Why does Instacart charge more than total charges? (Check this out!)
Instacart provides the largest grocery delivery service in the US and is currently present in all 50 US states and Canada.
Future plans to expand to Europe and the whole world.
Instacart customers can use the Instacart app to order groceries from any grocery store of their choice.
Why does Instacart charge more than total charges?
In general, Instacart will generally not charge customers more than the total order amount. However, in some cases, they may charge you more than the total cost of your order, most likely the temporary authorization holds slightly more than the total amount of your order.
You may notice this slight difference due to special or custom requests, such as adding items, replacing items, special requests, or weight adjustments.
Instacart refers to these fees as “additional fees.” If you go on to order more items after the final item has been charged, or if you cancel some items on your shopping list, the additional fee will appear on your delivery receipt.
Basically, if after the final charge appears on your receipt, additional purchases are made that bring the new total charge over the total charge originally billed on the receipt, the additional charge will be added to your receipt.
From this perspective, if you order some items from a particular grocery store, a few minutes after you place your order, you’ll remember that you forgot to add some other items you needed.
Then, after you’ve placed your original order but it hasn’t been delivered, you go ahead and add those items to your cart.
When this happens, you’ll see an extra charge on your receipt to compensate for the difference between the total on the original receipt and the new total.
Why is Instacart charging me more than my receipt?
In addition to these additional fees, Instacart may also charge you an “Adjustment Fee.” According to the official Instacart website, the adjusted fee on your delivery receipt means that the final item fee after any order changes is higher than the original fee.
For example, if the store doesn’t have a specific brand and you approve a replacement at a higher price.
If the final weight of the item adds to the final item fee, you may also see this fee on your receipt. The amount of the adjusted fee is the difference between your original fee and your new order total.
To avoid paying adjustment fees, make sure to order all your groceries at once. You can do this by creating a shopping list that includes every item you want and the exact quantity you want.
You should always pay attention to quantities as you may also be charged an adjustment fee if the quantity of a particular item you order changes slightly.
Read: Does Instacart accept EBT?
Why is Instacart charging me $100?
If you suddenly receive a notification that your bank has charged $99.99, it may be because you previously subscribed to the Instacart+ package.
In 2013, just a year after Instacart launched, the company launched a deluxe package originally called Instacart Express, which would allow customers to get service faster and enjoy other benefits.
This includes a 14-day free trial period, after which subscribers will be billed for the package.
A few years after the launch of Instacart express, the package was later renamed Instacart+. It becomes a subscription-based service that qualifies you for free shipping and reduced service fees and charges for all grocery orders fulfilled with Instacart.
The service allows customers to enjoy free shipping on every grocery order over $35 during their subscription period. Instacart+ users will also be eligible to receive up to 5% back on every qualifying order.
The Instacart+ service also includes a new family account feature. This feature allows instacart+ subscribers to share their subscriptions with other family members.
Another benefit included in this package is the “Family Cart” feature, which allows each member of the family to put their personally desired grocery items into the family cart.
While this exciting service is only $9.99 per month, subscribing to the annual plan will get you a discount of $19 per year.
A plan that usually costs you $119.18 if you decide to subscribe monthly, or $99 if you subscribe now.
For subscribers who wish to cancel this plan or wish to receive a $100 refund, you can request a refund from the company using your mobile app. However, it is not without strings attached.
While you can cancel your Instacart+ membership at any time, you are only eligible for a refund if you do not use the Instacart+ service within 15 days of your actual membership.
That is, the company will only refund you if the service is not used within 15 days after the free membership expires.
Read: When will the Instacart batch start?
When will the Instacart fee appear on my bank statement?
If you decide to make your bank-issued debit/credit card your preferred payment method, the Instacart fee will appear on your bank statement almost immediately. Instacart allows multiple payment methods, including Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and more. However, no matter which payment method you prefer, your instacart bill will appear in your transaction history almost immediately.
Instacart also won’t charge you more than your grocery order total unless you place another order, which makes you liable for adjusted fees and other additional charges. If you subscribe to Instacart+, Instacart may also bill you separately, or you may allow other new fees.
Instacart will not charge you for any reason other than those listed above. However, if you receive another charge from Instacart that you do not recognize, you should promptly contact instacart support to file a complaint. You should also contact Support immediately to file a fraud-related complaint if you still feel that such a charge appears to be quite fraudulent. You will be asked to provide certain information related to your credit/debit card, and the date such transactions took place.
Instacart recommends that you contact you before disputing such unknown charges with your bank. However, you should be aware that once you file a dispute, your account will be suspended and investigations may take up to 90 days to resolve.
Why is Instacart charging me twice?
While it’s unusual for Instacart to charge you twice, it still happens in rare cases. Instacart acknowledges that sometimes it’s quite possible to receive some charges that you didn’t expect at first.
Being charged twice can be for any reason, from being charged an adjustment fee or an additional fee to change your grocery order after an order has been placed, to a temporary authorization hold for placing a pending order in your account. You may also be charged unexpectedly for a subscription to a luxury package like Instacart+.
The reasons above are the most common reasons why you may be charged twice. However, beyond these reasons, if you are being charged arbitrarily, it is best to contact the Instacart Help Center before contacting your banking institution or credit/debit card provider.
The company’s dedicated customer support service will help you resolve issues with ease. However, after contacting support, if it is discovered that the charges you received were due to an error by your bank and not Instacart, you will be advised to contact your banking institution or card provider immediately to correct it.
Want to learn more about Instacart? Check out our related posts to find out if Instacart offers cigarettes, Instacart offers alcohol and Can you work for Shipt and Instacart?
in conclusion…
To avoid Instacart charging you extra, make sure to order all your groceries in one go, and the exact quantities you need. Any slight changes or manipulations to your shopping list after placing an order may make you liable for certain additional charges.
To further ensure that you don’t have to pay more for Instacart+ or any other related services, please make sure you cancel your Instacart+ subscription immediately after the free trial period ends.
Additionally, you should contact Instacart support immediately to resolve any unrecognized transaction notifications on your bank statement before contacting your bank. A support agent will contact you and guide you on how to resolve the issue.