How To Make $500 A Week With DoorDash

James

Updated on

February 8, 2023

If you want to save up money for the future, you’ll need some extra income with enough cash to spare for expenses.

One of the best ways to build that extra income is to start a part-time or side job. As far as side jobs go, you’ll want something that is straightforward and with as few complexities as possible. And becoming a DoorDash delivery person is one of the best part-time jobs out there.

DoorDash is a food delivery platform that employs freelance drivers who deliver food from restaurants to customers. As a DoorDash delivery driver, you can earn up to $500 per week by doing your due diligence.

But this begs the question: where do you begin? To get you started on this journey, we’ve created a comprehensive guide on DoorDash and how you can get employed by the platform.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

What's In This Guide? show

Doordash: The Food Delivery Service

DoorDash is a food delivery service that makes use of an app to connect local restaurants with their customers. This is to ensure that commercial eateries without a dedicated delivery service can still reliably deliver food to their customers. And this is where DoorDash drivers come in.

Drivers working for the food delivery platform needn’t be professionals, and anyone can sign up and get paid for delivering food. Over time, the deliveries that you make as a driver will rack up, amounting to quite a significant wad of cash. Moreover, you needn’t stick to a fixed schedule, as DoorDash allows for a flexible work schedule. It’s an easy way to earn a side income with relatively low effort in your spare time.

This also helps the average small local restaurant since they don’t have to worry about hiring new employees for delivery purposes. All they need to do is get in touch with DoorDash and let the platform handle the rest.

The Sign-Up Process

Signing up as a DoorDash driver takes a few minutes at most. All you have to do is follow these steps:

Visit the DoorDash website
Access the dasher sign-up page from the home page
Create a new DoorDash account, or sign in if you have one already
Fill in your details
Specify which vehicle you will be using for deliveries
Provide consent for vehicle and background checks
Add bank details

The background check is performed by a third-party agency known as Checkr, which can take up to seven business days to finish. Once the background checks are done, you’ll be ready to start your new side job as a Dasher.

Eligibility Criteria For DoorDash

There are a few basic requirements that qualify you to become a DoorDash driver, but the platform doesn’t need a qualification level. To be hired as a Dasher, you need to meet the following criteria:

Be 18 years of age
Own an iPhone or Android smartphone
Be a citizen of the US or Canada
Have a driver’s license if you’ll deliver food on a car
Have a clean driving record

How Much Money Can You Make With DoorDash

DoorDash pays its employees on a weekly basis, transferring their pay directly to their bank account by Wednesday night for the previous week.

And the amount you earn depends on how many deliveries you make and where you are located. Certain locations that have a higher influx of restaurant orders give you greater opportunities to earn more.

That said, DoorDash does have a $10 hourly pay guaranteed for the work you put in. And if you make less than that, the platform will pay you according to the minimum rate regardless. On top of that, you get to keep any cash tips given by customers without having to pay the company.

The DoorDash App

The DoorDash app is primarily what you will be using to accept delivery orders and manage your work shifts. But work alone isn’t all that the app has to offer.

There’s plenty to learn from the app as a DoorDash driver, some of which can help you gain a greater income than you earned earlier. For instance, you can discuss various ways of making more money in Dasher forums with fellow DoorDash drivers.

The app also provides tips for dashers to make the most money by working with DoorDash, such as how population density affects earnings. You can view which restaurants are open for business and the operating times for each establishment and plan your own working hours accordingly.

All in all, the app gives valuable insight into the job of a Dasher, allowing you to gauge how to optimize your working strategy.

DoorDash Operating Times

The services provided by DoorDash are open 24×7, but whether you can work in the middle of the night largely depends on the restaurants. Many restaurants close by 11 pm, so your opportunities to earn good money are limited to which establishments remain open throughout the night.

The Working Costs Of A DoorDasher

Sure, earning money as a DoorDash driver is easy and convenient, but there is a slight caveat to all of this. DoorDash doesn’t cover business expenses, and it is something you will have to handle on your own.

The largest expense that a DoorDash driver has to bear is fuel. And since the job involves driving around your city or town, you may rack up gas costs quickly. Your actual earnings can take a significant hit once these expenses are taken care of. Needless to say, drivers should be mindful of this as they continue working and set aside a portion of their income to pay for them.

DoorDash earnings are not tax-free, and you may want to calculate how much you need to pay before the financial year ends. After all, a big tax bill is something no one wants to see at the end of the year. Be sure to include any tips you receive in your income, as they are counted as taxable income unless paid in cash.

And lastly, DoorDash doesn’t cover expenses related to car maintenance, so you should try to keep your car in prime condition.

