How To Make $1,000 A Week With Uber Eats (2024 Guide!)
If you're currently delivering for Uber Eats or are thinking about taking on this side hustle, you're probably wondering how to make the most money.
This is the case with any gig economy job. After all, you want to make sure you're making as much money as possible every single shift.
So today, I'm covering how to make $1,000 a week with Uber Eats so you can maximize your income from this delivery job. And I'm sharing some pro tips you can use to make sure you're earning as much per hour as possible.
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How To Make $1,000 A Week With Uber Eats
To make $1,000 a week with Uber Eats, the average driver probably needs to work for about 60 hours. This assumes a driver earns approximately $16 per hour. However, you can make $1k a week with Uber Eats in less time if you deliver in a busy market and follow these tips and tricks:
- Work on weekends
- Work for tips
- Earn peak pay
- Work in busy markets
- Start multi-apping
- Save money on gas
- Cancel bad orders
- Set a daily income target
- Test new delivery zones
1. Don't Skip Weekends
One of the best tips for making $1,000 a week with Uber Eats is to always work during busy periods.
The best time to do Uber Eats is on Friday nights and the weekends. This is because this is when order volume is highest, so there's a higher chance to get surge pricing and peak pay on your deliveries (more on this later).
Plus, on the weekends, people might order larger orders for parties, get-togethers, or post-bar meals, which can mean larger tips if people typically tip 10% to 20% or more.
You can always take Monday and Tuesday off, or Tuesday and Wednesday, since these days are typically slower for all food delivery apps.
2. Try To Get Tips From Customers
Like other food delivery jobs, tips play a major role in how to make $1k a week with Uber Eats.
A few good tips transforms your hourly pay, so it's important to work on customer service by doing things like:
- Texting the customer if you're delayed or encountering issues
- Grabbing extras for the customer, like sauces or napkins
- Being friendly and smiling when dropping off food
- Using a good profile photo
Delivering the food carefully and ensuring the restaurant didn't make any mistakes before leaving to deliver is also super important. When my friend Grant does Uber Eats and DoorDash in Toronto, tips play a big role in how much he earns per hour.
For example, in the screenshot below, you can see his hourly pay fluctuates between around $14 and $21 per hour, but tips play a role in this:
3. Look For Peak Pay
As mentioned, surge pricing, which occurs when Uber experiences higher-than-normal order requests, helps you earn more per delivery.
The Uber Eats driver app actually highlights areas of your city where surge pricing is in effect. If you can follow local events, like concerts or football games, or work during holidays or long weekends, there's a higher chance you can snag peak pay for your shift and earn more money.
If you can't get peak pay, my advice is to aim for a minimum of $1 per mile you drive for a delivery when an order request pops up and you can accept or decline it.
4. Work In Busy Areas
The blunt truth is that it might not be possible to make $1,000 a week doing Uber Eats in every market.
If you test different times to drive and try all of the tricks to boost your Uber Eats pay but aren't earning $20+ per hour, you have a few options.
The first option is to simply work 60+ hour weeks to hit your income target. The second is to use Uber Eats to supplement your income but to try other money-making ideas to fill in the rest of your monthly income.
This could involve picking up a second job, finding various under the table jobs, or looking into ways to make money online.
The main thing is to test how much you can earn with Uber Eats to see if $1,000 is realistic in your market and to make a decision from there.
5. Double-Up On Delivery Apps
Many experienced food delivery couriers double-app or multi-app. This involves turning on two food delivery apps to get multiple order requests so they can pick the best-paying gigs.
Once you accept a delivery, you can shut off all your apps except for the one you're working for. When you're done with an order, turn the apps back on again to get order requests.
Some other food delivery jobs like Uber Eats you can try include:
- DoorDash
- Steady (great for finding new and local side hustles)
- Postmates
- Grubhub
- Caviar
- Instacart
- Drizly (for alcohol)
- Cornershop
- Walmart Spark
You can also try grocery delivery apps like Shipt and Instacart, although you can't double-app these apps since grocery orders take too long and Shipt requires scheduling shifts.
