We make it easy to find items from your favorite retailers and have them delivered right to your door or conveniently picked up! For delivery, we choose the best store location for your order. For pickup, you can choose a specific store location that works best for you. Learn more about selecting a retailer.   

Placing an order

  1. Find your items. Search for specific items or browse by department. We also make recommendations based on what you bought or what’s popular in your area. Can’t find an item? Search for 1 keyword (ex. watermelon instead of watermelon slices). You can also try searching for items before selecting a retailer. 
  2. Add items to your cart. Spotted something you like? Add it to your cart by selecting the + / +Add / Add to Cart icons. Adjust the item quantity by using the + or - buttons. You can add items to your cart without signing up for an Instacart account, but you need an account to check out.
  3. Review your cart. You can check what’s in your cart by selecting the green cart icon. Look for the next available delivery time and how much you may need to add to reach any order minimums. You can also view your item total, adjust quantities, add item and replacement instructions, or remove items from your cart.
  4. Confirm your order details. When you’re ready to check out, select the green Go to checkout button. Confirm the delivery or pickup store address and instructions, delivery or pickup window, and payment method. If you have items in your cart from multiple stores, you must choose a separate delivery window for each store. Make sure you select the right order type! Once you place your order, you can’t switch a regular delivery to priority or convenience or vice versa. 
  5. Check out. Place your order—you’ll get a notification that we’ve received it and when an Instacart shopper has started working on it. We don’t offer the ability to schedule or select a specific shopper, but you can always add item and delivery instructions or chat with your shopper!

Check out this step-by-step guide to create your account and place your first order.

Placing a restaurant order

For steps on placing a restaurant order in-app, check out our Restaurants Help Center article.

How to place an order through Airbnb

Using the Airbnb app or website, you can order groceries and select from two options—

  • Regular Delivery: You receive the order at your booked Airbnb after your arrival. You can place this order up to 3 weeks in advance of your stay. 
    • You can also place an order while staying in your Airbnb, up to 1 hour prior to checking out.
  • Kitchen stocking: Airbnb Hosts receive and stock non-alcoholic orders before you arrive. You can place this order up to 3 days before your trip’s start date.
    • At this time, this feature is only available in Phoenix, Orlando, and Los Angeles.

Using the Airbnb app or website—

  1. Go to Trips.
  2. Select Order groceries > Continue to Instacart.
  3. Browse stores and add items to the cart.
  4. Pick a delivery time or choose Pre-stock the kitchen.
    1. If you select Pre-stock the kitchen, you can’t add alcohol items.

After placing your order, an Instacart shopper fulfills and delivers it. 

Note, you can't change the delivery address. It's automatically set to your Airbnb rental address to make sure your groceries go to the right place.

How to build a cart using ChatGPT

You can now use ChatGPT to request meal ideas and recipes, or get help with building a cart on Instacart.

  1. Go to chatgpt.com or open the ChatGPT app.
  2. Enter your question or request that relates to meal ideas, recipes or grocery shopping into ChatGPT.
    1. Examples include, but are not limited to—
      1. I want a recipe for chicken enchiladas with ingredients from Instacart
      2. Create an Instacart shopping list that includes eggs, milk, and bread.
      3. It’s Friday! I’d like to order pizza and ice cream.
  3. After ChatGPT creates what you’re looking for, select the nudge Get it delivered with Instacart. Then Approve or Deny the connection to Instacart and associated data sharing to create a delivery order.
    1. If you Approve, confirm the connection by selecting Continue to Instacart.
  4. Enter your Instacart login information and select Continue.
    1. You’ll receive a 6-digit code to the email you provided at login. Enter the code provided.
  5. Once you approve Instacart, ChatGPT will ask you to choose your delivery address. If you don’t see your address listed, select the expand arrows icon.
    1. Note, you can only select from existing addresses added to your ChatGPT account when you created your account. 
    2. If you need to add a new address, you will need to add the address to your Instacart account and place the order through Instacart’s app or website.
  6. ChatGPT will show a list of available retailers through Instacart. Enter a retailer’s name to start your order.
  7. ChatGPT will then create a cart with items related to your question or request.
    1. You can ask ChatGPT to add, remove, or change items. 
  8. Select Checkout.
  9. Confirm your address and add an optional tip.
  10. Select Continue to Payment.
    1. Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted as a form of payment. This functionality is available exclusively for Web and app.
    2. You can use the payment method linked to your ChatGPT account, or add a new payment method during checkout. Note, if you add a new payment it only saves to your ChatGPT account and not your Instacart account.
  11. Select Pay Instacart.
  12. ChatGPT will show your placed order. Select Track on Instacart to see you order’s status.

How to reorder a previous order

In-app—

  1. Tap the account icon in the upper right corner.
  2. Tap Orders at the top.
  3. Find the previous order you want to reorder. 
    1. Select Add all to cart to add all items from that order to your cart, or
    2. Select the order and scroll to Reorder these items. Select Reorder.
  4. View your cart. You can remove any items you don’t want to reorder.
  5. Tap Go to checkout.
  6. Tap Place order.

On the website—

  1. Click the 3 horizontal lines in the upper left corner.
  2. Click Your orders.
  3. Find the previous order you want to reorder.
    1. Select Add all items to cart to add all items from that order to your cart, or
    2. Click View order detail. Under Reorder these items, select Reorder. 
  4.  View your cart. You can remove any items you don’t want to reorder.
  5. Tap Go to checkout.
  6. Tap Place order.

Prohibited items 

Please keep in mind that some items aren’t available on Instacart. Prohibited items include—

  • Beverage orders exceeding 400 pounds
  • Blank keys
  • Cash donations, including those often found at checkout (ex. St. Jude, United Way)
  • Currency
  • Fireworks, including sparklers
  • Frozen pet food
  • Guns and ammunition
  • Hazardous (HAZMAT) chemicals, including dry ice
  • Helium tanks
  • Hunting style knives and weapons (ex. cross bows)
  • Items containing controlled substances such as pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, opioids, and methamphetamine
  • Kratom
  • Live animals
  • Live feed animals, including mice and fish*
  • Lottery tickets, including scratch-off tickets
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Pet animals, including live hamsters and live fish
  • Photos
  • Printable coupons
  • Rug Doctor equipment
  • Self-defense tools, including pepper spray and pocket knives
  • Tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes
  • Weapons and weapon supplies

*Live meal worms, crickets, feed, and other insects for pet food are allowed.

Item availability and terms are subject to change without notice. Retailers may have additional size, weight, or price restrictions on certain items. Alcohol is not available for all retailers and areas. Repeated attempts to order prohibited items could result in account deactivation.