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So, how much does DoorDash pay? DoorDash is one of the best food delivery services out there, but what’s the pay like in 2024?
At The Rideshare Guy, we’ve been covering rideshare and delivery apps since 2015.
We’ve tried and tested dozens of different delivery apps ourselves, but being a DoorDash courier remains one of our favorite ways to make money today.
What is DoorDash?
DoorDash is a mobile app that connects customers with restaurants for meal deliveries. DoorDash drivers, also known as Dashers, receive requests, accept the ones that look the most profitable, pick up food, and then deliver it to customers.
I’ve been driving for DoorDash for over 5 years now, and in my opinion, it is worth it to drive for DoorDash.
In this article I’m going to talk about how much Doordash pays, the best strategy for 2024, how to boost your ratings, ways to earn extra through promotions, and more.
DoorDash Driver Pay
Wondering how much Doordash pays? DoorDash driver pay is calculated on base pay, which ranges depending on factors such as estimated time, distance, and desirability.
Less popular deliveries will have a higher base pay and often offer promotions.
If you want to earn more with DoorDash, you have to pick the right deliveries. See how to do just that in this video:
In 2019 and early 2020, I saw my earnings slipping due to more drivers and lower overall pay. That trend has since reversed because of COVID, while overall pay may be lower, it’s overshadowed by demand, which keeps earnings up.
Similar to Uber Pay and Lyft Pay, DoorDash offers added incentives during peak times to encourage Dashers to get out and deliver when they are needed most.
When Does DoorDash Pay Drivers?
Dashers typically get paid weekly for all deliveries completed between Monday – Sunday of the previous week (ending Sunday at midnight PST).
Though there are options to get paid daily or even instantly after making deliveries.
How Does DoorDash Pay Drivers?
Dashers can be paid weekly, daily, or instantly:
1. Direct Deposit
Dashers are paid via Direct Deposit directly into their bank accounts. It can take 2-3 days for the payment to show up in your bank account, but payments should appear no later than Wednesday nights.
If you prefer to not have the wait time on your pay, you can choose to be paid through DoorDash Fast Pay.
2. DoorDash Fast Pay
Dashers in the US and most parts of Canada can also use Fast Pay to cash out daily – for a fee of $1.99. If you decide to use Fast Pay, you’ll receive your earnings on demand through DoorDash rather than waiting for your weekly direct deposit.
You must have a debit card to use Fast Pay. Prepaid cards are not eligible for this service. For account protection, Fast Pay is disabled for 7 days if you update your card on file, or add one for the first time. Other than those two instances your Fast Pay should be instant.
Related: Best Ways to Cash Out on DoorDash
3. DasherDirect
US Dashers also have the option to have DasherDirect get their earnings instantly with no fee.
With this feature, all of your earnings will be deposited onto a card after each dash you complete. Since a Dasher is in control of their own business Door Dash has made the card a Visa Business Card.
Most applicants are approved right away, but it might take up to 3 business days to hear back. No fees to deposit or withdrawal your cash.
Drivers can also take advantage of the 2% cashback when paying with DasherDirect to get gas. The card comes with an app and Dashers can enjoy many perks on the platform.
Some benefits of the app are being able to check your balance, transfer money, and also locating no-fee ATMs. You’ll have access to over 20,000 no-fee ATMs across the US.
Tips in most cases will show up on your account within 24 hours of a customer leaving a tip. They do have up to 30 days to leave you a tip after the dash is completed.
How Much Do DoorDash Drivers Make?
Watch my video on how much I personally make for DoorDash:
Disclaimer: Actual DoorDash earnings may differ and depend on factors like the number of deliveries you accept and complete, time of day, location, and any costs. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90-day period and includes compensation from tips, peak pay, and other incentives.
Does DoorDash Pay for Your Gas?
DoorDash announced that all U.S. delivery drivers on their platform are eligible for 2% cash back on gas when using a prepaid business Visa debit card, even when they are using it for personal gas purchases when not using the platform.
