Item: Walmart Spark
Rating: 3.5
Author: Tom Blake

When it comes to Walmart, most people probably think of this retail giant as a convenient, affordable way to shop. But did you know that Walmart also offers a new way to get paid to drive if you're willing to hustle?

That's right: with Walmart Spark, you can make money by delivering orders and packages to Walmart customers and businesses. And you get to work on your own schedule, so you keep flexibility.

But is Walmart Spark worth it? And how much does Walmart Spark pay drivers on average?

My Walmart Spark driver review is covering actual pay data, how this gig app works, and how to ultimately decide if it's worth signing up for.

Key Takeaways:

Walmart Spark is a delivery gig you can sign up for if you're 18 or older
Spark drivers earn $15 per hour on average
This is an independent contractor position and not full-time employment or a W2 position
Walmart Spark is a flexible side hustle but doesn't pay as much as some food delivery gigs

Is Walmart Spark Worth It?

Walmart Spark is worth it if you want a flexible side hustle that pays approximately $15 per hour. It's also a good side hustle if you have access to your own vehicle and don't mind making deliveries for other people.

However, Walmart Spark probably isn't worth it if you want to earn a full-time income. This is because how many deliveries you get per day can vary greatly, impacting your earnings.

Generally, the best way to maximize income in the gig economy is to use several apps so you get as many orders as possible.

So, you can become a Walmart Spark driver to see how much it pays in your market. But also consider more popular delivery apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats.

How Much Do Spark Drivers Make? – Walmart Spark Delivery Driver Pay

Walmart Spark drivers earn approximately $15.77 per hour according to salary review websites like Indeed. However, factors like your market, potential tips, surge pay, and driver promotions all greatly influence how much you earn.

Walmart Spark driver pay

Additional bonuses and incentives also play a massive role in how much Spark drivers make:

Guaranteed Earning Incentives: Drivers receive a bonus payment to earn a minimum amount that Walmart outlines for a certain number of deliveries.
Lump Sum Incentives: Receive a flat rate bonus for achieving a delivery goal.
Tiered Bonus Incentives: Receive bonuses based on reaching certain goal levels such as a certain number of deliveries in a particular amount of time.
Per Trip Incentives: These bonuses are an additional amount paid per trip.

On a busy day, earning $20 per hour or more as a Spark driver could be possible. But at the same time, slower days and a lack of tips and high-paying orders might mean you earn less.

Additionally, Walmart Spark isn't available in all areas, and more rural locations might not have enough demand to make driving for this side hustle profitable.

Also note that Spark drivers are independent contractors. This means you're responsible for reporting and paying your own taxes, as well as covering your expenses such as fuel and vehicle maintenance.

Overall, a lot of gig drivers I know stack gigs like DoorDash and Instacart with Walmart Spark so they get as many orders as possible.

What Is Walmart Spark?

Walmart Spark is a package delivery gig where drivers can make money by delivering orders made by customers on the Walmart app. All you have to do is sign up, pass a background check, and you can begin accepting and completing Walmart deliveries to get paid.

Being a Spark driver is similar to other delivery gigs like Amazon Flex or Instacart. The only difference is that you deliver different types of Walmart orders.

As for what you deliver, items can range from everyday essentials to Walmart groceries. Home and beauty products, cleaning supplies, clothing, and almost anything Walmart sells qualifies for delivery.

Delivery offers tell you the minimum payout amount as well, so you know how much you make per delivery before tips and potential surge pay or driver promotions boost your earnings.

Plus, Walmart Spark lets you withdraw your earnings every Tuesday for the previous week of work. This makes it a relatively fast-paying side hustle that's similar to other driving gigs.

How To Become A Walmart Spark Driver

If you're ready to become a Spark driver, the great news is that the entire process takes four steps from start to getting paid:

Meet the Walmart Spark driver requirements
Apply and pass a background check
Complete deliveries
Get paid

1. Meet The Spark Driver Requirements

Like other delivery gigs, there are certain Walmart Spark driver requirements you have to meet to apply, including:

Being 18 years of age or older
Having a reliable car, truck, SUV or cargo van
Having automobile insurance
Passing a background check
Having a smartphone that can run the Spark driver app

The fact that you can't make money with your bike, scooter, or on foot is a small downside of being a Spark driver. But the lack of strict vehicle requirements is a plus.

