Driving for DoorDash has become one of the most popular gig jobs. You can work when and where you want and make money on your terms.
Finding success and earning money on the Dasher app can often come down to your strategy and schedule.
Whether you’re just getting started as a DoorDash driver or you’ve been delivering food with the app for a while, here are some DoorDash tips you can start implementing today to make more money.
Top 15 DoorDash Tips To Make More Money Delivering
Check out these top DoorDash tips to make more money on the road:
- Schedule Dashes Ahead of Time
- Dash at the Right Time
- Don’t Write off Weekdays
- Utilize the Beans Navigation App
- Learn About Local Restaurants
- Choose the Right Location
- Do the Math
- Don’t Accept Every Order
- Be Willing to Cancel Selectively
- Deliver for Other Apps
- Deliver with Care
- Stick to Instructions
- Contact Dasher Support
- Track Your Expenses
- Contact Customers
1. Schedule Dashes Ahead of Time
At busy times when there are a lot of orders to complete, you’ll see the Dash Now option in the DoorDash app. This feature lets you join in and make unscheduled deliveries.
But that option isn’t always available, especially if you live in a busy area. To ensure you get some delivery hours in, consider scheduling your preferred time slots. You can schedule time 5 days in advance.
Some bigger cities nearby can offer better time slots due to demand, and more demand can lead to more money.
You can always cancel your hours if something comes up or the order volume isn’t worth your time.
2. Dash at the Right Time
Whether you schedule your hours in advance or dash on demand, choose delivery times that are likely to make you the most money.
Here are some perks and drawbacks of driving at different times throughout the day:
- Morning: While fewer people order breakfast than lunch and dinner, there is some demand, and fewer drivers are out at this time, so you could pick up a lot of orders with little competition.
- Lunchtime: The lunch window is even busier, as people tend to use DoorDash on their lunch breaks.
- Dinner rush: Dinner time is the busiest slot for DoorDash orders, spanning from 5:00-9:00 PM. It’s also the most competitive. Schedule your hours in advance if you know you want to make deliveries at this time.
- Late nights: While there’s less demand for late-night orders, you can still profit from late-night deliveries if they’re the best fit for your schedule. There are fewer drivers to compete with, and you’re likely to get bigger tips.
3. Don’t Write off Weekdays
DoorDash can be an excellent weekend job—people are on the move and want to spend their time off work doing something. But keep in mind that plenty of people are still ordering food during the week.
Not as many Dashers are going to be out on a Tuesday night as a Friday or Saturday night. And fewer drivers mean more orders for you.
If you have the time, check out how busy your area is during the week to potentially earn more.
4. Utilize the Beans Navigation App
If you’re not that savvy with directions, don’t let it deter you from using DoorDash. Beans is a mobile app that can help you navigate to DoorDash customers’ doors more easily.
While some navigation apps might take you to an office building or apartment and leave you to find your way from there, the Beans App gives a clearer guide to your destination and makes it easier for you once you arrive.
It can provide parking locations, access codes, elevator information, and more details to help get you to someone’s doorstep.
5. Learn About Local Restaurants
One benefit of familiarizing yourself with the restaurants in your area is knowing the quickest way to get there. Sometimes navigation apps take you a longer route.
If you’re familiar with the area, you can speed up your trip with shortcuts. The quicker you get there, the faster you can pick up your order and move on to the next.
Getting to know your local restaurants can also help you learn which restaurants get orders out fastest. This info can help you decide which orders you should accept and which ones might not be worth the extra time.
6. Choose the Right Location
Where you dash can be as important as when you dash.
Set up shop in an area with lots of restaurants, like a mall or downtown street. Or you could hang around a business park at lunchtime.
DoorDash also has a Hotspot feature in the app that highlights the busiest areas around you currently and ones that were trending historically.
The closer you drive to the red zone, the more likely you are to pick up orders.
7. Do the Math
Not every order is worth your time. Before you accept an order, pause to calculate whether or not it’s the most profitable use of your time (or gas).
Driving several miles for an order with a base pay of a few bucks just isn’t worth it. To make the most of your food delivery gig, factor in the mileage and time each order would take before accepting one.
Unless you’re within a couple of miles of an order, look for one that pays at least $6-$7.
8. Don’t Accept Every Order
On that note, you shouldn’t feel obligated to accept every order that comes your way.
According to DoorDash, dashers with an acceptance rate of at least 70% get priority access to higher-paying orders. That being said, you don’t have to worry about being deactivated based on your acceptance rate.
There are no negative consequences for declining orders, so if you see a low-paying order that isn’t worth your time or energy, wait for one that is.
Unless the pay makes up for it, you’re probably better off avoiding time-consuming fast-food orders. You should also avoid orders without tips (Walmart grocery orders often fall into this category), and be wary of multiple orders in opposite directions.
9. Cancel Selectively
Unlike having a low acceptance rate, a low completion rate can get you booted from the app. DoorDash requires its drivers to maintain an acceptance rate of at least 80% to keep their accounts active.
Even so, it makes sense to cancel some orders. For example, if the restaurant hasn’t prepared the order when you arrive, you can cancel, count it as a loss, notify the customer, and move on to another order.
And if you have an emergency, you can unassign yourself and/or contact Support to report it.
10. Deliver for Other Apps
A lot of gig workers make extra money as food delivery drivers on more than one app.
Some of the top dashers shuffle between multiple food delivery apps like Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, and DoorDash, to get access to more orders and choose the ones with the highest payout.
If you use this tactic, be strategic about the orders you accept and make sure you leave yourself enough time to complete each one on time. Know your area and factor in traffic and wait times at restaurants.
11. Deliver with Care
While it might seem obvious, one of the best ways to keep up your DoorDash ratings and customer tips is to handle your deliveries with care.
Here are a few ways you can ensure your customers are satisfied:
- Double-check their order before leaving the restaurant.
- Pick up extra plastic ware, napkins, etc.
- Invest in a good delivery bag.
- Keep hot and cold items
12. Stick to Instructions
If you want to secure solid customer ratings, it’s also important to check for drop-off instructions in the app.
It could include important info like their gate code or building number that can save you from an unnecessary phone call.
Customers could also prefer a contactless delivery or request that you not knock because of a sleeping baby.
Bottom line—check the instructions and follow them if they’re feasible to get the best tips and ratings.
13. Contact Dasher Support
DoorDash has a dedicated support team for its drivers. If you have an issue with anything from an order to your payments and account, you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to the support team.
You can contact DoorDash Support via a 24/7 online chat, phone, or email.
14. Track Your Expenses
DoorDash drivers are independent contractors. Whether you drive full-time or being a delivery worker is your side hustle, you should prepare for tax time throughout the year.
Be sure to track your mileage and any business expenses you rack up throughout the year to save money on your taxes.
You can write off gas, car maintenance, a portion of your phone bill, fees, tolls, and food courier bags, to name a few expenses.
15. Contact Customers
If you happen to be at a restaurant for a while, let your customer know. This small gesture can help your driver rating and potentially lead to a bigger tip.
It’s important to make sure you’re always providing good customer service so your ratings don’t suffer. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes—it can be frustrating waiting for an order with no update.
Instead of letting them know about delays after you deliver the food, try to give them a heads-up as soon as you feel it’s necessary.
Use These DoorDash Tips To Maximize Your Earnings
Being a DoorDash delivery driver is a solid way to make extra cash.
DoorDash pay is pretty great, and when you get strategic with your deliveries, you can significantly increase your earnings.
The gig economy provides endless potential, and food delivery is a major part of the industry. Try out the hacks in this article to maximize your DoorDash earnings and make the most of your time behind the wheel.
