We’ve all been there.
It’s Saturday night, you’ve just clicked on your most recent TV show to binge late-night, and it’s time to order food.
If you’re like us, food delivery services are a modern convenience you can’t help but indulge in.
If you find yourself queuing up Uber Eats more often than just once in a blue moon (hello, every millennial and Gen X-er everywhere), then you may have considered signing up for Uber Eats’ latest promotion: Uber Eats Pass.
When Uber Eats promo codes aren’t available or you’ve run out of friends and family members to refer, Eats Pass guarantees your savings every time you jump on the platform.
But with so many subscriptions and plans, it can be hard to figure out which plan is worth it and which, well, not so much.
In this post, we’ll discuss what Uber Eats Pass is and if it’s worth it to purchase.
Read on to learn if the pass is worth the download.
- What is Uber Eats Pass?
- How Does Uber Eats Pass Work?
- Is Uber Eats Pass Worth It?
- Uber Eats Pass vs. Others
- How to Check if You Have Uber Eats Pass
- How to Purchase an Uber Eats Pass
- Using Your Subscription
- How to Cancel an Uber Eats Pass
- How Do I Get a Free Uber Eats Pass?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
What is Uber Eats Pass?
Uber Eats Pass is a subscription plan geared towards users who order from Uber Eats a lot and want to benefit from more savings.
The deal is pretty simple: pay a $9.99 fee per month, and in return, users get free delivery and five dollars off orders and help save on Uber Eats delivery fees.
However, the order must surpass a subtotal of 15.00 to qualify for the discount, and some merchants don’t qualify, so you need to check before you place an order to ensure they’re verified, so you get the deal.
Uber Eats boasts that you can cancel your membership at any time with zero penalties or cancellation fees.
However, you must cancel before your membership renews for the next month, or Uber will still charge your account.
For $9.99 per month, you can unlock the following benefits on Uber Eats:
- Unlimited free delivery on all restaurant orders over $15
- 5% off all restaurant orders over $15
- Unlimited free delivery on all grocery orders over $30
- Exclusive discounts and other member perks
When did Uber Eats Pass Start?
When rumors hit the Internet in 2019 of Uber Eats launching its own subscription service, Uber Eats spokesperson didn’t deny the upcoming plans.
Instead, a few months after that, Uber Eats unveiled their subscription plan.
Shortly after, users signed up in droves to the subscription service.
While some customers haven’t been too happy with the deals, Uber is showing no signs of slowing down its subscription-based plans.
Is Uber Pass the Same as Uber Eats Pass?
Uber has two separate subscriptions that work for food delivery services: the regular Uber Pass and the Uber Eats Pass.
Think of the Uber monthly Pass as the king of Uber subscription services.
Uber Pass not only discounts delivery orders in the same way that Uber Eats Pass does (free delivery, 5 dollars off orders), but it also discounts rides and grocery store deliveries.
With Uber Pass, users receive members-only rideshare discounts, like saving 10% on economy rides and 15% on premium.
Because you’re getting more for your buck, Uber Pass is more expensive than Uber Eats Pass; currently, users pay a $24.99 per month subscription fee.
But, disclaimer: there is some fine print.
The deals exclude the state of California, so if you’re living beachside with some palm trees, unfortunately, you don’t qualify for this membership.
Additionally, the grocery deliveries work through a service called Cornershop, which is only available in certain cities.
Lastly, exclusions may apply: Only UberX, UberXL, Uber Green, and Uber Comfort rides are eligible for the 10% rides discount, while Uber Black rides are eligible for the 15% rides discount.
How Does Uber Eats Pass Work?
Like with everything about Uber, the company makes it very convenient to sign up for a Uber Eats Pass subscription.
If you are interested in purchasing a Uber Eats Pass, you can do so within the app.
Simply go into the app, click the button “Pass,” and fill out your information.
Once you have signed up with Uber Eats Pass through the Uber app on your phone, you can immediately start to get the perks.
When choosing a restaurant, make sure that they have the green checkmark below the restaurant’s name; that’s how you know the restaurant has opted in and is eligible.
The restaurant must agree to buy into the Uber Eats Pass because it’s technically a promotion, so restaurants need to agree to it first.
Eats Pass subscribers will not pay a delivery fee for eligible delivery orders and will receive a percentage discount on their orders.
These benefits apply to all restaurants on Uber Eats in the United States and Canada – excluding Quebec.
Can You Share an Uber Eats Pass?
One of the more significant issues with Uber is its lack of communication and information online.
This results in quite the confusion – especially when it comes to sharing your Uber Eats Pass.
Recently, Uber launched a new feature where you can share your account with up to five family members.
However, it’s challenging to ascertain if each account member can benefit from one single promotion or if each account has to purchase its own Uber Eats Pass.
Outside of the family plan, you cannot share your Uber Eats Pass amongst multiple accounts.