For drivers who do not have the prepaid card, DoorDash is offering an extra $5 per week to those who accept and complete orders totaling 100 miles in a motor vehicle.
DoorDash Pay vs. Uber Eats, Instacart, & Grubhub
How does DoorDash pay stack up against Uber Eats and Instacart? Here’s how it breaks down.
- Uber Eats: Right now, our Uber Eats driver review has found Uber Eats drivers are making around $20 an hour driving for Uber Eats.
- Instacart: Instacart drivers are earning $20 per hour right now, according to our Instacart shopper pay article. The most efficient Instacart shoppers are earning up to $45 an hour.
- Doordash: DoorDash driver pay is calculated as follows: base pay + promotions + tips = earnings. Base pay ranges depending on the following factors: estimated time, distance, and desirability. Deliveries that are less popular with Dashers, for instance, will have a higher base pay. DoorDash promotions allow drivers to earn more but aren’t guaranteed for every order. When it’s busy, peak pay could be in effect, which means you’ll earn more money on each delivery.
- Grubhub: Grubhub drivers can earn $12-13 an hour, although the more proficient you become at driving, the more you can earn. Compare this to DoorDash, where you can make closer to $20 per hour. Grubhub’s base salary for drivers is currently $4 per order, but it does vary on the market you drive in. The earnings are also based on the mileage and time it takes you to pick up an order from a restaurant and drop it off at a customer’s house. Tips with DoorDash are the same as GrubHub, you get to keep 100% of the tip a customer leaves.
We recommend signing up for multiple delivery companies. That way, if one service doesn’t have any jobs you can quickly switch to another app.
Check out our breakdown between driving for Uber Eats vs DoorDash:
Is DoorDash Worth It?
Yes, driving for DoorDash is worth it! We interviewed several drivers about what it’s like driving for DoorDash. According to a current DoorDasher, the only downside of driving for DoorDash is not having enough time! As he says,
The problem with DoorDash is you can only make so many trips due to grocery and restaurant wait times!Mike P. Dasher
Another driver reached out to us to say he only drives for DoorDash during lunch and dinner hours. At the moment, he says DoorDash pays better than Uber and Lyft – a consistent comment among most drivers we talk to!
Finally, according to Statistica.com, the food and grocery delivery industry should see a compounded annual growth rate of 12.33%.
If you’re wondering what Dashers should know before they hit the road, check out this video:
Tips to Increase Your DoorDash Earnings
Over the years, I’ve collected data on my Dashing experiences. In addition, I’ve also paid attention to what drivers out there are experiencing, and from all that info, I’ve put together the top tips every DoorDash driver should know below.
1. Turn Orders
Some food delivery companies pay an hourly wage to their drivers, regardless of order quantity. DoorDash is delivery-based. The more deliveries I make, the more payouts I collect.
Therefore, I need to turn orders and turn them quickly:
- Get to the restaurant.
- Get the food.
- Deliver food.
- Repeat.
Historically, I’ve averaged 1.8 deliveries per hour. Knowing this, it’s my goal to average two deliveries per hour, or 30 minutes each.
Here are some ways I compress my delivery times to squeeze in an extra delivery or two per shift.
2. Dash During Peak Hours
I dash when it’s busy, which is typically lunch, dinner, and the weekends. Remember though, Dashing has several variables specific to YOUR metro area. All of my experience is in Silicon Valley, which has high discretionary income, is very tech-savvy, and an insane work culture, which all affects the volume of orders throughout the week, month, and year.
Related:
3. Know Where You’re Going
Driving in the wrong direction to a restaurant or a customer’s house is a huge waste of time.
When I started dashing, in my hurry to begin my drive to my next destination, I’d get in the car and start moving before I knew my exact directions. Too often I’d realize I’m going the wrong way.
Then, depending on traffic or other factors, I can’t get on the right road, or I’m stuck on the freeway without an exit for two miles, and it’s just a frustrating, self-inflicted waste of time.
Now, I take an extra 30 seconds before starting my car to review my route and read any additional customer instructions, i.e. “my building is closest to the entrance at the corner of Oak Street.”
