Delivery, tax and service fees

What about delivery fees, service fees, taxes, etc.?

Foodsmart Bucks (Fresh Funds) can be used toward delivery, tax, and some service fees in a patient’s order. If there is enough remaining on the Foodsmart Bucks (Fresh Funds) credit, it will automatically apply toward certain fees.

NOTE: there is no way to override this feature

Instacart REQUIRES another form of payment to complete checkout.

If a user has sufficient Fresh Funds to cover the total authorization hold, the hold for Fresh Funds-eligible items will now be taken from their Fresh Funds balance rather than a backup payment method.
These changes only apply to authorization holds applied at checkout for Fresh Funds-eligible items. Post-checkout charges and any ineligible items will continue to be charged to the backup payment method.

My patient is still being charged service fees - I thought Foodsmart Bucks covered that?

According to Instacart, the “service fee” helps support the Instacart platform and covers a broad range of operating costs including insurance, background checks, and customer support. Instacart+ members enjoy a reduced service fee.

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. Orders containing alcohol have a separate service fee.

Changes to your order, including replacing or refunding an item, change the service fee. After the order is complete, you’ll see the final cost and service fee total on your digital receipt. For more information about order changes, visit this article.

Instacart pickup orders have no service fees, regardless of non-Instacart+ or Instacart+ membership. Shopper tips are separate from any service fees.

Foodsmart Bucks (FreshFunds) will typically cover fees that are noted at checkout, however, their credit or debit card will be used as a backup payment method in the event post-checkout changes cause the total to exceed available Foodsmart Bucks (Fresh Funds).

We’re finding that it typically defaults to the debit/credit card on file for those fees.
To ensure a full refund for replacement items purchased, REFUND and do NOT REPLACE items that are not available.
A form of accepted payment on file on their Instacart account.
1. If a user has sufficient Fresh Funds to cover the total authorization hold, the hold for Fresh Funds-eligible items will now be taken from their Fresh Funds balance rather than a backup payment method.
2. These changes only apply to authorization holds applied at checkout for Fresh Funds-eligible items. Post-checkout charges and any ineligible items will continue to be charged to the backup payment method.

We spoke with Instacart about this issue: Instacart will NOT provide a fix for this anytime soon.

They suggested that users contact Instacart to get credited for inappropriate charges.
Use this link https://www.instacart.com/help or call the helpline 1-833-285-2200.
- While the help line says it's for seniors, you can direct all ages there for white glove support!

How long will it take to get my hold released back to me after placing an order?

It will take 5-7 business days for it to appear back in your other form of payments account depending on your bank and their policies.

I’m selecting Foodsmart Bucks (Fresh Funds) as a form of payment at Instacart checkout but am having issues:

Not applying to all or some of order: Patients can only apply Foodsmart Bucks (FreshFunds) to the items deemed “healthy” in their cart and labeled with a Fresh Fund label, which are items pre-determined by an algorithmic list.

Not covering the total amount: Foodsmart Bucks (FreshFunds) will cover healthy items and members can use their stacked Funds of the same value to purchase (ie. can use all $15 rewards at once, but not the $25 at the same time. See “stack” section for more). The balance for all items Foodsmart Bucks (FreshFunds) will not cover can be paid for by the member’s own card, SNAP, other gift cards, etc.

Foodsmart Bucks (FreshFunds) rewards ARE covering fees: If there is enough remaining on the Foodsmart Bucks (Fresh Funds) credit, it will automatically apply toward those expenses. PLEASE NOTE: there is no way to override this feature at this time.

Not allowing patient to click “continue” after selecting SNAP and Foodsmart Bucks (FreshFunds) as payment method: Members MUST have an alternate form of payment entered in their Instacart account, even if they never plan to use it toward their order per Instacart.

If they do not own an active credit or debit card to enter and are a County Care member, they can use their County Care Card (OTC) as a form of payment.

If a user has sufficient Fresh Funds to cover the total authorization hold, the hold for Fresh Funds-eligible items will now be taken from their Fresh Funds balance rather than a backup payment method.
These changes only apply to authorization holds applied at checkout for Fresh Funds-eligible items. Post-checkout charges and any ineligible items will continue to be charged to the backup payment method.

Members can choose to use $0 of SNAP benefits and MUST notate it by clicking on SNAP in the payments section of checkout to add how much can be used.

What if I am not seeing any balance/total for my redemptions on the promo page?

The correct balance/total will NOT be on the promo page. Please look at CHECKOUT under PAYMENTS. That is the ONLY place it will be accurate.

We do not have access to Instacart’s website or your account inside it, as it is not our own. Please ask the member to ask the following questions when calling and be sure to have a list of all of the codes and their amounts, with a total handy.

Please ask the following questions:

What has been redeemed on my credit history: All dates & amounts of Fresh Funds

What has been used in an order: All order dates & amounts of Fresh Funds

They will need to know the total of what they have been given, so they can subtract out what they should have as a balance. Also, they can only see the balance of their Fresh Funds AT Checkout in the PAYMENTS section only. Redeem means claim and uploaded to Instacart and NOT used.

Instacart Phone number: 1-833-285-2200

Daily hours: 8am - 11pm ET