Because the accounts are tied to your phone number, you cannot give another person your log-in information to log in from their phone.
Where is Uber Eats Pass Available?
Uber Pass is available in the United States and Canada, excluding specific cities (like Quebec).
Uber Pass is available anywhere that Uber Eats is available.
Merchants have to agree to be part of Uber Eats Pass, so make sure you verify that the restaurant you’d like to order from is available on Uber Eats Pass.
Do You Still Pay Service Fees with Uber Eats Pass?
You do still pay service fees; that’s actually what the five-dollar discount goes to.
Because Uber Eats service fees typically amount to around five dollars, the discount wipes away the service fees.
However, you still need to pay a tip for the driver and any other leftover fees if the five dollars don’t cover it all.
Additionally, you must meet the order minimum of 15 dollars on your subtotal, or else none of the discounts apply, and then you will need to pay the full-service fee.
Is Uber Eats Pass Worth It?
To determine if an Uber Eats Pass membership is worth it, you need to consider how often you order from Ubers and how high your subtotals typically are.
If you plan on dining through their service a lot, it could save you money in the long run.
However, Uber has a lot of fine print that they aren’t very forthcoming about.
For example, some customers complain that they no longer get free delivery once the driver goes to the same restaurant to pick up another order.
Because most delivery drivers stack their restaurant orders, this might happen more than you would think.
Additionally, Uber Eats is known to rack up service charges.
As it turns out, the five-dollar discount only applies to those service charges.
That means that to get any benefit, your order total must be over fifteen dollars (to get the free delivery), and then you have a reduced service charge.
When everything is said and done, though, you still end up paying a fee amount in addition to the monthly subscription fee.
Uber Eats Pass vs. Others
With so many delivery companies, Uber Eats Pass has a lot of competition.
Instacart Express, Postmates Unlimited, DoorDash DashPass, or Grubhub Plus all provide similar subscription services, and all are in direct competition with one another.
DashPass and Grubhub Unlimited, in particular, provide excellent membership plans to users.
Let’s compare and contrast Uber Eats Pass with these other subscription services to see which ones come out on top.
1. Uber Eats Pass vs. DashPass
Uber Eats Pass and the Doordash DashPass are fairly similar.
What differentiates these services the most is their locations and what cities they serve.
Doordash serves a broader area of locations, servicing a whopping 4,000 cities spread across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
However, they are far less concentrated in big cities.
Uber Eats serves a much smaller level of cities; they service 750 cities across six continents, but nearly half of those cities are in the United States.
Because DoorDash is available more throughout three countries, you’re more likely to find them in smaller towns in select markets.
If you live in the U.S., Uber Eats wins out in terms of convenience.
However, if you own a Chase Sapphire credit card, you get DashPass free for a minimum of one year (or three months free and 50% off for a year if you own a Chase Freedom card).
That being said, if you have Chase, your wallet may be happier if you go with DoorDash Pass instead of Uber.
Just imput your eligible card to sign up.
Another thing to consider is that with Doordash DashPass, you can redeem benefits by using Caviar, whereas, at Uber Eats, you can only redeem awards through Uber.
In other regards, the two subscription plans seem to be on a comparable footing.
Both charge the same amount for monthly subscriptions, and both require similar minimums.
2. Uber Eats Pass vs. Grubhub Unlimited
Probably the most significant difference between Uber Eats Pass and Grubhub Unlimited is the period of their free trials.
Grubhub Unlimited has a free trial that lasts for only two weeks, while Uber Eats has a trial that lasts for a full month.
However, Grubhub Unlimited has a minimum requirement of twelve dollars, which while that may not seem like much of a difference between Uber Eats Pass’ fifteen dollars, those three dollars can add up after a while.
Both passes have a monthly subscription price of 9.99.
Grubhub Unlimited also gives users a 10% cashback on every Plus order if you spend $100 in your first 30 days.
They also match your prices with donations to the No Kid Hungry project and have an excellent customer support team.
All in all, Grubhub Limitless is fairly comparable to Uber Eats Pass and may even have a better subscription plan when considering their lower delivery minimums and their cashback.
How to Check if You Have Uber Eats Pass
You need to check your Uber App to figure out if you are already a subscriber to Uber Eats Pass.
The first step is to open the Uber app on either your Android or your IOS.
Then, click on the “Pass” icon. Once you’re on the Uber Eats Pass page, the application should tell you if you are currently a subscriber to Uber Eats Pass.
How to Purchase an Uber Eats Pass
If you are not a current subscriber, you can purchase a subscription to Uber Eats Pass right through your phone.
Total Time: 1 minute
1. Navigate to the “Eats Pass” Section
To start, tap on the “Eats Pass” tab on the lower right corner of the home screen.
If you don’t see the Eats Pass tab, you may need to tap “Eats Pass” from the account section of your Uber Eats app (or simply update to the latest version of your app first), since this is a relatively new feature.
