Postmates is one of the most well-known food delivery services in the United States.
The platform was created to help consumers get food — as well as alcohol, office supplies, and more — delivered straight to their doors.
In order for Postmates deliveries to occur, the company is always on the lookout for drivers to join the Postmates Fleet.
With plenty of opportunities for earning in the gig economy, being your own boss is far from an unattainable dream.
As part of the Postmates Fleet, you make money with no time commitments and no supervisors, just by driving around your own city.
Working for the Postmates delivery service is an excellent way to earn additional money while keeping a flexible schedule.
The app allows customers to receive on-demand delivery from a variety of merchants, including food delivery services similar to other apps such as DoorDash, Instacart, or Uber Eats.
As with any service-oriented app, the key to success with Postmates is to provide a great delivery experience to customers.
To do this, it’s essential that you become comfortable with the ins and outs of a key piece of technology: the Postmates Fleet app.
We’ll guide you through what the Fleet is, how to join, and how to navigate the Postmates Fleet app.
What Is the Postmates Fleet?
“Postmates Fleet” is a term that refers to a massive team of couriers who fulfill orders on behalf of the food delivery platform.
This team is made up of thousands of independent contractors across hundreds of U.S. cities who earn on their own schedule.
If you’ve ever ordered from the Postmates app, Fleet members are the delivery drivers who drop off food wherever you are.
While Postmates Fleet members don’t actually interact with each other on the job, they together help create the seamless delivery service that customers know and love.
What Do Postmates Fleet Members Do?
The Postmates courier gig is simple.
Your role is to pick up meals from restaurants and bring them straight to customers.
You can use pretty much any insured vehicle you own to complete this delivery, including anything from an electric scooter to a pick-up truck, as long as it’s in good condition.
In some markets, you can even deliver on bike or on foot.
Each time you accept a request, your Postmates Fleet app will tell you everything you need to do, including where to go and when you will need to pay your merchant at pick-up with your Postmates-provided prepaid card.
Just by completing simple delivery requests when you have the time, you can get free weekly deposits right into your bank account, or cash out at any time for a small fee.
How to Join the Postmates Fleet
If you want to become a Postmates driver and officially gain a spot in the Fleet, you only need to pass a minimal set of requirements.
All Postmates Fleet members are required to:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a valid driver’s license. A passport can also be accepted, if you’re delivering on bike or on foot.
- Be able to pass the Postmates background check. This includes a review of your criminal history and driving record.
- Have a smartphone that’s compatible with the Postmates Fleet app (Android 5.0, iOS 11.0, or later).
If you’re in a market that doesn’t accept bike delivery or walking delivery applications, you will also be required to have a registered vehicle with auto insurance.
As long as you meet these extremely simple requirements, you can apply to join the Postmates Fleet by heading to fleet.postmates.com.
Then, start the sign-up process by entering your email address and preferred password, then tapping the green arrow button.
Enter your first name, last name, and phone number in the designated fields.
You can also type in a Postmates driver referral code if you have one you’d like to use.
Then, tap “Continue.”
Enter your mailing address.
This is where your welcome kit — including your free delivery bag and prepaid card — will be sent, so make sure it’s a convenient place for you to pick it up.
On the following page, tap “Continue,” then tap “Begin verifying” in the pop-up.
Follow the prompts to verify your identity, which will include steps to upload your government ID and take pictures of yourself.
Once your identity has been verified, you’ll only need to follow a few more simple prompts before most of the sign-up process is complete.
Afterward, the only steps left are waiting for your Postmates prepaid card to arrive, so you can activate it through your Postmates Fleet account, and waiting for your background check to come back clean.
While you’re waiting, you can download the Postmates Fleet app on the App Store or on Google Play.
This way, you’re all set to accept deliveries and start earning money as soon as the final steps are complete.
Using the Postmates Fleet App
Once you’re fully approved to drive for Postmates, you can start your first shift at any time just by going online through your Postmates Fleet app.
Anytime you’re online, you’ll immediately get matched with delivery requests near you, based on your vehicle type.
For example, you may get larger orders if you’re driving a cargo van, whereas bike couriers will likely get single orders that are within a closer proximity.
When a request is available for you to accept, you can claim it just by selecting “Accept delivery” at the bottom of your screen before the noted time frame is up.
Before you accept, you’ll be able to see a basic map of where you’re headed, as well as if Blitz pricing — which multiplies your earnings during times of high demand — is active.
Postmates couriers can also go into their app preferences to opt into an auto accept feature if you’re not picky about requests.
After accepting a request, you can simply tap “Navigate” to pull up the order pick-up location on your preferred navigation app.
Then, pick up your order or place it by paying with the Postmates prepaid card.
As soon as your order is picked up, use your app to navigate to your drop-off location.
Swipe to complete the delivery on your app once the drop-off has occurred and your customer has received their order.
Things You Can Do With The Postmates Fleet App
Once you’ve completed the above steps, congratulations! You can now begin making Postmates deliveries.
Making deliveries, however, is just one of the many things you can do with the Postmates Fleet app.
Let’s take a look at a few more things the app allows you to do.
1. Activate Your Postmates Prepaid Card
One advantage of working for Postmates over other delivery apps is that all drivers get a prepaid card to use for all purchases.
This eliminates the need for reimbursements of personal funds, as well as cash flow problems that can come from tying up lots of your personal money on a large customer order.
Before you can make your first delivery, you’ll need to activate the prepaid card.
To do this, you’ll use the Postmates app to complete the following steps:
- Once you receive your prepaid card, open your iOS or Android Fleet app
- You should see a screen with an “Activate Card” button — tap the button to continue
- If you don’t see this screen, go to your account settings and tap on the “Prepaid card” menu item
- You should see a form prompting you to enter the last 4 digits of your card number and card identifier
- The card last 4 are the last 4 digits of your 16 digit card number
- The card identifier should be the 10-character alphanumeric code on the bottom left of the card. For instance, “Postmate ABCD123456789”
- Once you activate your card, watch your inbox for next steps. You’ll be ready to begin accepting offers in no time.