2. Apply & Pass Background Check

Walmart Spark's background check takes about two to seven days to complete. When you sign up, you have to fill out some personal information online through Delivery Drivers Inc to get started.

Walmart Spark sign up

This background check is pretty standard in the gig economy world, and other gigs like Uber Eats and DoorDash require the same step.

Just note that individuals who have had convictions for violent crimes, multiple moving violations, a DUI or drug related violations or other convictions related to driving may not be eligible for Walmart Spark.

If you have questions about the Spark driver application process, you can email [email protected] to ask questions about an ongoing application.

3. Complete Deliveries

Once you become a Walmart Spark driver, you're eligible to accept and claim deliveries to start making money!

You can begin accepting deliveries whenever nearby Walmarts are open. Order requests also outline minimum driver pay, estimated time, and delivery distance.

Managing your orders with the Walmart Spark driver app is very similar to other driving gigs. And you can use the app to easily accept orders, navigate to the store and customer's house, and then mark deliveries as complete.

Just note that there are several kinds of Walmart Spark orders you can accept:

Online Orders: These online orders are for non-grocery items. You pick up the orders in-store and then complete your delivery.
Curbside Orders: With curbside orders, you wait at designated Spark driver spots at your nearby Walmart. A Walmart employee then loads your vehicle with the items for the curbside order.
Express Orders: This type of Spark order is a Walmart grocery order that you're supposed to pick up and deliver in under two hours.

4. Get Paid

Once you complete a Spark delivery, you see how much the order paid as well as any potential tips. Like other gig apps, Spark drivers keep 100% of all tips they receive.

Walmart Spark drivers are paid weekly on Tuesdays by 8 p.m. PST. Payment is done via Branch Wallet. This payment method lets you receive your funds and manage your earnings electronically. You can also store and transfer your earnings via the Spark driver app.

Just note that you can withdraw earnings from deliveries you completed the previous week, Monday through Sunday, and tips that have finished processing. If you have tips in process, those will be issued the following week.

A lack of instant payout is a downside. Gigs like DoorDash and Instacart both let you cash out your daily earnings for a small fee, so I hope Spark drivers can do this in the future to get paid the same day.

How Does Walmart Spark Assign Orders?

You can go online whenever Walmart is open in your area to begin accepting deliveries. However, there are a few different ways that Spark drivers get orders, including:

First Come, First Serve: These orders are available to all Spark drivers, so you should check the driver app regularly and claim orders before they're gone.
Round Robin: These order requests appear for one driver at a time depending on location, driver history, and other factors. If a driver turns down the order, it goes to the next best Spark driver.
Surge Orders: Some Spark deliveries have surge pricing added to them if customer demand is high but there aren't enough available drivers.

On a busy day, surge orders and claiming lots of open orders can mean you make quick money. But if Walmart Spark is slow in your area, try testing out other gigs like Uber Eats and Instacart as well.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Lenient vehicle requirements
You don't need previous work experience to apply
Walmart Spark pays weekly
You keep 100% of all tips
Lots of earning bonuses and incentives

Cons:

Earning potential might be limited in rural and lower population areas
You can't deliver with a bike or scooter
Tip baiting is possible
Apartment deliveries can be more challenging if you're delivering a lot of heavy items or lots of bags
Tips can take 24 hrs to appear in your earnings
No instant cash out option

Other Walmart Spark Driver Reviews

One of the best ways to tell if being a Walmart Spark driver is worth it or not is to see what other real drivers are saying about their delivery experiences.

