Did you know that DoorDash received about 329 million orders in the first quarter of 2021?
That may get you thinking, how do customers pay for that, and does DoorDash take cash?
While DoorDash offers multiple payment choices, cash isn’t a current option.
But it has taken cash in the past and may do so in the future.
Read on to learn more.
Table Of Contents
Does DoorDash Take Cash? A Primer
DoorDash does accept cash as a payment option if the DoorDash merchant and the delivery driver accept cash.
When a cash order comes in, dashers can accept or decline it without any penalties.
However, DoorDash doesn’t accept cash on its Marketplace platform, which is another name for the app.
That means a restaurant would have to use the DoorDash Drive program, and a customer would order through the restaurant directly.
Unfortunately, DoorDash has paused all cash orders due to the pandemic.
Doing this allows for contactless delivery to keep customers and dashers safe.
How to Pay Cash With DoorDash Drive
As a customer, you may not know when a restaurant uses DoorDash Drive because you never have to interact with the DoorDash website or app.
Instead, you’ll go to the website or app of the restaurant you want to buy from.
Hopefully, Cash on Delivery will become an option again.
When and if that happens, you can take the following steps:
- Start your order as normal
- Select Cash on Delivery as the payment
- Have cash ready
- Pay the DoorDash driver in cash
While the cash option allows DoorDash to be competitive with GrubHub and Uber Eats, you should prepare to pay with a digital method for now.
Then, you can order with the DoorDash app or right from the restaurant in question.
Tips for Paying Cash for DoorDash
When DoorDash starts taking cash again, you can take advantage of it.
Paying cash is a great way to keep control of your finances and physically see where your money goes.
However, you should consider a few tips to help the food delivery service go more smoothly.
That way, you can make things easier on yourself and the dashers.
1. Have Exact Change
Because drivers are independent contractors and they go to multiple local restaurants, they may not always have change for you.
Once you get the order total, make sure you have the right amount of cash to pay for the food.
If you don’t have exact change and the driver doesn’t have change for you, they won’t be able to give you the food.
Now, you can give the driver the change as a tip.
But if your order is $22, and you only have two $20 bills, you may not want to pay that much.
Another option is to ask people who are with you if they have cash you can borrow.
Then, you can give exact change to receive your order.
2. Tip Well
DoorDash doesn’t require dashers to accept cash, and declining won’t affect their DoorDash acceptance rate.
That means multiple drivers may decline your order before someone finally takes it.
If possible, give a bigger tip than normal to thank the driver.
You can show your appreciation for them taking the cash.
While it’s not a guarantee, it may convince that driver to keep taking cash orders for you or other customers.
Then, you can keep using cash to pay for food delivery.
3. Take No for an Answer If Cash Is Not Accepted
Sometimes, you can’t use cash when you order food from DoorDash.
If that’s the case, don’t keep trying to pay with cash because that won’t get you anywhere.
You should be nice to the driver if you don’t have the exact change, for example.
Always have another method of payment available, such as a debit card.
Then, you can still place a delivery order and get the food you want without having to stress about a driver or restaurant not being able to give you your order.
Tipping in Cash
Perhaps you have some cash you want to use, but DoorDash still isn’t accepting cash.
You can give dashers a cash tip for the service.
That can be especially useful if you have smaller bills on hand, or if you want to give a huge tip.
Of course, you should make sure the driver is okay with having contact to take the cash.
Or you can set it somewhere and have the driver pick up the money.
Then, you can pay for some of your order using cash, but you’ll use another option to cover the food cost.
Other Forms of Payment DoorDash Accepts
DoorDash takes multiple forms of digital payment to stay competitive against services like Postmates, Uber Eats, and GrubHub.
While paying in cash is nice, you may still want to use DoorDash for its other payment options.
Whether you use an Android device, an iPhone, or a desktop, consider how you can pay for DoorDash fees like the delivery fee.
1. Credit or Debit Card
Probably the most common method to pay for your order online is with a credit card or debit card.
Many people have a card of some kind, and you can enter the card number and other details into the DoorDash app or website.
You can load multiple cards into your account, so you can pay with the card that best suits each order.
Whether you load cards from different people or one credit and one debit, do what works for you.
2.Google or Apple Pay
Google and Apple Pay are easy payment methods for different online purchases, from Amazon to a small business.
If you already use either option on your mobile device, you can connect the payment to your account for DoorDash.
When placing an order, you can select the payment like any other option, or you can set it as the default for all of your orders.
That can make the checkout process go faster and without any hiccups.
3. PayPal
Doordash accepts Paypal for deliveries.
If you have a PayPal account, consider connecting it to DoorDash.
Like the prior payment methods, it works completely digitally, so you don’t need to have exact change for your food.
The driver will be able to give you the food when they arrive, and you can start eating.
This method is worth it for a lot of people who use the service already.
It makes sense to connect existing payments to new accounts.
Then, you can track your expenses more easily.
4. Gift Card
You can use a DoorDash gift card as a payment method within your account.
DoorDash sells gift cards, so they’re another fantastic way to pay for your food.
Whether you receive a card for your birthday, a holiday, or after a big accomplishment, you can load the funds into your account.
Then, you can apply them to your orders until the balance runs out.
If you know someone who doesn’t have credit or debit cards but likes using DoorDash, get them a gift card so that they can pay online.
How to Change Default Payment on DoorDash
Whether you want to pay with cash or not, you should know how to set and change your default payment option.
DoorDash lets you do this to help make orders easier.
Then, you don’t have to remember which card is which, and that can be useful if you have a lot of payments to choose from.
After you select the payment, it will automatically load each time you place a DoorDash order.
Sign In
Of course, you’ll need an account, and you’ll either want to use a desktop computer or a mobile device with the app from DoorDash.
Make sure you know your account details so that you can sign in.
The app is great if you’re on the go, but the website does offer a bigger screen.
Fortunately, both offer access to the same settings for your account.
Select Payment
You can go to a menu near the top corner on the left side of the screen.
Click or tap on the three lines to open the menu, and then select “Payment” on iOS or a desktop.
You’ll want to look for “Payment Method” when using the Android app.
This will bring up your list of current payment options as well as the option to add a new method.
You can add a new card or payment, or you can choose from your existing payments.
Find the Method
Once you know which method you want to set as the default, consider if you’re on a desktop or mobile device.
On a desktop, you can click on the three dots to the right of the given payment option.
Then, click “Set Default.”
When using an app, you can tap on the method of choice to set it as your default payment.
You don’t need to look for dots or tap anything else.
To confirm the change, look for a checkmark to the right of the payment.
How Will You Pay for DoorDash?
Many people will wonder at some point, does DoorDash take cash?
While the app has accepted cash in the past, the pandemic has changed things.
Customers and dashers will have to wait to see if the app adds cash back to the list of payment options.
Fortunately, there are plenty of digital payments, from cards to digital wallets.
And you can always use cash to tip your driver.