2. Join Eats Pass
Then, tap the “Join Eats Pass” button — currently “Join Eats Pass free” due to the free trial offer — and follow the prompts to start your subscription.
This short process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, since Uber Eats should already have your personal and credit card information stored.
Once complete, you’ll be able to take advantage of your Eats Pass membership immediately.
Using Your Subscription
Using your Eats Pass benefits is extremely easy and takes virtually no effort on your part.
Whenever you fill your cart with an eligible order — those that exceed $15 for restaurant delivery or $30 for grocery delivery — you’ll see your Eats Pass discounts automatically applied to your order total before checking out.
When you receive exclusive deals from Uber Eats, you’ll usually get an email, notification, or both about it.
Oftentimes, this offer will automatically be applied to your account.
However, if you receive a promo code that you need to manually enter, you can do so on your checkout screen (right before confirming your order), in the “Add promo” space.
You can also enter an Uber Eats gift card during this step if you have one of those.
When you do check out, Uber Eats will simply charge whatever payment method you have saved on the app.
No need to reload funds to use your Eats Pass.
Each month — based on the exact date you initially signed up — your Eats Pass subscription will automatically renew, so you don’t have to worry about maintaining your subscription either.
How to Cancel an Uber Eats Pass
Cancelling an Uber Eats Pass is similar to how you would cancel Uber Eats orders.
You can cancel your subscription through your app.
To cancel your subscription, follow these steps below:
- Open your Uber Eats app.
- Tap the profile icon on the bottom menu bar to see your account.
- Tap “Eats Pass” to open your Eats Pass hub.
- In the hub, scroll down to find the “Auto-Renew” toggle and turn it to “off”.
- A pop-up will appear asking if you want to turn auto-renew off. Click that you would like to turn off the auto-renew.
Can I Cancel Uber Eats Pass Without Charge?
You can cancel your Uber Eats Pass without a charge so long as you charge it more than 48 hours before your billing date.
You have to make sure that you remember to cancel as the subscription auto-renews, which means there will be no warning before Uber Eats charges your credit card.
How Do I Get a Free Uber Eats Pass?
There are a couple of ways to get a free Uber Eats Pass.
One way is through their free trial period, and the other is to take advantage of the Amex and Uber Eats partnership.
If you don’t have an account with American Express, it might be better to start with the first trial period to see if you like using Uber Eats Pass to begin with.
If you try Uber Eats Pass and really enjoy it, it might be worth looking in to opening an account with American Express as they give you a complimentary account with Uber Eats Pass for an entire year.
1. Uber Eats Pass Free Trial
New users get a one-month free trial.
That means you get all of the benefits and discounts of Uber Eats Pass without paying the 9.99 monthly subscription fee for the first month.
Uber Eats Pass is a delivery subscription service with one of the longest free trial periods; other delivery subscriptions (like Grubhub Unlimited) only offer users a couple of weeks.
2. Amex + Uber Eats Partnership
Good news for those who have American Express accounts; the online bank has partnered with Uber to allow American Express Card Members to get a complimentary subscription to Uber Eats Pass for a full year.
To qualify, you must enroll in the Uber Eats Pass option and then use your American Express Consumer Card for your payment method when you sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Uber Eats Pass not working?
Your Uber Eats Pass is dependant on the specific merchant: they have to agree to the Pass.
You should check the restaurant before you order (you’ll see a green ticket icon under the merchant’s name if the merchant does accept Uber Eats Pass).
Eats Pass is also for food deliveries only: it does not work for ride charges.
For rides, you’ll want to check out the Uber ride pass.
Or, if you’re not loyal to Uber, check out the Lyft ride pass – another great option.
Why does Uber Eats say “no couriers nearby”?
When you receive the “No Uber Eats Couriers Nearby” error, that means that they have sent out your order, but no driver has accepted it.
This could be for a multitude of reasons.
First off, it could mean that all of the drivers within the area range are busy with other orders and cannot pick up yours at this moment.
It could also mean that there were no couriers online in your area when you placed your order.
Is Uber Eats better than DoorDash?
It depends.
DoorDash doesn’t have minimums on their orders; they deliver alcohol, whereas Uber Eats does not.
Sometimes they have lower fees, depending on how much you order from the restaurant.
In that sense, DoorDash excels.
However, DoorDash is less widespread, which means that they aren’t available in every city.
The cities they do deliver in, sometimes they’re not available in certain restaurants.
If you’re looking for ultimate convenience, Uber Eats may be better than DoorDash.
Final Thoughts
In recent years, as more and more of us stay at home, Uber Eats Pass has gained tremendous popularity.
Even though their perks may seem like an insignificant amount, these small order fees can add up, and it’s helpful to get them waived if you order from Uber Eats a lot.
So, if you’re looking for a delivery service subscription plan, check out Uber Eats Pass to get free delivery and five dollars off your future orders.
