Key Takeaways
- Favor delivers a wide variety of items exclusively throughout Texas.
- Setup is simple: download the app, register, and add a payment method.
- Offers food, groceries, and essentials with real-time order tracking and updates.
- Charges include a standard delivery fee and optional tipping for runners.
Understanding Favor Delivery
Favor is a same-day delivery service based in Austin, Texas that lets you get almost anything delivered straight to your door. The delivery service was established in 2013 and is currently operating only within Texas.
What Does Favor Deliver?
The beauty of Favor is its remarkable variety, as the delivery service specializes in delivering almost anything you want.
The service calls its delivery drivers “Runners”, which can perform a wide range of delivery tasks. That’s why Favor advertises its Runners as personal assistants rather than drivers.
The main service Favor provides is food delivery. The food delivery app allows its customers to order food from a wide range of restaurants, including both national chains and local favorites.
Favor also delivers grocery store items and household essentials to your doorstep. This service isn’t only exclusive to H-E-B, but is also available for other local stores.
Besides food and groceries, Favor Runners may also deliver any lightweight items from stores that don’t deliver. This includes dry cleaning, non-prescription medications, etc.
Delivery Limitations
Despite the flexibility, Favor still has some limitations regarding the items it delivers. For example, some items may require age verification. These include alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and non-prescription medications.
Additionally, besides illegal and illicit items, Favor also doesn’t allow the delivery of certain items, such as:
- Cannabis
- Hazardous materials
- Live animals
- Weapons
- Important documents
You can find out more about the items that Favor doesn’t deliver on the company’s restricted products page.
Where Does Favor Operate?
The company started by providing its service across main Texas cities but quickly spread across 23 metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. This quick growth encouraged the local supermarket chain H-E-B to acquire Favor in 2018.
However, the fast growth of Favor put a strain on its operations, especially with the lack of success it achieved across Texas.
The company gradually pulled out of various cities and shifted its focus towards the Texan market.
As of 2019, the delivery service operates exclusively in Texas, serving over 130 cities. The company lists all its areas of operation on the website, so you can check if it operates where you live.
Getting Started with Favor
If you live in an area where Favor is available, you should consider giving the service a try. In this section, we’ll walk you through a detailed guide on how to get started with the delivery service.
Setting Up an Account
To utilize the features of Favor, you need to set up an account. Luckily, the process of creating a Favor account is fairly simple. Here’s what you need to do:
- Download the Favor app from the App Store or Play Store. If you already have the app, check if you need to update it to a newer version.
- Open the Favor app and tap “Sign Up”. Favor uses your phone number for registration, so you’ll need to enter your number to get a verification code via a text message.
- After entering the verification code, you’ll need to fill in some information about you. These include your name, address, and email address.
- The app will then prompt you to enter a password and check the terms and conditions before finalizing your registration.
- After signing in, you should navigate to the account section and scroll down until you find payment methods. The app accepts bank cards from major vendors, including MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.
- When you enter your credit card information, the app will make a small test transaction to confirm your payment, which should be refunded immediately.
- Now that you’ve added a payment method, you should be able to make your purchases even faster!
The process of ordering items through the Favor app is fairly simple, as the app features a user-friendly interface.
This allows you to browse through various stores and restaurants to find what you’re looking for. Here’s a how to place your first order:
After opening the Favor app, the landing page will immediately showcase some of the popular restaurants and grocery stores in your area.
To make the process even easier, Favor also has multiple categories to choose from, especially in the restaurant section.
For example, if you want to eat tacos, you can select the “Tacos” tab at the top. This will display all the restaurants that offer Tacos near you.
The same settings also apply to other sections, including grocery stores, household items, etc. You can also find a dedicated tab for deals and promos, which includes discounted offers all in one place to help you save money.
If you have a specific item in mind, you can also type what you’re looking for at the search bar at the top.
This allows you to write the name of a specific store or item. The results will display all the related options, which you can also sort and filter through for quick navigation.
Placing Your First Order
The reliability of the app also extends to how streamlined it is to place an order. Here’s an in-depth look at the process of placing an order on Favor.
Selecting Items
Favor allows you to build your order with specific needs in mind. Once you’ve picked your restaurant or store, you can browse its menu to find available items.
Many restaurants allow customization for their dishes. You can easily add, remove, or modify ingredients to suit your preferences.
Even if the order doesn’t offer a customization option, there’s always a special instructions section where you can specify your preferences.
Favor also features a convenient delivery instructions section. This one lets you optimize your delivery by providing the Runners with special details about how they should deliver the item, such as “leave by the door”, “deliver at hand”, etc.
Understanding Delivery Times
Favor provides estimated delivery times when you place your order. According to Favor, most deliveries are completed within 45 minutes or less.
