How To Make The Most Money On DoorDash – 18 Pro Tips!
DoorDash is one of the most popular driving apps that pay. In fact, this food delivery gig is available in over 5,500 cities in North America.
But how much money you make as a Dasher depends on numerous factors. Some of these factors are outside of your control, but many aren't, which is great news.
So, if you're wondering how to make more money on DoorDash, you're in luck!
There are plenty of strategies you can use to make the most money with DoorDash. And I've been writing and testing different DoorDash strategies for years to earn as much as possible. If you're ready to increase your earnings and work smart, not just hard, this is the post for you.
Want some other quick cash ideas alongside DoorDash? Checkout:
- EarnIn: Borrow up to $750 against an upcoming paycheck without paying membership fees!
- Best Auto Match: Save $600+ per year on car insurance with this free quote comparison tool.
How To Make The Most Money On DoorDash
It doesn't matter if you're making money with DoorDash or other delivery gigs like Uber Eats or Instacart; efficiency is the name of the game.
So, these tips to make more money with DoorDash focus on a few areas:
- Getting more deliveries per hour
- Making more money per hour
- Reducing your operational expenses
- Saving money on taxes
When you combine these strategies, you can get paid more on DoorDash, making this side hustle even more worthwhile.
1. Accept High-Paying Batches
One of the most basic but important tips to make money money with DoorDash is to accept high-paying batches. This sounds obvious, but learning which orders to accept or decline is an important skill to master.
For a long time, the golden rule has been to only accept DoorDash orders that pay at least $1 per mile.
However, with gas prices being higher, it's not a bad idea to nudge this up slightly.
You also have to consider where a delivery takes you. If it takes you into the middle of nowhere and far from your zone, it might not be worth driving all the way back.
And remember: your DoorDash acceptance rate doesn't matter, so there's nothing wrong with declining low-paying orders and having a 10% to 30% acceptance rate or something similar.
2. Improve Your Customer Service
When it comes to working for food delivery gigs like DoorDash or Uber Eats, customer service plays a massive role in how much you make. This is because good tips can turn a bad or average delivery into an excellent delivery.
So, one of the best ways to make more money on DoorDash is to improve your customer service skills to potentially get higher tips.
Some customer service tips you can implement include:
- Messaging the customer about any delays or important updates about their order
- Grabbing extras from the restaurant like napkins, straws, cutlery, and sauces if possible
- Being friendly when making your delivery
- Writing the customer's name on the delivery bag with a pen or sharpie marker
- Dressing in a DoorDash shirt or a clean shirt, at the very least
- Delivering food carefully, especially if you're on a bike, so things don't spill
- Separating hot and cold food items and always use an insulated food delivery bag
These tips don't seem too impactful, but in aggregate, they provide better service and increase the chances of a decent cash tip or someone adjusting their tip.
3. Try DoorDash's New Earn By Time Mode
In 2023, DoorDash started rolling out its new “Earn by Time Mode” to Dashers in the United States and Canada.
This new payment option lets Dashers choose to be paid hourly instead of per order. You see the hourly payment amount in your app before you start Dashing, and you get to decline or unassign one order per hour with this mode.
Dashers still keep 100% of all tips with the Earn by Time mode. And you can always toggle to Earn by Order after testing it out if you don't like the new payment model.
This new payment model has been met with a lot of criticsm from Dashers. But it could still be a way to make more money with DoorDash if you're in a very slow market.
This video from Nuggs compares how much you can make with DoorDash's original payment model and the new Earn by Time mode.
After a full day of Dashing, Nuggs made $3 more with the new Earn by Time mode than the Dasher he was competing with. And he didn't have to stress as much during the slow shift since he was still getting paid.
4. Deliver At The Best DoorDash Times
Another crucial tip for making more money on DoorDash is to drive at the best DoorDash times.
Since gig apps like DoorDash are all about supply and demand, the best times to deliver are when customers are placing more orders.
The best DoorDash times include:
- Lunch (11am to 2pm)
- Dinner (4:30pm to 8pm)
- Late nights on Friday and Saturday
- All-day during the weekend
Tuesday and Wednesday are generally slower days as well, so try to Dash on weekends and Friday to make as much money as possible.
5. Track Your DoorDash Mileage
Another tip to make the most money from DoorDash is to track your DoorDash mileage.