I encourage you to trust Google Maps. Take the route it suggests, then when you’re within a block, go back to the Dasher app and check their map. It’s extremely precise and will often distinguish between buildings within an apartment complex.
Speaking of which, apartment complex directories are your friend! DON’T hop out of your car and just start looking. You wouldn’t believe the strange logic of some building numbering systems.
Related:
4. Find Creative Parking Spots
I practice ‘creative parking’. In popular downtown locations, parking can be dreadful. I’ve been known to bend local parking laws to get a convenient spot.
Loading zones, red zones, and ‘parking for customers of XYZ company only’ are all spots that I consider when parking.
If the spot is questionable, I’ll flip the hazards on when I leave. Right now, some cities are making downtown parking free, or free for 10 minutes, to encourage people to pick up with local restaurants. If this is true in your city, then you’ve just scored!
Also, I want to clearly state that I DO NOT park in accessible spots or private driveways. It’s one thing to take a risk by parking illegally, it’s another thing to be a bad citizen.
If I look nearby and still don’t have a legal-ish option, I’ll cede the nearby parking lots to the masses in favor of parking farther away and walking the extra distance. Often, walking from a further spot is faster than circling. Plus, exercise is good for you.
5. Tips Per Delivery
This subject has become somewhat more tricky in recent years. When I started, the pay system was very straightforward: flat fee + tip.
Before acceptance, your order would look like the below screenshot. You knew you’d earn the base pay, plus the customer tip.
Since I first started Dashing, the way Dasher pay is calculated has changed a little bit. It’s more straightforward:
DoorDash driver pay is calculated as follows: Base Pay + Tips + Promotions = Earnings
- Base Pay ranges depending on the following factors: time, distance, and desirability. Deliveries that are less popular with Dashers, for instance, will have a higher base pay.
- Plus Tips are pretty self-explanatory: you keep 100% of the tip a customer leaves.
- Plus Promotions allow drivers to earn more but aren’t guaranteed for every order. When it’s busy, peak pay could be in effect, which means you’ll earn more money on each delivery.
6. Bonuses
Bonuses are flat amounts placed on top of other earnings and offered during some peak times and locations.
They’re never entirely predictable, but they typically fall into heavier times of the day, lunch (11:00 am-1:30 pm) and dinner (5:00 pm-9:00 pm).
Sometimes they pop up spontaneously, to encourage Dashers to get out and work. And sometimes they’re promoted in advance, so you can schedule your shifts.
7. Decline/Reject Orders Selectively
When you accept your DoorDash order, you’re committed to it AND you’re unlikely to receive additional orders until you’ve completed the order.
Each time you receive a DoorDash order request, the app tells you the restaurant, guaranteed earnings, order value, and your current distance to the restaurant.
It also provides a map showing your location, restaurant location, and delivery location as well as a 90-second timer for you to decide if you want to accept or decline the order.
So when does it make sense to decline DoorDash delivery orders? Let me break it down for you:
- Time and Distance: how far is this from you right now? How much is it offering?
- Location: will this put you in a better location to get more delivery requests?
- Ease: is this a large order and do you have the ability to accomplish it? There’s no shame in not wanting to deliver 5 bags of food and 8 sodas to someone if you’re not comfortable with it!
Reader Joe also endorses the method of selection declining – while you’ll want to accept all deliveries during peak times and drive in bonus zones, you want to focus on higher-paying deliveries and efficient driving.
You’ll still want to save money on gas, after all, so take requests that are closer to you to minimize driving.
8. Dash In The Rain
People naturally want to stay indoors in bad weather and are happy to pay for the privilege of doing so. Put on a jacket, grab an umbrella, and get out there!
9. Dash During Sporting Events
Driving for DoorDash during live sporting events, particularly involving your home team. This is especially true on the weekends and Friday nights.
Ready to start delivering with DoorDash? Sign up here using our affiliate link – https://therideshareguy.com/RSGDoordash/
