order minimums. You can also view your item total, adjust quantities, or remove items from your cart.

When you’re ready to check out, visit your cart and tap or click the Checkout button. You’ll be asked to add a delivery address and your payment information. Then, go ahead and place your order! Your groceries will be on their way in no time. Or you can place your delivery for up to 5 days from now.

CAN’T FIND AN ITEM?

Not able to find an item you’re looking for?

Use the search box on the website. Sometimes searching for one keyword (for example, searching for “watermelon” instead of “watermelon slices”) can help.

TRACKING YOUR ORDER AND DELIVERY

It’s easy to track your order, from the moment your personal shopper starts finding your items until the moment it arrives at your door.

Order status

To check your order status on the website:

Click account
Click Order History
Click on an order to view its status

Tracking your delivery in progress

When it’s time for delivery, you’ll receive a text message that includes an estimated time of arrival.

ORDER CHANGES

If your personal shopper hasn’t begun your order, you can update your order in the Order page. If your shopper has already started working on your order.

Add a new item

To add an item to your order:

Go to Account → Order History
Click on current order, add to order
Search each item you want to add
Click + sign to add to cart
Follow prompts for confirmation

Change quantity or remove an item

To make changes to your current order:
Go to Account → Order History
Click on current order
In the item list, select the item you want to adjust the quantity on
On this item, click the number and adjust as you like

Approving order changes

You can select other options for replacements, or choose a refund for the item instead.

To see items your shopper has already located:

Click Account
Click Your orders
Select your current order
Click See Shopped Items

When shopping is complete, you can click See Shopped items again to view all the completed changes and items in your order.

PROBLEM WITH YOUR ORDER

Receive an order you’re not completely satisfied with? In most cases, we can make things right quickly.

On the website, you can let us know about

Missing items
Incorrect items
Damaged items
Poor replacements
Late orders

You’ll get an email confirmation right away for any credits or refunds, and we will let you know as soon as any other issues are resolved. Refund and credit amounts vary.

It’s easy to track your order, from the moment your personal shopper starts finding your items until the moment it arrives at your door.

Order status

To check your order status on the website:

Click Your orders
Click on an order to view its status

Tracking your order in progress

If you have text message notifications enabled, you’ll receive a message when your personal shopper begins working on your order.

Click Account > Your orders.
Click See Shopped Items to view items already found and changes like replacements and refunds.
You can Approve changes or choose Other options for each item.

Tracking your delivery in progress

When it’s time for delivery, you’ll receive a text message. If you click the link in the text message, The delivery screen includes an estimated time of arrival and a map you can tap to follow the driver’s progress.

RECEIVING YOUR DELIVERY

After the items in your order have been picked and packed, a personal shopper starts the delivery process. The person who shops your order will not be the one who delivers it.

To make sure you get your delivery as scheduled, we recommend:

Keeping an eye out for text messages and phone calls from the delivery driver
Leaving helpful instructions for parking, gate codes, or other clues to find your home.

Driver can’t find your location

If the delivery driver can’t find your location, they’ll try to get in touch with you via text message or phone call before taking further action. Unless you specifically request for them to do so, drivers are unable to leave an order unattended.

When a customer can’t be found or contacted for an extended period of time, the order may be canceled.

Unavailable to receive delivery

In the case that you can’t be there to receive your delivery in person, we recommend first reaching out to a friend or neighbor to get it for you. Just let the driver know of the change by adding a note in the delivery instructions or sending them a message through the website.

Alternatively, you can check the box for Leave at My Door Delivery at checkout. You can leave additional instructions for your shopper and receive a photo confirmation once your groceries have been delivered.

Payment Issues

External payments such as cash, checks, or third-party apps (CashApp, Zelle, etc.) are not accepted.

If you experience issues paying for your order, please reach out for help through our website or app, or call the store you are ordering from; all payments take place within the app.

TIPPING

Feel free to tip your delivery driver if you would like to.

RESCHEDULING A DELIVERY

You can change your delivery date and time up until a shopper begins working on your order. Here’s how to reschedule:

On a computer:

On a computer, click Account → Order History; if on a mobile device, use the side navigation and click Order History
Locate the order you’re rescheduling and click Reschedule
Choose a new delivery time and/or date
Click Save
The new delivery date/time will update in the Order Info box. You’re all set!

REFUND, RETURNS, AND CANCELLATION POLICY

Refunds and cancellations are subject to certain conditions. Please read carefully to understand our policies.

Refunds

To request a refund for any reason, you must make your request within 7 days of delivery.

Please let us know as soon as possible if your order:

Has missing items that you were charged for on the final receipt
Contains damaged, spoiled, or otherwise unusable items.

Refunds are processed immediately, but it may take 5-10 business days to see the funds in your bank or credit card account, depending on your bank. You won’t see refunds in your Instacart account.

Returns

We do not accept returns.

Canceling an order

You can cancel an order for a full refund without any additional fees at any time before a shopper begins shopping.