Since you're an independent contractor, DoorDash doesn't pay for gas or other job-related expenses. However, you can still keep more of your DoorDash earnings by claiming some of these expenses when filing taxes.
For example, expenses like business mileage, repairs, oil changes, and even tolls can sometimes help you save on taxes.
You can track your DoorDash mileage manually. Mileage tracking apps like Everlance also do this automatically for you.
If you're trying to live off of DoorDash or put serious hours behind the wheel, you definitely need to add this tax-saving tip into your arsenal.
You can also use various cash-back reward apps like GetUpside to save money on gas. Again, every penny counts!
6. Accepted Batched Orders
Sometimes, DoorDash offers you batched orders. These orders require picking up two deliveries from the same location and then making two different drop-offs.
Batched orders can be tricky, especially if you're learning how to DoorDash for the first time.
This is because you have to be timely with deliveries so food doesn't get cold. So, you have the feeling you're on a clock.
But batched orders are one of the best ways to make more money with DoorDash because they often pay quite well.
Some batched orders also qualify for Peak Pay (more on this later), and again, you're getting 2 potential tips and more base pay.
7. Know When To Cancel Orders
Your DoorDash completion rate is the percentage of accepted orders you complete. For example, if you completed 95 of your last 100 accepted orders, your completion rate is 95%.
This metric is important because you must maintain a completion rate of 80% or higher to avoid DoorDash deactivation. However, many beginner Dashers are scared to ever cancel orders because they think they can get in trouble.
But sometimes, canceling orders is in your best interest for making the most money with DoorDash.
Here's a scenario where canceling an order makes sense.
If you get to a restaurant and speak to kitchen staff and find out the food is going to take another 20 to 40 minutes, cancel the order. Similarly, if you arrive at a restaurant and the dining room is closed but the drive-thru is backed up down the block, cancel the order.
You need to work efficiently to make the most money doing DoorDash, so know when to cut your losses and move on to the next order.
8. Try The Para App
One creative way to make more money on DoorDash is to try out the Para app.
This new gig economy app helps provide more transparency into how much you get paid for completing DoorDash orders.
The Para app provides information on DoorDash orders like:
- Estimated total payout
- Total tip estimate
- Items list (so you know what you're delivering)
The app isn't always accurate, but it helps you know the actual earnings for many orders before you accept or decline them.
In some scenarios, this helps you get more DoorDash orders because it can highlight high-tip orders you'd normally decline.
Download the Para app today or read our post on how Para works for all the details.
9. Wait Near DoorDash Hotspots
Another simple but important way to earn more money on DoorDash is to wait in areas with more restaurants.
The Dasher app actually highlights hotspots which are areas with many orders and lots of restaurants.
Hotspots don't always work, but it makes sense to wait by more restaurants so you're closer when accepting orders.
This is especially important if DoorDash is slow since you want to get assigned as many orders as possible, and your proximity to restaurants influences this.
10. Schedule DoorDash Shifts In Advance
DoorDash lets you “Dash Now” and work immediately if the zone you're in is busy. But if DoorDash is slow or a lot of other Dashers are on the rode, your zone might be grayed out and ineligible for going online.
So, to make sure you can deliver and to get paid more from DoorDash, schedule Dashes in advance whenever possible.
Scheduling ensures you can actually Dash in your zone. And it also lets you choose the hours you're working, which helps with planning out your week more effectively.
11. Use Other Food Delivery Apps
It might sound counterintuitive, but one strategy to get more money from DoorDash is to use a variety of food delivery apps.
This strategy is known as multi-apping or double-apping. Like the name suggests, it involves using two food delivery apps to get as many orders as possible.
I know plenty of gig workers who do this, and it's an excellent way to make sure you stay busy with orders. And, the great news is that there are plenty of jobs like DoorDash to make money if your market is slow.
Some of the best DoorDash alternatives include:
- Instacart: The leading grocery delivery service in North America.
- Amazon Flex: Earn $18 to $25 per hour by delivering Amazon packages.
- Walmart Spark: Get paid to deliver groceries and Walmart products.
- Shipt: A popular grocery delivery gig like Instacart.
- Uber Eats: A globally-available food delivery app that's similar to DoorDash.
- Grubhub: Another food delivery app like Uber Eats.
- Roadie: A peer-to-peer delivery app that pays you for delivering large packages.