Extra Reading – 12 Best Jobs Like Instacart To Make Extra Cash.
6. Save Money On Gas
As an independent contractor, you're responsible for job expenses like gas and vehicle repairs. This means finding ways to save money on gas helps keep more money in your pocket.
For starters, driving a fuel efficient vehicle or even making money on your bike can help lessen fuel costs or avoid them altogether. You can also use various reward apps to earn PayPal cash and free gift cards for buying gas.
Some reward apps you can try include:
These apps won't make you rich, but they definitely help increase your Uber Eats earnings so you keep more of your hard-earned money!
Tracking your business expenses is also important when filing your taxes since you can get potential deductions. I suggest using the Everlance to do this since it's an amazing mileage tracking app that's designed for gig workers.
7. Know When To Cancel Orders
Many drivers don't know this, but you can actually cancel active Uber Eats orders sometimes and you won't get deactivated. And canceling orders where the restaurant or drive-thru is taking forever with the order is smart since it lets you work more efficiently.
You shouldn't do this very often since canceling too many orders can get you deactivated. But make sure you unassign painfully slow orders to make more per hour.
8. Set Daily Income Goals
If you work seven days a week, making $1,000 a week doing Uber Eats requires making $142 per day. This is a much more realistic goal to frame in your head, and it's possible to earn if you deliver at the busiest times and benefit from surge pricing and tips.
Of course, this is a grind, so don't expect it to be easy. But working hard and hitting daily goals is key for this side hustle.
9. Test Different Markets
One final tip is to test out a few markets and cities in your area to find the highest-paying areas.
Your market is one of the main factors that influences how much you earn per hour as an Uber Eats courier. So, test out a few zones and see if any have better restaurants, shorter delivery distances, or higher tips.
My post on the top Uber Eats hacks also has useful tips drivers can use to make more money.
How Much Can You Make With Uber Eats In A Day?
If you work eight hours a day, you can likely earn around $120 to $160 per day doing Uber Eats. However, your market, tips, delivery speed, and luck all influence your daily Uber Eats earnings.
Additionally, you want to skip the morning deliveries if possible and work the lunch rush, dinner rush, and late-night deliveries. If you work Uber Eats from 9am to 5pm, I expect your hourly wage is going to be lower, meaning you earn less per day.
Can You Make $200 A Day With Uber Eats?
You can earn $200 a day with Uber Eats if you drive approximately 10 hours and average $20 per hour. However, you'll likely find that you have to drive 10 to 12 hours to make $200 in a day with Uber Eats unless you get lucky with high-paying orders and good tips.
Additionally, many gig workers multi-app with other high-paying apps like DoorDash. This helps you get enough steady orders per hour if your market is slow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Do Uber Eats Full Time?
If you can earn $2,000 to $3,000 per month doing Uber Eats, this is a livable wage for many places on earth, especially if you live alone and don't have dependents. Ultimately, deciding to do Uber Eats full time largely depends on your income goals and cost of living.
But, I think Uber Eats is a part-time gig for most people to create a new income source and earn more per month, not the only means of income.
Extra Reading – 20+ Jobs That Pay $3,000 A Month.
How Much Can You Make With Uber Eats In A Week
Uber Eats pays approximately $15 per hour on average according to multiple salary review sources and reports from other delivery drivers. If you work 40 hours a week, this means you make $600 with Uber Eats. However, by working longer hours and driving at peak times, you can make $1,000 a week or more with Uber Eats in very busy markets.
Also note that tips, peak pay, and other factors all influence your weekly Uber Eats earnings.
Extra Reading – The Best Apps That Pay You To Drive.
Final Thoughts
You can make $1,000 a week driving for Uber Eats. However, I wouldn't say this is normal or an average by any means. And many drivers who make this sort of income also multi-app or work more than 40 hours per week.
Ultimately, the best step is to set an income goal and to begin testing out your earnings in your market. If the math works out and is worth the effort, then food delivery gigs can be an excellent side hustle.
Start delivering with Uber Eats!
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