This article is about using your Instacart gift card as a payment method during checkout. For more information on applying a gift card to your Instacart account, go to Redeem a gift card.

Instacart cash gift cards cover the costs related to an order, such as items including alcohol and prescriptions, tips, taxes, service fees, and delivery fees. They can be paired with other Instacart credits or promo codes you may have on your account.

Currently, placing an order with a gift card from multiple retailers at one time is not possible. If you would like to use your gift card balance at another retailer, you will need to place a new order.

If you purchased or received a gift card before November 18, 2020, you can still redeem it through your Instacart account. However, this gift card will not cover the cost of service and delivery fees, tips, taxes, prescriptions or alcohol items.

Note: You can’t purchase an Instacart+ membership gift card with an Instacart cash gift card. Check out our Purchase a gift card help center article to learn more about Instacart+ membership gift cards.

Add gift card at checkout

To add a gift card—

  1. Select Benefits and gift cards
  2. Select Add
  3. Enter your gift card code and tap Redeem

 

To apply your gift card at checkout—

  1. In the Pay with section, select Edit.
  2. Under Benefits and gift cards, select your gift card.
  3. Select apply.

The checkout screen shows the amount we deducted from your gift card and any remaining balance we charged to your payment method.

Note: Gift cards don’t apply automatically at checkout. You must select your gift card as a payment method.

 

Add credit or debit card at checkout

You must add a credit or debit card at checkout to use your gift card, even if the gift card fully covers your total purchase amount.

To add a credit or debit card at checkout

  1. Click or tap Choose a payment method
  2. Select Add payment method
  3. Enter your debit or credit card information and billing address
  4. Select Save

Note: Instacart charges any items added during shopping or after checkout to your gift card unless the amount is more than the authorization hold. If the order total after adding items exceeds the authorization hold, then the credit or debit card on file is charged even if you have enough funds on the gift card to cover the extra items. Likewise, if the order total after adding items exceeds the amount on your gift card, we charge the difference to the credit or debit card you entered at checkout.

Temporary authorization hold amounts

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

If the authorization hold exceeds the amount on your gift card, we charge the difference to the credit or debit card you entered at checkout.

Your gift card and/or credit or debit card will only be charged for the total of the items delivered to you.

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