What is busy pricing?


When we experience high demand for a delivery time, a Busy Pricing fee may apply which allows Instacart to keep more delivery times open and ensure our service available to you even during the busiest parts of the day. Your delivery fee will be displayed clearly when you select a delivery time.

What is a service fee?


A service fee may apply to each order fulfilled by Instacart. It covers a broad range of operating costs including shopper operations, insurance, background checks, and customer support. The service fee isn’t a tip and doesn’t go to the shopper delivering your order. Service fees vary and are subject to change based on factors like location and the number and types of items in your cart. You can view the service fee total on every order at checkout. Changes to your order, including replacing or refunding an item, may change the service fee. You’ll see the final cost and service fee total on your digital receipt after the order is complete. Orders containing alcohol have a separate service fee.

What is the temporary authorization hold on my card?


When you place your order Instacart places a temporary authorization hold for 15% higher than your total order at checkout. This authorization hold is placed in case your total is higher due to special requests, added items, replacement items, or weight adjustments. After delivery, the hold will drop off, and your card will be charged for the final total. The final charge will appear within 7 business days after order completion.

What happens if an item I order is out of stock?


Although we do our best to provide the most up-to-date information in our product catalog, we can’t always guarantee that an item will be in stock. You will be offered the option to replace or refund out of stock items via SMS while your shopper is shopping your order. By default, items added to your cart will be replaced with best-matched products, but you may disable substitutions while checking out.