How to Change your Tip in Instacart

While tipping is optional, it’s an excellent way of showing gratitude and appreciation for the service received. Using online services such as Instacart saves time. However, it’s still important to remember that there are multiple employees on the other side working to ensure your order is successfully picked up and delivered. Therefore, it’s a good idea to be aware of tipping etiquette.

But what if you want to change your tip?

Maybe you’ve received exceptional service and wish to increase your tip, or perhaps you’ve not received all your items on delivery and would like to decrease the amount. No matter your reason, Instacart has made it easy for customers to alter their overall tips.

Here, we’ll be discussing how to successfully modify tips before and after delivery. Plus, we’ll be answering some frequently asked questions.

Instacart: How to Change Tip Before Delivery

When using Instacart, 100% of any tip is given to your grocery shopper directly. Instacart defaults automatically to 5% of your overall order total. While this can be changed, it does recommend a minimum tip amount of $2.

There are multiple ways to add a tip, depending on how you place your order. Instacart makes it so that customers can access the tipping feature from their desktop and phone apps. To add a tip before delivery, here’s what you’ll need to do:

On the website:

1. Once you’ve completed your shopping, head to the checkout.
   
2. Click on “Say Thanks with a Tip.”
   
3. After the page has loaded, choose the amount you’d like to tip.
   
4. Click on “Place Order.”
   

From the Instacart Mobile App:

1. When your order is complete, tap “Go to Check Out.”
   
2. Scroll down, then select “Delivery Tip.”
   
3. Tap on “Change.”
   
4. Choose the amount you wish to tip.
   
5. Select “Save Tip.”
   

How To Change a Tip After Delivery

Instacart updated its tip policy in the past year, allowing customers only up to 24 hours (down from three days) to modify their tips. This is to discourage tip baiting – a grotesque practice in which a customer offers a large gratuity to entice grocery shoppers but then reduces it to a smaller amount or even removes it completely following delivery.

While tip baiters only make up a small portion of the population, Instacart has taken a zero-tolerance policy. For this reason, Instacart also bans customers who tip bait often. Additionally, those who wish to edit tips after delivery will be required to leave feedback explaining their reason for the modification.

Regardless, you can change your tip after a delivery by following the steps below. From the website:

1. Log in to your account and click on the three horizontal lines in the left-hand corner.
2. Click on “Your Orders.”
3. Next, choose the order you wish to modify and then select “View Order Detail.”
4. Towards the top of the page, choose “Rate Order.”
5. Once this is complete, you will be able to update your tip amount.
6. Leave feedback explaining your reason for tip modification.

From the Instacart Mobile App:

1. Log in to your account and tap on the three horizontal lines located in the upper-left corner.
   
2. From the list that appears, select “Your Orders.”
   
3. Navigate to your most recent order that you would like to modify.
   
4. Next, tap on “Rate and Tip.”
5. Choose the amount you would like to tip.
   
6. Leave feedback explaining your reason for modifying the tip.
   

FAQs

Is a Tip Automatically Included in Instacart?

Tips are not automatically added to an Instacart order. Instead, customers are asked to attach a tip themselves, manually.

When ordering from the website, the delivery tip amount is presented at checkout. Customers can then choose how much they wish to add as a tip and click “Save.” If using the mobile app, the option to add a tip is located at the bottom of the checkout screen.

What Is the Recommended Tip Amount?

The rule of thumb is to tip 20% of your overall total. When service exceeds expectations, customers are encouraged to tip even more as a show of appreciation. That could include a shopper staying in regular contact throughout the delivery process or even substituting certain items that may not be available instead of refunding money.

How Is Curbside Pickup Tipped?

When Instacart (or curbside) pickup is selected through the website or app, it’s not possible to tip the Instacart employee who delivers your order. If you wish to tip them, you can do so in person at the pickup point.

Also, the person delivering the order may be a store employee or employed separately by Instacart. Either way, the worker will be receiving an hourly wage, and the tip might go to the store instead of the individual.

How Does Instacart Split Tips?

Through Instacart, customers can place orders from several stores at once. However, it’s not possible to select separate tips for each order. Instead, the chosen tip for all orders is then split equally between Instacart shoppers. That’s because each order will usually have a different shopper.

Also, the orders don’t necessarily arrive at the same time. Still, workers split the overall tip, so giving cash tips at pickup is worth considering.

Does a Part of the Tip Go to the Driver?

A percentage of the overall tip selected on Instacart is given to the delivery driver. Most of a delivery driver’s earnings are made up of tips. Without them, they earn an estimated $6 per hour.

It’s also worth considering that delivery drivers are expected to cover all expenses involved in delivering each order. That includes gas, vehicle insurance, and any wear and tear that may happen.

Understanding this can help customers see the importance of tipping reasonably when placing orders on Instacart.

Any Amount Helps

How much you end up tipping on Instacart is entirely up to personal preference. However, it’s worth being aware that many Instacart employees rely on tips for survival.

While online grocery shopping apps like Instacart have been around long before 2020, the pandemic made them more popular than ever. Many workers also depend on sites like Instacart as their primary source of income and risk their health to ensure orders are filled. To ensure that the workers are compensated, Instacart’s 24-hour tip modification policy lowers the risk of tip baiting.

However, there are times when tips may need to be modified for various reasons. Fortunately, Instacart provides its customers with a straightforward way to do this, whether using a desktop or mobile device.

Have you tried to change your tip on Instacart? How did you like the process? Let us know in the comments section below.