If you're looking to make some extra money in your free time, delivery apps like DoorDash can be an attractive option. Whether you're just starting out or have been driving for a while, it's always possible to become a more efficient DoorDash driver.
Let's look at the best insider tips to maximize your profits when driving for DoorDash to help you make the most of the time you spend with it. While we focus on DoorDash here, these tips should broadly apply to other delivery apps, too.
What to Know Before You Start Driving With DoorDash
While almost anyone can earn money on DoorDash, this doesn’t mean it's for everyone. Just like any other job, it fits some people better than others. For one, it’s demanding—food can be heavy, traffic is stressful, customers are feisty, and there’s a certain cunning required to make it worthwhile.
So before jumping into the insider tips, it’s smart to set realistic expectations.
Average DoorDash Driver Earnings
Despite big cash claims coming from of YouTube and driver forums, most see DoorDash as a helpful side hustle instead of a career. Profits are unlikely to pay a home mortgage or put kids through college.
Earnings data from Gridwise, a rideshare and delivery analytics service, shows even if you’re feverishly dedicated, the average high-earner only banks about $17 per hour. Meanwhile, the majority averages about $14 per hour.
On top of this, keep in mind that these figures don’t factor in fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, and vehicle depreciation from added miles.
Your Area's Population Density
Another important factor to weigh is earning potential for your specific area. This could be a real deal-breaker in some cases.
DoorDash excels when fueled by densely populated areas. That doesn’t mean you need to live in New York City, but it does mean rural areas are out. Even suburban cities may lack the financial incentives based on demand.
To gauge possible earnings in your area, you can search popular salary/job search sites like Glassdoor for "DoorDash Delivery Driver" to check reported salaries. It's also worth checking forums, such as Reddit communities for your area, to get an idea of the experience other have.
DoorDash Requirements
Beyond these considerations, you must meet these basic qualifications to work for DoorDash:
- Be 18 years or older
- Have access to a vehicle (any car, bicycle, or motorcycle)
- Own an iPhone or Android phone
- Consent to a background check
If you decide to move forward with working for DoorDash, integrate these insider tips for best results.
1. Avoid Low-Paying Orders
Unfortunately, not all DoorDash orders are created equally. Some will send you to restaurants with notorious waiting times and others will cast you miles away to a city’s outer limits.
Luckily, Doordash only requires you to hold a 70 percent completion rate to maintain good standing. This gives you the option to decline low-paying work. Allow yourself time to get to know the restaurants and neighborhoods in your area to learn what orders make sense.
Common Low-Paying Order Types
Avoid these types of orders, as they're usually not worth your time:
- Long-distance: DoorDash pros avoid deliveries to faraway locations because even with higher pay, it isn’t worth the dead time commuting back to a city center where demand is high. Two short deliveries are often worth more money. Generally, experts say you want to ensure you’re at least earning a dollar per mile of driving—and driving a vehicle with good fuel economy (like a Toyota Prius or moped).
- Slow restaurants: Waiting an extra 30 minutes for an order cuts into the time of other, more lucrative orders. A night full of slow-order restaurants could be a big blow to your bottom line. Make a note of which restaurants have the longest preparation times so you can flag and avoid lame ducks.
- Cheap orders: They might be the same distance, but a Slurpee order from 7-Eleven usually pays far less than a fine filet from a steakhouse. This is because DoorDash requests that customers give tips as a percentage of the total bill. Higher-value orders equal higher tips.
As a side note, don’t feel guilty rejecting orders. Like the restaurants you visit, you’re also running a business. As handy as DoorDash might be, it simply doesn’t pay enough for charity driving.
2. Streamline or "Stack" Your Orders
Once you know your area, you can rack up extra dollars quickly by stacking—or as DoorDash calls it, "batching" orders. This involves strategically accepting multiple orders from the same restaurant, or restaurants in close proximity.
With shorter distances, you will make more money in less time. Just make sure the delivery destinations aren’t too far apart or in remote areas.
3. Combine DoorDash With Other Delivery Apps
Like Lyft and Uber drivers, you can increase profits by working on multiple delivery apps. Nothing prohibits you from diversifying your services, and joining several apps is especially helpful in cities where demand isn’t always high. The key is to make sure you turn off your availability while making a delivery on different delivery apps like Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats, or Instacart.
To turn off your availability, you need to tap the menu icon in the Dasher app. Then select Pause Dash to freeze current orders for 35 minutes, or End Dash to stop delivering. You can always restart your DoorDash deliveries by tapping Resume Dash, if you paused. Hit the main Dash button on the home screen again if you ended deliveries.
4. Target Optimal Working Times
Prioritize the busiest times of day for your delivery shifts to eliminate potential time gaps. A set of back-to-back orders will increase profits and also give you opportunities for higher-paying orders.
Further, with a little experimentation, it’s also possible to take advantage of odd hours when there are fewer fellow Dashers on the road. This could be the early morning when offices are ordering coffee, or it could be late at night when most are asleep. Test what works best for your marketplace.
5. Take Advantage of DoorDash Incentives
DoorDash offers several incentives to rewards its drivers and get orders delivered. These incentives manifest themselves in the form of guaranteed earnings for a set number of deliveries, higher pay for orders completed during peak times, and special bonuses when completing certain goals.
Every week, and possibly even daily, it’s important to review what incentives are available to plan your best working hours and order completion goals. These appear on the app's main screen.
Revisit DoorDash Delivery Basics, Too
These tips are just a few key strategies to increase earnings when driving for DoorDash and similar services. However, it’s good to remember that old-fashioned customer service and basic productivity methods are equally helpful.
The vast majority of advice online for drivers, and especially those just starting out, is to work hard and increase productivity. Double-checking orders for accuracy, remembering napkins and condiments, notifying customers of delays, bringing sticky notes to leave messages, checking traffic conditions, and plain courtesy are all essential pieces of advice. But they're easily overlooked and sometimes hard to master.
Still, learning new delivery strategies—whether basic or advanced—offers new opportunities to increase earnings. And depending on your situation, DoorDash may be exactly what’s needed to make ends meet.