If you live in the United States, there’s a high chance that you’ve heard of DoorDash.
Their services are available in thousands of cities. You might have even used their services at some point.
For people considering working for this food delivery company, one question that should be on your mind is whether DoorDash is a good job.
If this sounds like you, then you need to read this piece. Here, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the company and whether it pays to work as a dasher.
Table Of Contents
How Does DoorDash Work?
DoorDash is a popular food delivery service in North America, with its headquarters in San Francisco. It also specializes in grocery delivery.
This company allows you to earn extra money by working full-time or part-time as a driver.
A DoorDash driver is called a “dasher,” and your assignment is simple.
It starts with a customer ordering food from a restaurant via the food delivery app or website. They also pay a delivery fee and leave tip if they want.
Afterward, DoorDash will find the nearest available dasher and notify you to check and accept the customer’s order within 80 seconds.
After accepting the order, you need to get to the restaurant and swipe the app to inform the customer and the company of your arrival.
Then you place the customer’s order and wait to receive it.
You’ll have to swipe the app again to let the customer and DoorDash know that you’re on the way to deliver the food.
Finally, after delivering the food, you’ll swap the app again to notify everyone involved that the delivery is complete.
Is DoorDash a Job?
DoorDash isn’t a typical job because dashers aren’t considered employees.
Essentially, you’re an independent contractor because you don’t have fixed working hours. That means you can choose to work based on your availability.
You also don’t get any benefits like regular employees. That includes paid vacation days or health insurance.
Still, you can call DoorDash a job because you can make money out of it.
Working as a dasher has both its advantages and disadvantages, and it boils down to individuals deciding how these factors affect them.
The best way to decide whether DoorDash is a good job is to look at these pros and cons.
Pros of DoorDash
Here are some of the benefits of being a dasher:
- Earn extra money: You can earn a stable income from DoorDash. This could be more or less based on how often you work.
- Decent hourly wage: You can earn a decent hourly wage of $23 per hour. Plus, you can also make money from generous customer tips.
- Flexibility: You aren’t restricted by a specific working hour. You can always create your own working hours based on your schedule and availability.
- Great as a side hustle: If you already have a job, you can always work for DoorDash as a flexible side hustle.
- No degree needed: There’s no need to have a degree to work as a dasher. And not having a degree doesn’t affect your income in any way.
- Simple requirements: DoorDash features lenient requirements, and they don’t have strict specifications on vehicle type, unlike some companies like Uber.
Cons of DoorDash
Here are some drawbacks of working as a dasher:
- Highly competitive: Many people are trying to sign up on DoorDash, and you might end up on the waiting list for a long time. It can also be quite challenging to get approved.
- Extra expenses: You’ll need your own vehicle to work as a dasher. The constant movement around town means excess wear and tear on your car, which you’ll have to fix yourself. Plus, you’ll have to pay for gas and other things you may need for the work yourself.
- Long working hours: As much as you can determine your working hours, you may also end up working long hours. Delivery drivers can end up skipping out on meal times and even rest time.
The bottom line is that DoorDash is a good job regarding flexible hours and the amount you could make from working as a dasher.
However, you should also confirm that you can handle some of its challenges before signing up.
Sign Up Requirements for DoorDash
To sign up as a DoorDash rider, here are a few requirements you need to meet:
- Be at least 18 years old
- A valid driver’s license and a minimum of one year of driving experience
- Have a means of transportation, like a car, bicycle, or motorcycle
- Car owners might need to submit proof of car insurance
- Pass a background check, which covers a history of reckless driving, DUI, and other offenses
- Have a smartphone to use the dasher app
Once you have all these sorted out, you can go ahead and sign up on DoorDash.
If accepted, you’ll have to go through a virtual onboarding process and receive an activation kit.
This activation kit contains an insulated food delivery bag, an orientation manual, and a Red Card.
You must activate this Red Card, set up direct deposit, and fill out a W-9 tax form.
How is DoorDash Payment Calculated?
DoorDash uses three factors to determine how much delivery workers get: base pay, tips, and promotions.
Base Pay
This is a fixed amount that you get after each food delivery service. It’s usually between $2 and $10, based on your city or location.
The level of demand, travel distance, and time all determine this rate. Once it’s fixed, it becomes the base rate of pay per delivery.
Promotions
If you take on more delivery orders than normal, you might get more money or receive bonuses after your work is done.
Promotions can also be a reward for the DoorDash referral program or engaging in special delivery services for customers, like large catering deliveries.
It can also incentivize dashers to maintain a high acceptance rate.
This system is also divided into three structures: peak pay, drive, and challenges.
Tips
Most customers offer DoorDash tips at the end of every order, which is always added to the dasher’s pay.
This way, drivers can always earn more money after completing an order.
How to Get Better Earnings With DoorDash
Although the average rate per hour with DoorDash is $23, you can make more than that based on several factors.
Here are some things you can do to earn more on DoorDash.
Accept Multiple Orders Simultaneously
One way to make extra bucks as a dasher is to accept multiple delivery orders at the same time, especially if you’re picking up these orders at the same location.
Besides the fact that you can make more money that way, it saves gas and time for reaching customer locations.
Work During Peak Hours
Working during peak hours means you’ll get more orders.
Sometimes, DoorDash pays dashers more during peak times so that you can earn more after every successful delivery.
Skip Small Orders
Small orders can get in the way of big ones, so you may need to skip them sometimes. This will make it easier to make more money after delivering a customer’s order.
However, note that you don’t have to cut small orders all the time.
Take Advantage of Bonus and Promos
There are certain bonuses and promos that you can get while working for DoorDash.
One is referral bonuses, which you earn when someone uses your referral code to sign up as a dasher.
You can also get incentives of $1-$7 for working at specific times and in certain delivery locations.
Other times, you may earn a signup bonus of as high as $750 in some places.
However, you won’t be able to get this money until you meet certain conditions, like completing a certain number of deliveries within a given timeframe.
Work for Different Delivery Apps
There are many food delivery companies out there, including Uber Eats, Grubhub, etc., and you can work for as many as you want.
As you’d expect, you can earn more this way, but that would mean more work.
How Does DoorDash Pay Delivery Drivers?
DoorDash pays drivers through Dasher Fast Pay and bank deposits.
With the former, you get a DasherDirect prepaid card where you’ll receive payments.
This is a faster way to receive your money without waiting for days.
Although you’ll have to pay a service fee of $1.99, you’re sure to get your funds on the same day.
In the case of bank deposits, money earned from DoorDash will be sent to your bank account and will arrive within two or three business days, based on the financial institution you’re using.
Wrapping Up
While DoorDash isn’t without its challenges, you can enjoy several real benefits from working as a dasher. For instance, you can make a decent income by taking on this job.
However, since this work can also be challenging, you need to be certain that this is one work that you’re ready for.
