Working for a delivery service is a great side hustle if you have your own car and know the city well.
But before you can become a Postmates driver, you must meet a certain set of standards.
Learn the Postmates driver requirements as well as how much you can make.
You’ll also find out the process once you’re hired, and the pros and cons of working for Postmates.
Note:
This post is about the driver requirements. These stand apart from the Postmates car requirements that every driver must also meet.
Postmates Driver Requirements
If you’re looking into driving for delivery apps, you most likely already meet the basic requirements.
Postmates delivery driver requirements are pretty standard.
Minimum Age for Postmates Drivers
The first driver requirement is that anyone driving for Postmates has to be at least 18 years old.
You can only accept orders that include alcohol if you’re over 21.
Required Documents to Apply for Postmates
You need a valid United States driver’s license and Social Security number to drive for Postmates.
You also need a mailing address that’s in or near a city where Postmates is available.
Postmates Background Check
In addition to supplying the necessary documents, you have to pass a background check.
Postmates will pull both your driving record and your criminal report.
How Does the Postmates Background Check Work?
You have to authorize Postmates to run a background check through Checkr.
The site can find your criminal history, driving record, and other information.
Even though you’re not working directly with people, Postmates still likes to ensure they’re hiring safe delivery drivers since their company’s reputation is at stake.
What Information Do You Need to Provide?
All Postmates needs from you is the information you provided when you applied—your full name, Social Security number, and birthdate.
What Is the Background Check Looking For?
Postmates is mostly looking for moving violations like DUIs and car accidents on your driving record.
On your criminal report, they’re looking for any sexual or violent offenses.
They’ll also check for drug-related offenses, as that can impact your driving ability.
Postmates Smartphone Requirements
As a delivery driver, you need a smartphone because the Postmates app is how you’ll accept a delivery request.
You can use an Android or iPhone, as long as you can install the Postmates Fleet app to get food delivery requests.
Postmates Fleet is only compatible with newer operating systems, which means you need either Android 5.0 or iOS 11 or higher.
Postmates Banking Requirements
You need a bank account to get paid by Postmates.
They pay out your orders every week, totaling out your earnings on Sunday at midnight PST.
You might have to wait a few days for the transfer, but Postmates uses direct deposit so you don’t have to take any additional steps.
If you need gas money quickly, you don’t have to wait for the weekly payout.
You can cash out your orders once a day and get paid for all orders that are complete.
For the Daily Pay option, you have to use a Mastercard or Visa debit card.
Everything relating to payment goes through the Fleet app.
How Long Does It Take for Postmates to Verify Your Bank Account?
Once you’re accepted to work for Postmates, you’ll link your bank account to your profile.
Postmates deposits a penny in your account to verify it.
It can take anywhere from 7 to 10 days for them to deposit the money and verify the account is real and belongs to you.
Postmates pays out every Sunday night, so after they verify your bank account, they’ll automatically start paying you weekly.
It can take your bank a couple of days to accept the transfer each week, but you don’t need to take any action.
Driving for Postmates: What You Need to Know
Knowing what to expect before you apply will prepare you for the process and the job.
Since you won’t have passengers in your car, the requirements aren’t quite as extensive as those of Uber or Lyft.
Pros and Cons of Driving for Postmates
These pros and cons from a Postmates driver review help you make an informed decision about applying.
Pros
- Set your own hours and earn money in your free time
- No need to interact with passengers
- Keep 100% of the tip the customer leaves
Cons
- Must pay for gas, auto insurance, and car maintenance
- No job security or benefits, since you’re an independent contractor
- Orders aren’t guaranteed so you can have dry spells
How Much Money Do Postmates Drivers Make?
A delivery driver living in a major city like San Francisco or New York can make a lot of money because there’s a bigger population using Postmates.
You get paid a base delivery fee per order, usually $4 to $4.50.
Other factors that impact how much you’re earning in Postmates driver pay include:
- How many minutes you wait at the pickup location, though you’re not paid by the hour
- The miles between the pickup and drop-off locations
- The Postmates tip, which you keep 100% of
You can batch orders to make more money while you’re already on the road by picking multiple orders en route to your original destination.
Overall, you’ll likely earn more than you would as an Instacart shopper or Uber rideshare driver.
How to Proceed if You Meet Postmates Requirements
When you’re approved to drive for Postmates after clearing your background check, you’ll want to take on available orders immediately.
But make sure you’re completely prepared before you get in over your head.
Postmates Driver Application: What to Expect
The Postmates application is very straightforward.
Make an account with your email address and verify your identity so they can run the background check.
You also have to upload a selfie so the customers can see who’s delivering their orders.
Enter your bank info and activate the prepaid card Postmates sends in the welcome kit.
Once you’ve done all this, you’ll get a link to download the Postmates Fleet app so you can start accepting orders!
How to Use the Postmates App for Drivers
When you accept a delivery request on the Postmates app, you can see all the details.
For prepaid orders, you walk into the restaurant, give the customer’s name, and pick up the food.
If you have to pay, you use the Postmates prepaid card.
You can use the in-app navigation to go to the customer’s location so they’ll see your travel time.
You can also message the customer updates through the app to keep your phone number private.
After handing over the food, mark the order as complete so the customer can leave a tip.
If you have a problem, Postmates customer service is always available.
Tips for Being a Successful Postmates Driver and Maximize Your Earnings
Driving for Postmates is fairly simple and you can do it in your free time.
But if you want to take advantage of the system and make as much money as possible, check out these tips to be successful.
- Stay available during peak times, like lunch and dinner rushes, especially on weekends.
- Look for Blitz pricing so you can get bonuses and incentives.
- Choose areas you know so you can be quick with your food delivery instead of wasting time searching for the pickup location or trying to find a parking space.
- Use Auto Accept so you get back-to-back orders with no downtime.
- Keep track of your mileage, gas, and car maintenance expenses to claim on your taxes.
Wrapping Up
Postmates is a food delivery app that lets you make money in your free time.
The application process is simple, and after you pass your background check, you can use the intuitive app to get work.
Make orders in your free time or work set hours and treat Postmates like your job—either way, it’s a great way to make extra money.