The process is simple on a browser or in the app:

Select Account → Order History
Select the order you’d like to cancel
On the Order page, select Cancel order

To cancel after shopping has begun, reach out to your specific store location

UNKNOWN CHARGES, RECURRING PAYMENTS, AND OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS

See a charge from us you don’t recognize? Before you reach out to us for help, you might want to double-check it’s not:

A temporary authorization hold for an order in process
An adjusted total for changes in your order (e.g., items unavailable or replaced items at a different price).

Temporary authorization hold amounts

For orders in process, we place a temporary authorization hold for a slightly higher amount than your estimated order total. This small difference accounts for potential changes in the final total due to special requests, added items, items replaced at a different price, and actual weight of items.

We release the authorization hold after your order is delivered or canceled. It can take 3-5 business days for the pending charge to drop, depending on your bank.

We will only charge you for the total of the items delivered to you.

Final total different from total at checkout

When you place an order, our checkout page shows you the anticipated total, including estimated taxes and fees. The final total charged to your card may be different if any changes occur during the shopping process, such as:

An item is out of stock and you’re refunded
You add an item to your order after checkout
An item you order needs to be replaced, and the replacement has a different price
An item you order is sold by weight and the exact weight is slightly different
Your personal shopper fulfills a special request for an item not in the catalog.

FOOD SAFETY

Food safety and quality is a top priority for us and our customers. All shoppers are well-equipped with knowledge to make sure your food is properly picked and maintained at all stages of the shopping process.

ADDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPECIFIC ITEMS, REPLACEMENTS, OR DELIVERY

Add instructions for how you want your order shopped and/or delivered. Through instructions, you can let your shopper know that you prefer greener bananas or help them find the apartment to drop off your order.

Item instructions

You can add item instructions from your cart, on the checkout page, or even after you place your order (but only before it’s been shopped).

From your cart: Click or tap Instructions on the item for which you’d like to leave a note
From the checkout page: Click or tap Review to review items and add instructions
After you ordered: Visit the Order page to review your items and add any instructions

Item instructions carry over to future orders. If your item preferences change, make sure to review your notes when ordering the same items in the future.

During checkout, you can request the order be left at your door if you’re not around. This option will notify the driver it’s an unattended delivery and prompt them to take a picture of the order at your door before they leave.

Please note— If you choose for your order to be left unattended, you accept full responsibility for the order after it has been delivered, including any loss due to theft or temperature sensitivity damage.

Replacement instructions

Items may be out of stock. When this happens, you have 3 options:

Find Best Match: Your shopper selects the best possible replacement. This is the default option for when items aren’t available.
Pick Specific Replacement: To select your own replacement, tap or click on the item, then select Pick Specific Replacement. You can search the catalog or choose a replacement from a list of suggestions.
Don’t Replace: If you prefer not to replace an item, choose Don’t Replace to get a refund instead.

Keep in mind you’ll be refunded or charged for the difference in price for replacement items.

If you have order notifications turned on, look for alerts when an item is replaced or refunded.

Delivery instructions

Adding delivery instructions can help drivers deliver your order. Your delivery driver sees these instructions when they start heading your way.

Useful info to include:

Parking locations
Building security or gate information
Specific directions for hard-to-locate front doors
Any markers on your home that might help the shopper find the best entrance

You can add delivery instructions:

While placing the order
After placing the order (but before your order is shopped)
When adding an address to your account

Please note that drivers who can’t reach you via chat or phone may not be able to deliver your order.

Account information

When you have changes to your personal information, it’s easy to update your name, delivery address(es), and phone number on Instacart. You can also update your email notification preferences and how we contact you about deliveries in your account.

Updating profile information

To make changes to your name, email address, phone number, or password, follow the directions for the website or app.

In the app—

Tap the Account icon in the upper right corner
Tap Settings
Tap Personal information
Tap the information you’d like to change
Update the information and tap Save

On the website—

At the top right click the picture of a person
Click Account settings
Click Your account settings
Click Change or Create next to the information you’d like to update
Update the information and click Save

Please note—if you use Facebook or Google to log into your account, you’ll have to update your account information in your Facebook or Google account.

Updating delivery address

You can add, update, or remove delivery addresses at any time on your account.

In the app—

Tap the Account icon in the upper right corner
Tap Settings
Tap Address
To add an address, enter in the field at the topTo update an address, tap Edit, update the information, and tap Save addressTo delete an address, tap the trash can icon in the upper right corner

You can also include delivery instructions for specific addresses in this section of the app.

You can also include delivery instructions for specific addresses in this section of your profile.

Please note—address changes will go into effect for orders placed after you make the updates. If you have an order in process and the delivery address is incorrect, please call Instacart Customer Experience for help.

Still need help?

Our Instacart Customer Experience team is here to help.

Phone: 1 (888) 246-7822

Senior and specialized support line

Contact our senior and specialized support line for help getting started or placing an order.

1.844.981.3433

Daily: 8am - 11pm ET