What Is DashPass, How Does It Work, & Is It Worth The Cost?

What is DashPass?

DashPass is a membership program offered by DoorDash. This one is a monthly subscription that offers a variety of perks and advantages for users.

The biggest advantage of DashPass is that it offers free delivery for eligible orders. This makes it a perfect choice for those who order food on DoorDash frequently, as it can save them a lot of money in the long run.

It also comes with a variety of extra features. These include reduced service fees, exclusive deals, offers, and priority support on orders, but more about those membership benefits later.

DashPass is available in most major cities across the United States and Canada, with the specific coverage area expanding all the time.

How Does DashPass Work for Customers?

To understand how DashPass works, we should first take a quick look at the ordering process of DoorDash. This can help you visualize the benefits and perks of subscribing to this membership program.

After choosing your items on DoorDash, and heading to the checkout section, you’ll see how much the whole order costs you.

Ideally, the total costs will include your subtotal in addition to a variety of additional fees. These include:

• Service Fees: This one covers a variety of expenses necessary to run DoorDash, including payment processing, technology development, marketing, etc. DoorDash charges a flat rate for the service fees, which is 15% of the order value.
• Delivery Fees: This one covers the costs of getting the order to your door, including the Dasher fee. Unlike the service fee, this one varies depending on various factors, such as your location and the merchant.
• Taxes: This one will vary depending on the tax rate where you live, but it typically includes the Value Added Tax (VAT).
• Additional Fees: While service and delivery fees are the most common ones, DoorDash can also charge other fees. These depend on the order itself, including Small Order Fees, Express Fee, Expanded Range Fee, Regulatory Response Fee, etc.
• Tips: While this one is optional, you should always consider tipping your driver at a reasonable rate.

As you can see, while most of these fees are quite small, they can quickly add up, which results in the high cost of using DoorDash.

While many of these fees are mandatory, DashPass can remove some of them, especially the delivery fees, which make up the vast majority of the extra expenses. It also reduces the service fees, which makes your food more affordable in total.

Benefits of Having a DashPass Subscription

Now that you know more about how DashPass works, let’s take a look at the perks of subscribing to this service, here’s a quick look at the advantages of DashPass:

• Unlimited Free Delivery: As a DashPass member, you’ll enjoy free delivery from thousands of eligible restaurants on orders above $10 to $12, depending on where you live. This doesn’t only cover restaurants but also groceries and other purchases.
• Reduced Service Fee: DashPass members can also get a remarkable discount on service fees
• Cashback on Pickup Orders: Besides skipping service fees, you also get a 5% discount on pickup orders.
• DashPass Exclusive Discounts: DoorDash offers plenty of deals and promotions that you can only access as a DashPass subscriber.
• Caviar Compatibility: DashPass subscription doesn’t only cover DoorDash orders, but also orders on the Caviar app.

How Much Does DashPass Cost?

You can subscribe to DashPass for a monthly fee of $9.99 per month. DashPass currently doesn’t have multi-tier plans, so all the features that the service offers are available in that plan.

You can, however, opt for an annual plan instead of the monthly one, which costs $96 per year. This is equivalent to $8 per month, saving you an extra $1.99 per month.

Besides the standard DashPass subscription, there’s also the DashPass for Students program. As the name suggests, this one offers discounted rates on DashPass for eligible students, costing $4.99 per month.

Like the standard plan, students can also choose annual billing, which costs $48 per year, equivalent to $4 per month.

You can use various payment methods to pay for your subscription, such as debit cards, bank cards, or even mobile payments. DoorDash also offers a one-month free trial for first-time users of the service.

How to Get DashPass for Free

You can extend your savings further by opting for a free DashPass membership. This perk is available with many bank cards out there.

Free DashPass memberships are accessible through various bank cards, each offering different subscription durations.

1. Chase Cards

Chase has teamed up with DoorDash to provide DashPass benefits for its cardholders. Eligible cardholders can sign up for a complimentary one-year DashPass subscription, which typically costs $120 annually. This offer is valid for DashPass members with qualified Chase cards and can be used on both DoorDash and Caviar platforms.

2. Sapphire Cards

Both Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred cardholders are entitled to a complimentary DashPass for two years. Additionally, Sapphire Reserve cardholders can access statement credits up to $60, exclusively for DoorDash purchases.

