Instacart · Instacart Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Limitation of Liability Cap

High severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Uncommon · 14 of 325 platforms
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Recent governance activity Instacart recorded 2 documented changes in the last 30 days.
Start monitoring updates
Monitor governance changes for Instacart Create a free account to receive the weekly governance digest and monitor one platform for governance changes.
Create free account No credit card required.
Document Record

What it is

Instacart's maximum financial responsibility to you for any claim is capped at either what you paid Instacart in the past year or $100, whichever is more.

This analysis describes what Instacart's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This cap limits the amount users can recover from Instacart for damages arising from use of the services, regardless of the actual harm suffered, subject to applicable law.

Interpretive note: Enforceability of the cap is qualified by 'to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law,' meaning actual recovery limits may vary by jurisdiction and claim type.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium May 9, 2026

Instacart reorganized its Terms of Service effective May 9, 2026, introducing a new table of contents structure with eight primary sections covering introduction, company information, product-specifi…

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Under this provision, the maximum amount a user could recover from Instacart in any legal or arbitration proceeding is capped at the greater of fees paid over the prior twelve months or $100. This cap applies to all claims arising from the terms or services, though it is qualified by 'to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.'

How other platforms handle this

Anthropic Medium

Except as stated in Section L.3.b, the liability of each party, and its affiliates and licensors, for any damages arising out of or related to these Terms (i) excludes damages that are consequential, incidental, special, indirect, or exemplary damages, including lost profits, business, contracts, re...

Whatnot Medium

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER WHATNOT NOR ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING THE SERVICES WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUES, LOST SAVINGS, LOST BUSINESS OPPORT...

Cohere Medium

In no event will either party's aggregate liability arising out of or related to this Agreement exceed the total fees paid or payable by Customer in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim. In no event will either party be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive d...

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

Instacart has changed this document before.

Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.

Start Watcher free trial Or create a free account →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, INSTACART'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICES IS LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF (A) THE FEES YOU PAID TO INSTACART IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR (B) $100.

— Excerpt from Instacart's Instacart Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Limitation of liability clauses in consumer contracts are subject to scrutiny under state consumer protection statutes. California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act and similar statutes may limit the enforceability of liability caps in certain consumer contexts. The FTC has indicated that contractual waivers of consumer statutory rights may be considered unfair or deceptive practices in some circumstances. Canadian provincial consumer protection laws may similarly restrict liability caps in consumer contracts. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The $100 floor is a low absolute cap that could be inadequate for claims involving significant service failures, data breaches, or delivery-related harms. Courts in some jurisdictions have declined to enforce limitation of liability clauses they find unconscionable in adhesion contracts, particularly where the cap is disproportionately low relative to potential consumer harm. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: California, New York, and Canadian provinces with strong consumer protection frameworks create the highest exposure for enforceability challenges. The qualifying language 'to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law' acknowledges that the cap may not hold in all jurisdictions, but this acknowledgment shifts the compliance burden to users to understand their local rights. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: For B2B arrangements, this consumer-facing cap may not apply; separate commercial agreements typically govern liability between Instacart and retail or logistics partners. However, procurement teams reviewing Instacart's standard terms for partnership arrangements should confirm which liability framework applies to their specific agreement. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal should assess whether the liability cap as applied to data breach or privacy violation claims complies with applicable state breach notification statutes that may provide non-waivable remedies. The interaction between this cap and the arbitration clause's fee structure should also be reviewed to confirm that arbitration filing costs do not effectively exceed the maximum recoverable amount for low-value claims.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

Track 1 platform — free Try Watcher free for 14 days

Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC evaluates whether contractual liability limitations in consumer agreements constitute unfair or deceptive practices under the FTC Act.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    State attorneys general may challenge low liability caps in consumer adhesion contracts under state consumer protection and UDAP statutes.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Instacart Terms of Service
Entity
Instacart
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 10, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011083
Document ID
CA-D-00135
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
d08566866b6a1f744a3e2d1b4fc55f342a5a515684d435b1b477e68768b86a06
Analysis generated
May 10, 2026 00:03 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Instacart
Document: Instacart Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-011083
Captured: 2026-05-10 00:03:25 UTC
SHA-256: d08566866b6a1f74…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/instacart/instacart-terms-of-service/limitation-of-liability-cap/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Professional Governance Intelligence

Need to monitor specific governance provisions?

Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.

Arbitration clauses AI governance Data rights Indemnification Retention policies
Start Professional free trial

Or start with Watcher →

Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Instacart's Limitation of Liability Cap clause do?

This cap limits the amount users can recover from Instacart for damages arising from use of the services, regardless of the actual harm suffered, subject to applicable law.

How does this clause affect you?

Under this provision, the maximum amount a user could recover from Instacart in any legal or arbitration proceeding is capped at the greater of fees paid over the prior twelve months or $100. This cap applies to all claims arising from the terms or services, though it is qualified by 'to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.'

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 14 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Instacart?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instacart.