Quick answers to the five things customers ask before ordering — delivery cutoffs, refunds, missing items, which stores are live, and how repeat orders work.
No questions match. Try a different term or category.
🛒 Ordering
Order before 2 PM CST for same-day delivery. Orders placed after 2 PM are scheduled for next-day delivery. We deliver 7 days a week, including Sundays. (Same-day $9.95; next-day $7.95 — see /how-it-works.)
Tell us within 24 hours via /contact with a photo and your order number. We'll refund or replace the missing item — no need to return perishable items. (Drivers can mark items as out-of-stock during shopping and suggest substitutes; the chat thread lives at /account/orders/:id once the order is accepted.)
Orders can be cancelled within 10 minutes of placing them. After that, the vendor begins packing and cancellation may not be possible. Contact us immediately at our contact page or instafreshadmin@gmail.com.
Want a step-by-step walkthrough of the order flow? See How It Works →
🚚 Delivery
Delivery timing is selected and estimated at checkout based on your ZIP, cutoff, vendor hours, Sundays or holidays, and current availability.
We currently deliver throughout the Houston, TX metro area, with a focus on the Hillcroft/Mahatma Gandhi District and surrounding neighborhoods. Enter your address at checkout to confirm delivery availability for your specific location.
Yes! Instafresh is a multi-vendor marketplace. You can add products from different vendors to a single cart and check out once. Each vendor's portion of your order is fulfilled separately and delivered together.
After placing your order, you'll receive a confirmation with a tracking link. You can also visit guest order lookup and enter your phone number or email to view your order status in real time.
Our drivers will attempt delivery and may leave the order at your door if it's safe to do so. For orders with perishables, please ensure someone is available to receive. You can add delivery instructions at checkout (e.g., "leave at door," "call on arrival").
💵 Pricing & Fees
Applicable delivery and service fees are shown at checkout with the delivery options available for your ZIP. The configured fee guide lists $9.95 same-day, $7.95 next-day, and a $4.99 service fee when those options apply.
The configured service fee is shown at checkout before you pay, along with the delivery option and other applicable charges.
Any order requirements and applicable fees are shown in the current checkout flow before you pay.
The checkout flow shows which payment methods are available for your order. Card payments use the configured secure payment flow.
Yes. All card payments are processed through Stripe, which is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified — the highest level of payment security. We never store your card details on our servers. Transactions are encrypted end-to-end.
You're charged when you complete checkout. For Cash on Delivery orders, payment is collected at the time of delivery by the driver.
Venmo, PayPal, Afterpay, and Klarna are not currently offered as payment methods. Use the options shown in the checkout flow for your order.
🔁 Substitutions
Yes. Once a driver starts shopping your order, you can chat with them in real time from /account/orders/:id. The shopper will propose a like-for-like substitute (original price only — no upcharges) and wait for your approval before adding it to the basket.
About 3–5 minutes per item. If you don't reply, the driver skips the item rather than substituting on your behalf — you'll only be charged for what's delivered and the missing item is refunded.
🔄 Refunds
Contact us within 24 hours of delivery. Approved refunds go back to the original payment method in 3–5 business days; COD orders get store credit or a bank transfer. The full policy lives at /returns.
Contact us within 24 hours of delivery via our contact page or email instafreshadmin@gmail.com. Include a photo and your order number and we'll issue a refund or replacement immediately — no questions asked.
Approved refunds are returned to your original payment method within 3–5 business days. For COD orders, we issue a store credit or bank transfer depending on your preference.
🌙 Halal Products
Halal availability and product details vary by vendor. Review the product information in the current catalog before ordering.
Review the current catalog and vendor details for halal products and any associated sourcing information.
👤 Accounts
No account required — you can check out as a guest. But creating an account lets you track all your orders in one place, save delivery addresses, and access your order history. Sign up at the account sign-in page.
For guest lookup, visit /orders and enter your email or phone number. If you have an account, use /account/orders for signed-in order history.
🍽️ Restaurants
Restaurant orders include a prep-time step (usually 20–45 minutes) and arrive warmer because the kitchen only starts once the order is accepted. Restaurant vendors on Instafresh are tagged restaurant and managed for closure hours, prep time, and food safety.
Yes — drivers run insulated delivery, and every order follows the same multi-vendor dispatch flow whether it's a hot biryani or chilled groceries.
Yes. Instafresh is a multi-vendor marketplace — add items from different restaurants to a single cart and check out once. Each restaurant's portion is prepared and packed separately, then delivered together.
🔁 Subscriptions
Recurring grocery deliveries at 10% off the everyday price. Pick a weekly, biweekly, or monthly cadence and pause, skip, or cancel any delivery from /account/subscriptions.
Open /account/subscriptions, pick the subscription, and choose Pause, Skip next, or Cancel. Changes apply before the next scheduled delivery and there are no fees to pause or cancel.
🏪 Vendor Questions
Apply at /sell. Tell us about your store, products, and service area; onboarding details and vendor portal access are provided through the applicable process at /vendor.
Commission and payout terms are set in the applicable vendor agreement. Review that agreement for the terms that apply to your business.
🛵 Driver Questions
Apply through the canonical driver recruitment page at /drivers. The page lists the current application and onboarding information.
Car, SUV, or van in working condition — 18+ with a valid license. Bike and scooter riders are also welcome across select Houston ZIPs.