Thankfully, there are plenty of Spark driver reviews on forums like Reddit where drivers give their feedback:

GorillaMoonship says: “I just started spark last week and made $600 total in 4 days. Most of it from incentives and tips. I was basically spamming this one neighborhood Walmart for grocery trips and sometimes able to do 2 trips an hour. I worked about 4 hours a day on it. It wasn't that hard but there are challenges to it. Apartments are the most strenuous. One time I had an xl order with 94 items with a lot of heavy liquid items on the 3rd floor. Other than that it's fine. It pays better than other apps.”
MaybeSomeDayX1 says: “600 a week every week for the last 6 weeks for me. Another 400 a week usually on DoorDash. Spark isn't perfect but money is definitely there compared to other apps.”
Lilnikki222 says: “I never ever make less than 500-700 a week. That’s only working 5-6 hour shifts. 90% of my orders are 22+ I have never been tip baited.”
Jholmes1023 says: “If you can’t handle the physical labor, stick with Uber Eats and deliver fast food.”

As you can see, these Spark drivers seem pretty happy with how much it pays. However, they also note that heavy items and large orders, especially in apartments, can be very physically demanding.

This Walmart Spark driver review from YouTuber Your Driver Mike also shares how the app works, how much it pays, and what to expect:

Overall, it seems like becoming a Spark driver can be a good idea if you're already busy with delivery jobs like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and others.

Don't expect to make a full-time income with Walmart Spark. But if you want a high-paying app that's flexible, it's worth testing out.

The Best Walmart Spark Driver Alternatives

As mentioned, stacking several delivery apps, or multi-apping, is one of the best ways to make more money in the gig economy.

And the great news is that there are plenty of jobs like Walmart Spark you can try, including:

Uber Eats: Another popular delivery gig that's more globally available.
DoorDash: Make money with the leading food delivery app in North America.
Shipt: One of the leading grocery delivery jobs like Instacart.
Instacart: A similar grocery delivery gig to Walmart Spark that's a great way to get paid to shop.
Amazon Flex: Lets you earn $18 to $25 per hour for delivering packages.
Grubhub: A popular gig like Uber Eats you can use to deliver food for money.

If you stack several of these money making apps, there's no reason why you can't find success in the gig economy and boost your income.

Personally, I think Uber Eats is the best one to stack with being a Spark driver since it's flexible. But if you prefer delivering packages, jobs like Amazon Flex are better.

Extra Reading – How To Make $1,000 A Week With Uber Eats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Walmart Spark A Good Job?

Yes, Walmart Spark is a good job if you want a flexible delivery gig that pays approximately $15 per hour before any tips. It's not a good job if you don't have a vehicle or want to make a full-time income.

Walmart Spark vs DoorDash – Which Gig Is Best?

Being a Spark driver is better than DoorDash if you don't mind delivering larger orders and don't want to only deliver fast food. However, DoorDash can pay more per hour in many markets than Walmart Spark since it's busier. And I also prefer DoorDash since it lets you deliver via bike and scooter.

However, you can always combine both apps to maximize the number of orders you get per hour.

Extra Reading – The Best DoorDash Hacks.

Does Walmart Spark Pay For Gas?

No, Walmart Spark doesn't pay for gas. This is because Spark drivers are independent contractors, so they're responsible for covering expenses like fuel, repairs, vehicle maintenance, and parking tickets.

I suggest using a mileage tracking app like Everlance so you can automatically track your mileage, expenses, and income.

This is the best and easiest way in my experience to stay organized and to also claim potential business deductions when filing taxes.

Walmart Spark vs Instacart – Which One Is Best?

Walmart Spark is better than Instacart if you want to make money delivering groceries and essentials but don't want to spend as much time in-store shopping around.

In contrast, Instacart can often have higher tips than Walmart Spark but requires more shopping knowledge and time.

Final Thoughts

Is Walmart Spark worth it? If you have access to a vehicle and a clean driving record, making deliveries as a Spark driver can be an effective, fun side hustle.

I also like that you can go online when you're available to earn money in your spare time. And the variety of delivery types and potential pay bonuses help make this side hustle more lucrative.

So what’s the downside? Well, geography can have a major impact. If you live in a rural or less populated area, the demand and earning potential may be lower than drivers in large cities can make.

For example, one of my friends who does delivery gigs lives in a small town where there are only a couple deliveries available a day. He has found that when he drives to a nearby large city, he can multiply his earnings and make considerably more.

Overall, I think Walmart Spark can be worth testing out in your existing rotation of delivery jobs. But sticking with busier apps like Uber Eats and Instacart still makes sense.

Thanks for reading my Spark driver review!

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