However, this is a general estimate and doesn’t necessarily apply to every order. Additional factors like traffic, restaurant waiting times, the complexity of the order, and distance can all affect the time too.
The app provides real-time updates on your order status. You can also check your runner’s location and estimated arrival time on screen.
If you want to overcome the potential delays in order, there are a few tips to keep in mind. For instance, you should always place your Favor order around 1 hour ahead of when you need it.
Additionally, you should consider placing your order outside of peak meal times. Opting for restaurants or stores closer to you should also result in quicker deliveries.
Order Confirmation
Once you place an order, you should receive an immediate confirmation from Favor through the app. This should state your order details, estimated delivery time, and the Runner’s information.
Favor might also send you an email confirmation if you provided an email address while registering.
The Runner might contact you through the Favor app to confirm any special instructions or ask about substitutions if an item is unavailable.
You can also track your order’s progress within the Favor app. Keep in mind that the Runner’s location isn’t always accurate, but it should give you an idea of where they are at a given time.
Upon arrival, the Runner will deliver your order according to your preference. The offer supports both contact and contactless deliveries.
Pricing & Costs to Expect While Using Favor
Favor’s pricing structure has a few components to consider when placing your order.
Besides the cost of items ordered, Favor also charges a standard delivery fee of $6. This fee may vary depending on your location or the specific merchant you’re buying from.
In addition to the delivery fee, Favor charges a service fee on each order. This one isn’t standardized like the delivery fee, but it’s usually a small percentage of the order total.
While Favor doesn’t have a specific minimum order value, merchants on the app might have, so you should keep that in mind.
One important aspect to consider here is that Favor is completely cashless. This means the app doesn’t accept any cash payments and only recognizes credit and debit cards. The app may accept some prepaid cards, but not all of them.
What About Tipping Favor Drivers?
Favor encourages tipping to supplement Runners’ income, and you should always consider tipping the drivers, although it’s not mandatory.
Favor will recommend a specific amount to tip the driver depending on the order. Alternatively, you can set a percentage range depending on the order complexity and how the driver handles the task.
Tracking and Receiving Your Delivery
Tracking the orders made through the Favor app is fairly easy, as the app automatically updates the status of the order in real time. The app also allows you to communicate with the Runner through the in-app chat function.
You can use this chat feature to ask questions about substitutions or unavailable items, mention any last-minute adjustments or preferences, and provide additional delivery instructions (door code, specific drop-off location, etc.
Besides traditional doorstep deliveries, the app also supports contactless deliveries for eligible items, which adds to the app’s convenience and safety.
Problem Resolution
Even with the best intentions, there’s always a chance for things to go wrong with deliveries. Here’s what to do if you encounter issues with your Favor order:
- First, you need to identify the problem by checking your order for any issues, such as damaged, missing, or incorrect items.
- Next, you should contact Favor support through the help tab in the app’s menu.
- Explain your problem in full detail and back your claim with evidence, such as pictures or screenshots. Be prepared to also provide your order details, such as order number, date, and time.
- Favor’s support team will investigate your claim and try to resolve the issue. This includes issuing a refund or re-ordering the incorrect or missing item(s).
Additional Tips for a Great Favor Experience
Lastly, here are some valuable tips to help you make the most out of the Favor app:
- Delivery times are usually at their longest during lunch and dinner rushes. Always order outside those windows.
- Keep an eye out for special promotions and discount codes offered by Favor. New users typically get free deliveries for a month.
- You can get some unlisted items while ordering food by politely asking your Runner. This includes grabbing napkins, straws, sauce packets, or utensils if they’re not on the restaurant’s menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Favor Force You to Tip?
Favor doesn’t force you to tip your Runner, and tipping is not mandatory on the app.
However, the platform highly encourages its users to tip their drivers since Runners rely on customer tips for a significant portion of their income.
The app also suggests a tip amount based on your order’s total cost and distance traveled. Yet, you have the freedom to adjust it up, down, or even remove it altogether.
Why Did Favor Charge Me Twice?
This mainly happens due to a temporary authorization hold on the payment. When you place a Favor order, it holds funds until the banking system checks if your card is valid.
This temporary hold isn’t final and will typically clear after your payment method checks out. However, it still appears on your bank statement, so it seems like you paid for the order twice.
If the hold doesn’t clear out within a few business days, contact Favor customer service so they can refund you.
Final Thoughts
Favor is an excellent choice if you want to order food, groceries, and more. The app offers various promotions and offers functionality features that give major competitors a run for their money.
The app’s versatility makes it a highly reliable choice to consider if you live in Texas, and you get to enjoy free deliveries as a first-time user for a month, so you can give it a try while saving on your food and groceries.