The Peak Pay Of A Dasher

For a side job to be worthwhile, you’ll want to maximize how much money you earn from it. As a Dasher, you’ll want to remain consistent and quick to make extra bucks.

DoorDash recognizes this, and has a program known as ‘Dashboost’. What this does is it provides you access to special offers and unique opportunities to increase your DoorDash pay. You can compare how much you’ve earned and gauge how to optimize these earnings further.

Another important thing to keep in mind as a DoorDasher is to remain consistent and quick with your deliveries. Having all the correct supplies and ensuring you are available when more deliveries need to be made will add to your DoorDash pay.

Let’s take a deeper dive into how you can make as much money as possible while working as a DoorDash driver.

1. Commission Levels

Depending on the establishment, you get different levels of commission for all deliveries you make. You can earn three kinds of commission from deliveries, namely Basic, Plus, and Premier, which give 15%, 25%, and 30% of the net order value.

DoorDash delivery drivers don’t have control over these commission levels since they are based on an agreement between the platform and establishments. But you can be selective about which deliveries you want to make to earn a higher level of commission.

2. Selecting The Right Dash Area

Moving to a busier part of your city or town is one of the best ways to maximize your weekly pay. Local favorite establishments receive a greater influx of orders, so you’ll have greater opportunities of earning commission levels you want.

A good strategy to continue increasing your earnings is to move if you no longer earn the desired sum. Making deliveries where restaurants are continuously busy is an easy way to maximize your earnings.

3. Be Mindful Of Peak Delivery Hours

Certain times of the week have people ordering food more than other days, especially during dinner time and on weekends. And since deliveries are plentiful and the majority of Dashers have their hands full, DoorDash offers to pay more than usual to meet the demand.

You can keep this in mind while choosing your work hours and make more money out of the same amount of work. Moreover, you have the choice of being selective about which orders to deliver, allowing you to squeeze a little extra money out.

Peak business hours vary based on the location, as well as the time of the year, given that holidays see a high influx of orders. Study your dashing location carefully and make sure that you are ready to seize these opportunities.

4. Be Selective Of Your Orders

Since DoorDash doesn’t cover your business expenses, you will have to be selective of which deliveries to make to minimize these expenses. Longer deliveries will rack up higher fuel expenses, and if you continue to make them, you may not have enough income left over. And factoring in taxes, you may be looking at a net loss.

Shorter deliveries, on the other hand, can help you earn more cash quickly while minimizing your business expenses. Your vehicle will see fewer chances of wear and tear, and you’ll have plenty of money left over after paying taxes.

Alternatives To DoorDash

You needn’t limit yourself to DoorDash when seeking ways to make more money using a vehicle. There are other services worth looking into that function similarly to DoorDash, ranging from delivering food and groceries to taxi services. Here are a few DoorDash alternatives you may look into.

1. Instacart

Instacart hires drivers to deliver groceries from convenience stores and local merchants to customers, just as DoorDash hires drivers to deliver food. It’s another easy way to make a little extra money at your leisure, giving your bank balance a nice boost with relatively low effort.

2. Postmates

A subsidiary of Uber, Postmates is a general delivery service that transports goods of all kinds to customers. This includes food, groceries, gadgets, clothing, and much more.

Much like DoorDash, Postmates pays its drivers based on the number of deliveries made while factoring in the time spent during transport. In addition to flat base pay, Postmates drivers earn anywhere from $2 to $10, depending on the order.

Another quality shared by Postmates and DoorDash is that drivers can keep 100% of any tip they receive from customers.

3. UberEats

Think of Uber Eats as Postmates but to deliver food specifically. Uber Eats drivers pick up take-out orders from dining establishments and deliver them to customers’ doorstep.

And just like Postmates, this food delivery service pays its drivers at a per-mile rate in addition to base pay. The payout is immediate, so you can see the results of the delivery shift every day before you get back home.

4. Lyft

Lyft is a carpool platform that connects drivers with those who need rides across a city. And, if you’re looking for a little extra work, the platform allows you to opt into delivery services as well.

You can get paid quickly via ExpressPay, and you can maximize this income by working during peak hours.

Conclusion

Earning enough money to make ends meet while safeguarding your future can be quite challenging, but there are plenty of ways to do so. Becoming financially independent is just one good opportunity away, and all you need to do is keep your eyes open to seize it.

DoorDash offers such an opportunity, offering flexible working hours and a base pay in addition to per delivery incentive. With the rapid expansion of digital services, expect meal delivery services to become even more common than they are now. Thus, you will always have work available to make a little extra cash.

Initially, you may not earn $500 every week, but with consistency and hard work, you will get there. All you need to remember is that the key to achieving this milestone is to remain persistent.

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