Balance Payments Inc.
Balance powers Instacart's Pay by Invoice program, enabling Instacart to offer deferred payment terms to customers.
As part of this program, Balance manages the invoicing application and process, and handles all aspects of payment collection.
There are no fees for participating in the program when you pay on time.
How it works
Pay by Invoice allows your business to defer payment until 30 days after receiving an invoice for purchases. This period begins on the order delivery date. Once the invoice is paid, the corresponding amount is restored to your available credit limit, allowing you to continue making purchases.
Apply for Pay by Invoice
To apply for Instacart’s Pay by Invoice program—
- Log in to your business account.
- Select the 3 horizontal lines in the upper-left corner.
- Select Your account settings.
- Select Invoicing under Team settings.
When applying for Pay by Invoice, you will choose the currency you are applying for, and the approved line of credit may only be used in that country. If you require credit in both USD and CAD, please contact [email protected] for information on applying for a second line of credit.
Applications may be approved instantly, however in some cases may take longer, typically completing within 3 business days. Once a decision is made, you’ll be notified via email or you can check the status in the Invoicing section of your business account. Approval notifications include instructions on how to activate Pay by Invoice for your account.
Once you submit your application, you can’t edit or change it. If you notice any errors or need to make updates, please email [email protected] for assistance.
Using your credit
After your application is approved, all team members in your Business Organization on Instacart will have access to place orders using Pay by Invoice. Orders containing alcohol cannot currently use Pay by Invoice.
Individual invoices will be issued immediately after the order is completed.
Managing your credit
Administrators can monitor usage of credit, configure settings, and access the payment portal from the Instacart site and mobile application.
To monitor your credit usage and view your remaining credit limit—
- Log in to your business account.
- Select the 3 horizontal lines in the upper-left corner.
- Select Invoicing under Manage your business settings.
From the Invoicing page, click on the Billing Portal button to access the Payments site managed by Balance.
Your credit limit is determined using the information you provide, combined with external data sources. Balance analyzes this data to recommend a credit limit tailored to your business.
To increase a credit limit, ensure invoices are paid on time. Balance actively monitors payment history and automatically increases credit limits over time based on consistent, timely payments.
Invoicing Settings
Business administrators can manage settings related to Pay by Invoice.
To access settings—
- Log in to your business account.
- Select the 3 horizontal lines in the upper-left corner.
- Select Invoicing under Manage your business settings.
- Click on Settings.
Invoice Type
Individual invoices are issued for each order placed.
Consolidated monthly invoices cover orders from the first to last day of the month. This invoice is created on the first day of the following month. Payment terms will be Net-30 from the last day of the statement period.
You can select the frequency in which you receive invoices through your business account settings. You can also switch between individual invoices and consolidate monthly invoices at any time.
Notifications
Invoices are sent to the primary email associated with your Business Organization Owner’s account. You may list additional email addresses, such as your accounts payable team, who should receive copies of invoices and other notifications in your invoicing settings. The listed email addresses do not need to have Instacart accounts.
You may optionally enable the Send invoice to buyer setting which will include the team member on invoice emails for orders they place.
Your credit limit doesn’t expire.
Invoices and billing
If you’d like invoices sent to an additional email address, you can specify this during the activation of your Pay by Invoice account or in your Instacart Business notification center.
Payments
Invoices may be paid through Balance’s Billing Portal accessible via the Instacart website and app. In the United States, they may be paid via ACH Debit, and in Canada via Pre-Authorized Debits (PADs). Up to 20 invoices may be selected and paid for at once.
US Invoices may also be paid using ACH Credit via your financial institution. ACH account details are available on the invoice emails and PDFs you receive. You can’t pay invoices by check.
The invoice is due according to the specified net terms. For example, with Net 30 terms, the invoice is due 30 days after the invoice is issued.
Invoice
You can make the payment as soon as you receive the invoice. You can schedule payments in the Balance Buyer Portal which you can access in your business account settings or through the Balance invoice and collection emails.
You will receive an email notification from Balance Payments about upcoming payments. The email includes the invoice details and provides a link for submitting payment online or instructions for completing a bank transfer.
Refunds
Refunds for Instacart orders vary depending on whether your invoice is paid or not. If you haven’t paid your invoice, a refund will be issued as a Credit Note, which will reduce the amount owed on an outstanding invoice.
If you paid your invoice, Balance processes your refund via deposit to a bank account. Upon receiving a first refund for a paid invoice, you will receive an email requesting bank account details which will be used for that and subsequent refunds.
For questions about or issues with a refund, contact [email protected].
Post-Delivery Tips
As invoices are issued immediately after delivery, any changes to Tip amounts after receiving delivery will result in adjustments to the original invoice. For tip increases, an additional invoice will be issued to your business, due on the same day as the original invoice. The additional invoice will have the same Invoice ID, followed by an additional identifier, for example, if your order invoice is INV-74621 a first tip increase will have the ID INV-74621-01.
Tip decreases will be handled as a refund, either a credit note or deposit to your bank account, per the Refunds section above.
FAQs
Where can I learn more about all of the invoicing features available to me on Instacart Business?
You can learn more about the invoicing features here.
Can I put information on my invoice such as PO# or Cost Center
The ability to add custom information to your invoices will be coming soon. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to be made aware once this feature is available.
What is Balance's role in this program?
Balance powers Instacart's Pay with Invoice program, enabling Instacart to offer deferred payment terms to customers. As part of this program, Balance handles evaluating applications, issuing invoices and collecting payments.
What is Balance's track record in B2B payments?
Established in 2020, Balance has a proven track record of supporting over 100,000 businesses with secure and seamless payment solutions. Balance works with enterprise businesses to streamline payment processes and enable the effective use of payment terms by their customers.