DoorDash is a popular food delivery service that allows side hustlers to earn money on a flexible schedule.
There are a lot of pros to becoming a “dasher,” but everyone isn’t cut out for this type of work or even in a position to earn a good income from it. (Some are, though.)
Here’s what DoorDash is, how to make the most money with it, and some insight into whether this would be a good gig for you.
What is DoorDash?
If you’ve ever ordered food from a restaurant and wished they would deliver it to you, you’ve experienced the problem DoorDash aims to solve.
DoorDash is a popular company that acts as a middleman – they provide people who want food delivered access to drivers who want to get paid.
Here’s how it works:
The drivers, referred to as “dashers,” sign up, download the app, and choose the shifts they want to work. Once it’s time for their shift, they start receiving orders from customers who need food delivered.
The dasher will get a notification with the order details and minimum pay. From there, they can choose whether or not they want to accept the order.
If the dasher claims the order, they pick it up from the restaurant and deliver it to the customer.
DoorDash hires its team of dashers on an independent contractor basis. The drivers earn a base pay that ranges from $2-$10 plus 100% of tips from customers.
The gig is entirely flexible. You can work as much or as little as you’d like in any participating city. However, you do need to select the hours you’d like to work ahead of time.
DoorDash is currently available in over 4,000 U.S. cities as well as parts of Canada and Australia.
How to Sign up for DoorDash
If you’re a side hustler trying to make money fast, DoorDash is great to work with. This is because their requirements are low (unlike rideshare apps), and getting started is fast.
Before you sign up, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 18
- Own a car + have auto insurance (scooters and bicycles are acceptable for select cities)
- Have a driver’s license
- Have a valid social security number
- Consent to and pass a background check
- Have a smartphone so you can access the jobs
Unlike rideshare gigs, your car doesn’t have to be a certain age, make, or model, and it won’t need to undergo inspections.
If you meet all of the listed requirements, you can go on to apply. Signing up is easy, but it can take DoorDash up to a couple of weeks to verify your info and activate your account.
Once your dasher account is activated, you’ll be able to select your shifts and view delivery opportunities. For each delivery, you’ll be able to see the distance and projected pay. Then, you can choose to accept the job if you’d like.
How to Make Money with DoorDash
As a side hustler, no doubt your mind is on getting the most bang for your buck, especially with a gig like this where your earnings correlate to the amount of time you put in.
And I don’t blame you, one bit.
So we’ll cover a few strategies you can use to make sure you’re earning at least your goal amount for hourly pay.
How Payment Works with DoorDash: Covering the Basics
Here’s how to the pay for DoorDash works:
- You get a $2-$10 base pay. This payment is based on the time, desirability, and distance of the delivery.
- You get 100% of the tips. If a customer leaves a tip, 100% of it is yours. The downside is that not all customers actually leave tips, and sometimes they don’t leave them until after a delivery, which can make a gig’s pay hard to estimate.
One of the nicest features of DoorDash is that when they list a job, they also list the lowest estimated payment. So, if you accept a job, you can count on receiving at least the listed pay. (In some instances, you’ll earn more, especially if a customer tips after delivery.)
Payment Options:
There are three ways to get paid: weekly direct deposit to your bank account, daily deposits to a prepaid debit card, or an instant withdrawal for a small fee.
If you don’t need the money you earn immediately, you’re best off signing up for weekly direct deposits. There is no fee for this, and the money goes to your bank account.
The next option is called “DasherDirect.” With DasherDirect, you can receive daily deposits to a prepaid debit card. There are no deposit fees with this card, and it even allows you to get 2% cashback on gas.
DasherDirect is a good choice if you want the money daily and don’t mind that it’s not flowing directly to your bank account.
The last option is “Fast Pay.” This allows you to request an instant deposit but comes with a small fee. There are some eligibility requirements, though, that brand new drivers will not meet.
You can choose your payment option within the DoorDash app.
Increase Your Earnings with DoorDash Promotions
If you want to make the most money – and who doesn’t – you need to participate in DoorDash promotions.
DoorDash gears these promotions toward getting drivers to deliver during peak times like mealtimes, weekends, and holidays.
You can find promotions within the DoorDash app. Here’s a rundown of the various driver promos:
Guaranteed Pay – DoorDash offers select drivers in certain cities guaranteed pay periodically. This pay helps drivers earn a certain amount of money within a specific period.
For instance, a guaranteed pay opportunity may look like “Earn $500 by Making 50 Deliveries in 5 Days.”
In this case, if you make 50 deliveries within the time frame and don’t earn $500, DoorDash will make up the difference.
Peak Pay – If you want to maximize your hourly wage, you need to pay attention to peak pay. Peak pay is generally available during times with high-volume orders. (Think: mealtime, weekends, Saturday night, etc.)
The peak pay increases the base pay amount for Dashers.
Challenge – Challenges may be set locally and allow dashers to earn extra money for hitting delivery targets. For example, you might see a challenge to do 20 deliveries in the next two days for an additional $30.
Can You Earn $100 per Day with DoorDash?
If you want to earn $100 per day with DoorDash, you absolutely can. However (and this is a strong however), the amount of time it will take varies greatly depending on where you live.
Let’s say, for instance, that you’re averaging $10 per delivery. You’d need to make ten deliveries per day to reach $100. If you live in a city and the delivery isn’t far from the restaurant, you can quickly make ten deliveries.
However, if you live more rurally and each delivery is 15 minutes one way, not so much. It’s probably going to take far longer to make those ten deliveries.
Tips for Increasing DoorDash Earnings
Ready to make the most money with DoorDash? Here are three tips that can help.
Take advantage of Peak Hours and Bonuses – If you can work peak hours, you can quickly boost your earnings. However, you need to keep in mind that traffic is heavier during these times and plan for it.
Schedule Your Days/Hours in Advance – If you live in a busy city with many other dashers, you might find it hard to take advantage of peak pay because there are no time slots left.
This is why if you plan on working those peak hours, you need to select your schedule as far in advance as possible.
Accept Jobs on the Same Route – You can make the most of your time by picking up and delivering orders on the same route. This works even better when one of those stops is for premade food (donuts, cake, etc.) This way, you don’t have to worry about the food not being ready.
Conclusion
DoorDash is a great side hustle, or even a full-time job, for the right person. To make the most of this gig, you’ll need a vehicle, smartphone, and excellent organizational abilities.
If you can figure out when to work, what jobs to take, and are efficient with your routing, you can make a decent income. On the other hand, if you live in a place where deliveries take much longer, and the tips don’t make up for it, you’re probably better looking for a different side hustle.
