DoorDash is a great way to earn money on your own time. If you are trying to maximize your earnings on DoorDash, the best way to do that is to get more orders. There are plenty of things you can do as a dasher to take on more orders while you’re working and make more money.
In this article, we are going to give you all the tips and tricks you need to get more orders on DoorDash.
Quick tip: you can get cash back every time you fill up your gas tank by using the Upside app. It's free and pays out straight to your bank.
Click here to start delivering for DoorDash
Ways To Increase Orders on DoorDash
The best way to make good money on DoorDash is to find a way to get more orders. The good news is that there are many ways that you can do this.
Here are some tips to get more orders during your DoorDash shifts:
Dash In Busy Areas
When you are getting ready to start your shift with DoorDash, pay special attention to the areas near you that are more densely populated with restaurants. These are the areas where you are most likely to get a high volume of orders, so it makes sense to spend time in these areas and wait for the orders to flow in.
Another thing to consider is if you live in or near a large community or apartment complex where there are a lot of people in a small concentrated area, you are likely to get a lot of orders.
If you spend your dasher shift in these busy areas, you will have the opportunity to get plenty of orders and maximize your time.
Take Advantage Of High-Volume Times
Once you have been dashing for a while, you will become familiar with what times of day are busier in your area. Usually, the busy times are right around major meal times like mornings, lunch and dinner.
Plan your dashing shifts around those busy times when you are more likely to get a lot of orders. You can work less time and make as much or more money as you would if you worked a long shift during an off-peak time.
Look For Combo Orders
Combo orders are when two or more dashers located at the same location combine their orders to save on delivery charges. Although they don’t come around often, combo orders are a great way to get two or more orders out of one-stop.
Utilize Schedule In Advance Feature
You can pre-schedule your dashes up to 6 days in advance in the Dasher app. This means that you can commit to dashing in a certain area so that you are guaranteed work on that specific day and time.
This is a helpful feature for dashers who live in busy areas like cities where there is a lot of competition amongst dashers and a high likelihood of the areas reaching dasher capacity during peak times.
What Is The Best Time Of Day For A Dasher Shift?
The best time of day to do DoorDash deliveries will vary based on the area that you live in.
Most dashers agree that mid-morning to early afternoon (10 am-2 pm) and dinner-time (5 pm-9 pm) are typically the most active in all areas of the country. If you live in an urban city area, you might find that there are a lot of orders late into the night as well.
How Can I Find The Best Time Of Day To Deliver For DoorDash Near Me?
If you are just starting out with DoorDash, it’s important to try dashing at different times to find the busiest times that work for you.
Start with dashing around popular meal times like lunch and dinner time. These are usually when most people are ordering delivery.
It might take some trial and error to find the best times of day, but you will start to notice patterns in your community that you can take advantage of during your shifts.
Can You Earn A Full-Time Income With DoorDash?
Everyone’s definition of a full-time income is different. The amount of money needed to support your lifestyle will differ based on your location, dependents, and monthly expenses.
There is a possibility that you could earn enough to replace a full-time income if you have a low cost of living and no dependents, but you would have to work quite a bit.
For example, if you wanted to earn $500 per week with DoorDash you would need to deliver a minimum of 50 orders per week to make that happen. $500 per week might be enough to be a full-time living but for many, this may not cut it.
Do All DoorDash Deliveries Pay The Same?
Restaurants that participate with DoorDash are part of a tiered system. Depending on the restaurant’s tier level with DoorDash, you will earn a different percentage on each order.
Compare DoorDash pay to Bite Squad
For example, popular restaurants in your area will be in a higher tier than a corner store or a lesser-known restaurant. You can prioritize orders with restaurants that are in higher tiers to increase your earnings on each individual order.
The 3 DoorDash restaurant tiers are:
- Premier – 30%
- Plus – 25%
- Basic – 15%
How Often Will I Get Paid With DoorDash?
DoorDash pays their dashers every Wednesday for their earnings during the week prior.
What Is A DoorDash Hotspot?
DoorDash has both historical and dynamic Hotspots that will appear on your Dasher app. These are areas that DoorDash has identified as busier than normal either during this specific time or just in general.
Hotspots are updated by DoorDash every 10 minutes, so keep your Dasher app open and refresh often to make sure you catch them.
Historical Hotspots
Historical Hotspots are always busy. DoorDash has noticed a consistent volume of orders in that area and has identified it as a hotspot. You will see this in downtown areas or busy cities that are highly concentrated with restaurants.
DoorDash creates Historical Hotspots based on data received over time about orders in that area. Even if the area is currently not experiencing high volume, you can see it marked as a previous hotspot so you can work in that area and wait for orders.
Dynamic Hotspots
Dynamic Hotspots are not permanent, but they are an area where DoorDash has noticed an uptick in volume on that particular day and time. This is DoorDash’s way of letting drivers know that there is plenty of opportunity in that area for any dashers looking for work.
You can go to these Hotspots at the start of your dashing shift or anytime while you are dashing to take advantage of the influx of orders in that area.
Does DoorDash Reimburse For Gas?
DoorDash doesn’t pay for all gas used while you are driving for them, but there is a way to get reimbursed for a portion of your gas expenses.
If you use your DasherDirect debit card to purchase gas, DoorDash will reimburse 10% of your purchase. This includes all gas purchased with your DasherDirect debit card, not just gas purchased during your dasher shifts.
Can I Work For DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub At The Same Time?
A great way to get more food delivery orders is to sign up with more than one food delivery service. There are no rules against working for DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub to get more orders and maximize your income potential.
If you already drive for DoorDash, it’s a great idea to also sign up for UberEats or GrubHub. When you are ready to work a shift, log into both apps at the same time and see what the volume is.
Accept orders from both apps to keep yourself busy. Be careful not to cancel an order once you’ve accepted it though – cancelling orders can affect your rating. And just make sure not to overextend yourself and accept more orders than you can fulfill in a reasonable amount of time. Try to combine orders from similar areas or even the same restaurant whenever possible to save time and help you get more done quickly.
Final Thoughts
DoorDash is a great way to make extra money by delivering food. If you live in a busy enough area and you manage your time well, you could even earn a full-time income. There are plenty of ways to make sure you are busy on your DoorDash shifts.
As a dasher, you can take advantage of busy times, dates, and locations to get more orders during your shifts. Once you learn the best times and locations in your area, you can get the most out of your shifts.
Click here to start delivering for DoorDash
Save on gas & groceries: the Upside app gives you cash back when you fill up your tank, buy groceries, or eat out.
You can also consider signing up for more than one food delivery app to get more orders in less time. Many successful food delivery drives work with DoorDash as well as UberEats and GrubHub to stay busy and diversified.
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