2. Upload Order Receipts
When paying with your prepaid card, Postmates requires you to upload a copy of the purchase receipt.
This allows Postmates to charge the customer the correct amount for their order.
To upload a receipt with the Postmates Fleet app, follow these steps:
- Once you have checked off each item on the shopping list in the Fleet app, the app will prompt you to take a photo of the receipt
- When the Fleet app prompts you, and only after you have physically swiped your card, take a clear photo of the entire receipt with all item names, prices, and the total
- Be sure the include the receipt in the bag with the customer’s items.
3. Contact Support About Immediate Issues
When working as a Postmates delivery driver, you may encounter an issue during a delivery that requires immediate support.
For instance, the address the customer has given you is incorrect or doesn’t exist.
Or, perhaps the Postmates prepaid card is being declined by the merchant’s payment processing system.
Whatever the case, the Postmates Fleet app allows you to contact support in real time for help with issues like these.
To contact support during a delivery, follow these steps:
- Tap on “Order Details” for your current delivery
- Tap the “Support” button
- Select the issue you’re experiencing. For instance, you might choose “Need Additional Funds” if your prepaid card isn’t working.
4. Change Your Vehicle
Sometimes you may need to change the vehicle you use to make Postmates deliveries.
Maybe you’ve decided to save gas and give bike deliveries a go.
Or perhaps you just got a new car and are eager to take it for a spin while earning some extra cash.
To change your vehicle within the Postmates Fleet app, follow these steps:
- Make sure you’re offline. You can’t change your vehicle while you’re making or available to make deliveries.
- Tap on “Account Settings”
- Choose between “Bicycle,” “Car,” “Foot,” “Motorcycle,” “Scooter,” “Truck,” or “Van”
- Tap “Confirm Vehicle” to save.
Note that you can only change to a vehicle that’s eligible to use for deliveries in your market.
Cars are eligible across markets, but other vehicles such as bicycles or scooters may only be allowed in select markets.
To learn which vehicles you can use to make Postmates deliveries, visit the information page for your market.
5. Accept and Complete Deliveries
The crux of the Postmates Fleet app is accepting and completing deliveries.
Without the app, Postmates as a service would not exist in its current form.
It’s therefore worth going over the process of accepting and completing deliveries from start to finish.
You’ll also cover this when you complete your Postmates onboarding, but a little review won’t hurt.
The Postmates delivery process breaks down into five phases:
- Accepting a Delivery Request
- Going to the Pickup Location
- Picking Up Orders and Paying
- Completing Pickup and Starting Dropoff
- Dropping Off the Order
6. Report an Accident or Safety Issue
While working for Postmates is a safe experience the majority of the time, there may be an instance in which you have a safety issue or accident and need to report it to Postmates support.
Possible safety issues include harassment from a merchant or customer or a request to deliver illegal items.
Accidents that you should report, meanwhile, could include a collision that you were involved in while making a Postmates delivery (since the Postmates insurance policy would cover you).
To report an accident or safety issue, follow these steps:
- Go to the “Contact Support” tab in the Postmates Fleet app
- Select “Report an Accident or Safety Incident”
- You’ll enter your phone number and a member of the Postmates Trust and Safety team will contact you. You’ll receive an ETA for when they’ll be in touch.
Note that while you should report traffic accidents to Postmates, the company cannot help you with parking tickets or other fines you incur while driving for them.
As an independent contractor, you’re responsible for paying these expenses out of your own pocket.
You can claim them as tax deductions, however.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Postmates Fleet gig is incredibly easy to qualify for and do on your own schedule.
Read our answers to these common questions to learn more about making money with the on-demand delivery service:
1. How much do Postmates Fleet members make?
On average, Postmates drivers make between $8-$15 per hour, though this range can be higher in some cities due to cost of living.
However, since all Fleet members are independent contractors, keep in mind that this pay is never guaranteed.
It’s possible to have very few requests in one hour, and get back-to-back requests and massive tips the next.
You can read our guide on how Postmates couriers can maximize earnings on the road to avoid lower payouts.
2. Can I work as a full-time Postmates courier?
Absolutely. While many drivers choose to make Postmates their side gig, others choose to turn it into the equivalent of a full-time career.
You’re always in total control over your schedule, including how many hours you work.
Keep in mind that every member of the Postmates Fleet is still considered an independent contractor, even if you are working 40 hours or more per week.
This means you won’t get any benefits, like a traditional employee would, and you’re responsible for your own job-related expenses.
3. How do I know what times or places will get me the highest earnings?
As you may expect on a food delivery app, you’re most likely to run into Blitz pricing during mealtimes — particularly, lunch and dinner.
If you’re over 21 and your city offers alcohol deliveries, you may also find earnings multipliers during the late night hours.
To find the best locations for delivery, you can check your map on the Postmates Fleet app to see the current hot spots in your area.
Hot spots appear on your map in darker shades and signifies higher demand, which may mean more requests and Blitz pricing.
Earn More With the Postmates Fleet
When you join the team of Postmates couriers that make the food delivery service possible, you can essentially become your own boss right away.
Just by driving around your market, picking up and dropping off orders along the way, you can earn money that’s deposited right into your bank account every single week.
This is a gig that just about anyone can join, and the only guidance you’ll need is the information that’s provided on the Postmates Fleet app.
To learn more about Postmates, check out our definitive guide to Postmates for riders and drivers.
Trying to decide whether you should drive for Postmates or DoorDash? Take a look at our comparison of which is better for drivers.