Between various DoorDash hacks and these other delivery gigs, you can definitely increase your monthly income and find steady gig work.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make $300 A Day.
12. Don't Go For Top Dasher
The DoorDash Top Dasher program is an incentive program to award Dashers with high acceptance rates who complete a lot of deliveries per month.
The main perks of Top Dasher are that you get priority when DoorDash assigns orders and things are slow. You can also Dash Now anytime you want, even if a zone is gray.
The requirements to become a Top Dasher include:
- Having a customer rating of at least 4.7 stars
- Having an acceptance rate of at least 70%
- Having a completion rate of at least 95%
- 100 completed deliveries in the last month
- 200 all-time deliveries
The acceptance rate is the main downside of Top Dasher. For most markets, reaching 70% or higher means you have to accept many low-paying orders.
This effort isn't worth it in most markets, especially if you want to make more money doing DoorDash.
You can still test it out one month to see if Top Dasher's worth it. But for most markets, it's a bad idea.
13. Don't Eat Out While On The Job
Another simple trick to make the most with DoorDash is to avoid eating out while you're on the job.
This is really a simple way to save more money regardless of the job you have.
But for DoorDash, it's incredibly tempting to eat out as you spend the day delivering fast food and restaurant meals.
However, spending $10 to $20 per DoorDash shift really eats into your earnings. So do your best to meal prep on the weekend or during the week and pack a lunch so you don't eat out.
14. Take Advantage Of DoorDash Promotions
As mentioned, DoorDash sometimes offers Peak Pay and other incentives that pay you more per order or pay you for completing a certain number of deliveries.
So, unsurprisingly, going for these bonuses is a great way to earn more money with DoorDash.
Peak Pay can be more common if it's raining or snowing outside, so try to go online if there's bad weather.
Also look in the Dasher app for any new DoorDash challenges that pay you bonuses for completing a certain number of deliveries in a certain period.
15. Try Different Zones
When you schedule a DoorDash shift, you pick the zone(s) you're delivering in.
But while it's tempting to always Dash close to home, you should experiment with some of your nearby zones and markets to see where the good orders and tips are.
Different zones can be more lucrative than others depending on nearby restaurants and the income bracket of the zone.
This isn't a perfect science. But for making more money with DoorDash, it's worth testing this theory.
Extra Reading – Can I DoorDash In Another State?
16. Restart The DoorDash App
A lot of the time, technical issues with your Dasher app can be fixed by simply restarting the app on your phone.
If the app is being buggy and not letting you accept orders, this obviously reduces your earnings. So, take a minute to reboot the application so you can get back to delivering.
17. Look For Tax Write-Offs
Another simple way to make the most money on DoorDash is to look for potential tax write-offs so you keep more of your earnings.
This is a massive part of optimizing your earnings as a gig worker. And, thankfully, there are lots of potential write-offs Dashers can look for like:
- Gas
- Vehicle repairs and maintenance
- Auto insurance
- Accessories for Dashing (like a smartphone holder)
This YouTube video from DoorDash driver Moore Finance provides a useful overview of how to file taxes as a Dasher and what potential deductions to look for.
Of course, if you have specific questions or need advice, I always suggest speaking to a licenses tax professional.
18. Read Our DoorDash Tips & Tricks Guide
If you're still wondering how to make more money with DoorDash, one last piece of advice is to read our DoorDash tips and tricks guide.
This guide covers some of the tips covered in this article plus more customer service tricks and ways you can make more money.
Extra Reading – How To Make $5,000 Dollars Fast.
Final Thoughts
I hope our guide on how to make the most money on DoorDash helps you increase your earnings from this popular food delivery gig.
Again, finding success in the gig economy is about trial and error and working smart.
DoorDash is one of the best ways to get paid to shop. And with the right strategies, you can also make more money from DoorDash to make it even more worthwhile.
Plus, if you throw in other delivery gigs like Instacart or Uber Eats, there's plenty of opportunity to make money in the gig economy.
Happy Dashing!
Looking for even more ways to make extra money? Checkout:
- How To Make $1,000 Dollars In 24 Hours.
- The 10+ Best Jobs That Pay The Same Day.
- The Best Free Online Jobs That Pay Daily.
DoorDash Disclaimer: Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Start Dashing today: Subject to background check and availability.