3. Other Chase Cards

Cardholders of Chase Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited, and Slate get a free DashPass for three months, followed by a 50% discount on membership fees for the next nine months. After the first year, standard rates apply.

4. Chase Co-brand Cards

Eligible co-branded cards include Aer Lingus Visa Signature, British Airways Visa Signature, Disney Visa, Iberia Visa Signature, IHG Rewards Club Traveler, Marriott Bonvoy, SouthWest Rapids Rewards, Starbucks Rewards, United Airlines credit cards, and World of Hyatt Credit card. To maintain these benefits, your default payment method must be a qualifying Chase or Chase co-branded card.

5. Mastercard

Mastercard World and World Elite cardholders also qualify for DashPass benefits. These cardholders can enjoy a $5 discount on their first monthly order. New Mastercard holders are eligible for a free three-month DashPass membership.

For both Chase and Mastercard offerings, it’s essential to activate the benefits before their respective expiry dates. Chase card benefits must be activated by December 31, 2024. Contact DoorDash customer support for more information on card eligibility and benefit activation.

As a note, if you remove your credit card as the default payment method, you miss out on benefits.

Who Can Benefit from DashPass?

If you use DoorDash frequently, you should definitely consider DashPass. According to DoorDash, you can save up to $4 or $5 each time you use DashPass.

By doing the math, this means that the benefits of subscribing to DashPass outweigh the costs of the membership if you make more than three DoorDash orders per month.

This also applies if you live in an area where delivery rates are quite high.

Besides frequent DoorDash users, students can also greatly benefit from DashPass membership.

DashPass for Students is half the price of the standard membership. This means that it only takes more than two orders for the subscription to pay for itself.

Even if you typically skip the delivery fees and pick up the orders yourself, you can still benefit from DashPass.

This is because it still reduces service fees and offers cashback benefits for users. These can add up in the long run.

Additionally, you can still get access to all the exclusive deals and offers that only DashPass members can redeem.

How to Subscribe to DashPass

Subscribing to DashPass is fairly easy, so here’s a simple guide to show you how to become a DashPass member.

You can subscribe to DashPass through the DoorDash app on your phone or using the website version.

1. Launch the DoorDash app
2. Open the account tab, which is usually at the lower left corner of the bottom bar
3. Tap the DashPass promotion link, which should be the first thing on the menu
4. Choose your preferred DashPass plan
5. Read and agree to the terms and conditions of DashPass
6. You’ll then be prompted to enter your billing details for payment. If you have payment methods saved on your account, they should show up here.
7. Choose your payment method of choice and confirm your purchase, and you’re done.

For the desktop version, you’ll just need to sign in to your account and then scroll down to the “Get DashPass” tab.

Note: The process is similar for student DashPass memberships, but you’ll need to confirm your student status by filling out extra information.

Comparing DashPass with Standard DoorDash Services

As you can see, both standard DoorDash and DashPass function similarly. The only difference here is that you’ll enjoy your DoorDash orders at a fairly lower price.

In other words, the more you use DoorDash, the bigger your savings are going to be. A typical DashPass order costs around $2 to $4 less than a standard order.

As such, if you use it 3 times a week (for orders and groceries), you can already save anywhere from $24 to $48 on orders.

On the other hand, if you only order occasionally or go several weeks without using DoorDash, the standard service can be a better fit for you.

Managing Your DashPass Subscription

You can easily manage your DashPass subscription through the “Manage DashPass” tab in your account menu. There you can do the following:

• Gift a membership to someone
• Change your payment method or billing information
• Pause your subscription
• Cancel your subscription

You cancel your membership anytime you want. The benefits will end immediately if you’re on a free trial but will continue until your billing cycle ends if you’re a paying member.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up

DashPass can be an incredible way to save big on your orders while using DoorDash. It’s also a great way to enjoy a remarkable variety of member-only offers and deals.

That being said, DashPass’s value is highly dependent on your ordering habits and how much you use DoorDash services.

For that reason, you must consider these aspects in addition to your personal preference when deciding whether it’s the right service for you.

What are your thoughts on DashPass? Share your thoughts below.