How Instacart verification works
Instacart ties your account to a phone number. It can send a code by SMS when you sign up, when you log in on a new device, or when it wants to confirm a change to the account.
The code message is short and expires quickly. If you ask for a second code, use the newest one. Instacart works in the app and on the website, and switching between them, or to a new phone, is a common moment for a fresh code.
Your phone number also sits on each order so the shopper and, where it applies, the delivery driver can reach you. That is the part to plan for before you choose a number.
Your shopper texts you about substitutions
On Instacart, a person walks the store and picks your groceries. When an item is out of stock, the shopper may message you to ask about a replacement, and those messages can arrive throughout the order.
If the number on your account is one you cannot read, you miss those questions. The shopper then has to guess, or refund the item. That is why the number for Instacart needs to be one you can check while the order is in progress.
A per-code number is meant for the sign-up code, not for staying reachable afterwards. For an account you shop with, rent a private number and keep its inbox open while your shopper works.
Instacart verification code not arriving
If your Instacart verification code does not arrive, check the number: +1 and ten digits, no extra zero. Wait a few minutes before tapping resend, since several quick requests can be paused.
Instacart may decline some numbers, such as certain VoIP ranges or a number already linked to another account. If one number never gets a code, try a different type rather than retrying the same one.
With a private ASMS.ai number, the code shows up in your browser inbox, not on your phone.
Which number to use for Instacart
Start with VoIP High Quality on the /otp page, a US +1 pool from $0.50 per code. You see the Instacart price and stock before paying, and if no code arrives, the order is refunded automatically.
If Instacart refuses that number, or you plan to shop regularly, rent a private non-VoIP number from $4.99. It runs from 1 day up to 12 months depending on the country, with unlimited SMS, so shopper messages and later login codes both reach you.
Logging back in to Instacart later
Grocery accounts tend to be used on and off for months. Each time you sign in somewhere new, Instacart may send a code to the number on file. If that number was a one-off, you may not be able to receive it.
That is why a per-code number suits a quick sign-up or a test, while a rental suits an account you shop with. Keep the rental for as long as you use the account, and it stays the same number for every login and every order.
Your privacy, your address and your card
Each grocery order shares your number with a shopper you may never deal with again. A separate number keeps your personal one out of that loop and off another marketing list.
Do not use a free shared number for this. Its inbox is public, and shopper messages can mention your address, your items and your name.
Your Instacart account usually holds a saved card and your home address. Whoever controls the phone number can often receive a login or reset code. Use a number you keep and only you can read.
If you rent the wrong number, cancel between 5 and 120 minutes after renting, before any SMS arrives, for a refund.