Can’t decide between Uber and Uber Eats?
When you signup for Uber, you also get approved for Uber Eats, so you actually don’t have to apply separately.
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.
Since you get approved for both, it’s best to start the application process right away, and then you can decide which one you prefer:
Create an Uber / Uber Eats account
Once you’re approved, you can then drive for either one, but when comparing Uber VS Uber Eats pay, which one is going to make you more?
We’ve got all the earnings info here, so read on to find out.
Do you make more driving for Uber or Uber Eats?
Generally speaking, driving passengers for Uber pays more than delivering orders for Uber Eats.
And it makes sense if you think about it.
An Uber customer will pay $12 for a short drive across town, but they’d never pay that much to have their food delivered the same distance. As a driver, it takes you the same amount of time, and yet, transporting the food is going to pay less.
In fact, it can sometimes take longer because you have to wait for the restaurant to complete the order.
Without taking any special factors into consideration, you will make more money driving for Uber than Uber Eats.
But there are some exceptions and reasons why you might prefer Uber Eats anyway…
Is it possible to make more with Uber Eats?
There are ways to make more money with Uber Eats than Uber.
The first way is to use multi-apping to double up on your deliveries. This is a more advanced technique, but if you’re driving for Uber Eats and Grubhub, you could pick up two orders going in the same direction and get paid for both.
If you double up like this, you will almost always make more than driving passengers. And, of course, this technique isn’t possible when transporting passengers, so it’s a cool hack to take advantage of when delivering food.
If you try the multi-apping strategy, please do so with caution. If you get sloppy and your delivery times get slow, you can be punished with fewer delivery opportunities and even cancellation of your account.
How much do you make per delivery with Uber Eats?
Depending on your city and the area you live in, you can expect to complete 1-2 deliveries per hour and earn around $15 – $20 per hour with Uber Eats. Your earnings will reflect the tips you receive, the time it takes you to complete a delivery, and the distance you travel.
Your earnings vary greatly depending on the city you are working in, the type of delivery order you receive, and your delivery hours. For example, you can expect to earn more during lunch and dinner hours. It’s important to keep this in mind, especially when comparing your earnings to folks driving in more expensive cities.
As an Uber Eats driver, it’s also much more common to receive tips, which you keep 100% of. You’ll also receive an upfront payout estimate that shows you the total amount you’ll receive for each delivery, which makes it easy to pick the best ones.
When you sign up for Uber Eats, your account will be linked to a debit card that you can use to cash out your earnings up to five times a day. However, you’ll need to have a minimum balance of $1. You’ll also have to pay a processing fee of fifty cents when you cash out.
How much do you make per trip with Uber?
On average, Uber drivers make $11 per ride and can earn anywhere from $15-25 per hour.
Since you’re paid per trip, it seems like you should be completing as many trips as possible, but the distance of the trip is factored into your pay. This means your goal isn’t to complete as many trips per hour as you can because you can also make great money taking passengers on long trips, like from the airport to their home.
Basically, you can earn well by completing lots of short trips or fewer longer trips. Your earnings will come out similar either way.
But, there are some tactics that can meaningfully increase your earnings.
How to earn more with Uber
You will already make more driving for Uber than Uber Eats, but there are a few techniques to boost your revenues even further.
For starters, it’s important to drive at the most profitable times, which is usually during the lunch and dinner rush. You can use an app like Gridwise to track these most profitable driving times and keep up with local events.
Monitoring local events is especially useful because you can get ready for concerts and other festivals ending and take advantage of surge pricing, which is one of the most profitable opportunities for gig drivers.
What are the costs of driving for Uber & Uber Eats?
As a professional driver, your biggest expense is going to be gas. We highly recommend using the Upside app to get cashback rewards every time you purchase gas.
You will also need commercial auto insurance while driving for either Uber or Uber Eats. Believe it or not, your personal auto insurance will not cover damages that occur while you’re delivering food, so make sure you don’t skip out on this crucial expense.
Otherwise, you need to factor in regular vehicle maintenance and car payments.
And lastly, you will need some delivery driving gear. We have recommendations for delivery bags, electric scooters, and more in our delivery gear collections.
Now that you’re aware of both the earnings potential and costs of Uber and Uber Eats, is there any reason why you should go with Uber Eats?
What are the reasons for choosing Uber Eats?
Most people are going to find out they can make more with Uber and stop their research, but there are reasons why Uber Eats might be the better choice.
First off, you need a car if you’re going to drive for Uber, but with Uber Eats, you can get by with a bike or electric scooter.
If you don’t already have a car, this pretty much guarantees Uber Eats is the better option unless you already plan on buying a car (or renting one).
Furthermore, most of the expenses of being a delivery driver come from owning a car. Namely, the gas and commercial driving insurance. You don’t have to worry about these expenses at all if you use a scooter or a bike, and that will greatly enhance your profits.
In fact, you might be able to earn more using a bike to deliver Uber Eats orders just because of the cost savings compared to driving a car for Uber. Not to mention the option of potentially stacking deliveries to multiply your earnings.
Lastly, people are a lot more complicated than pizzas. As an Uber driver, you’ll deal with all sorts of people, and those late-night drives can be especially taxing due to loud, drunk passengers. That makes delivering a hot pizza sound pretty nice, even if it doesn’t pay as well.
Should I drive for Uber or Uber Eats?
The most important factor is whether or not you already own (or have access to) a car. If you don’t, then it’s probably a better idea to get started with Uber Eats and deliver via scooter, moped, or bike.
Otherwise, it comes down to the earnings potential and your personal preference.
Unless you stack deliveries from multiple apps, you will make more money driving for Uber than Uber Eats. This is especially true if you are able to drive consistently at high-demand times and take advantage of surge pricing.
However, making more money isn’t everything.
If you’re not a sociable person or you’re very particular about your car’s interior, you might get frustrated by driving passengers. People can be loud and messy. If you have a good attitude and aren’t bothered by the occasional rude or messy passenger, then you will do just fine as an Uber driver.
If any of that sounds too aggravating to you, then you might be much happier delivering food, which is guaranteed to sit quietly in its seat 🙂
Regardless of which one you choose, the signup process is the same, so get started via their signup page here:
Become an Uber/Uber Eats driver
We hope you have a clear idea of which one you prefer now, but you can always experiment with both. You can even switch between them from one day to the next, depending on your mood.
Save on gas & groceries: the Upside app gives you cash back when you fill up your tank, buy groceries, or eat out.
Thanks for reading this guide on Uber VS Uber Eats pay. Best of luck with your driving!
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