How to Avoid Doordash Fees: The right way

No doubt, the complaints about Doordash fees have been on the roof recently. And there are actually reasons for this.

For instance, here’s a screenshot of someone’s order.

Pretty expensive. No cap.

And no, these fees, don’t just go all in, to drivers- I’m a driver myself.

In fact, drivers already have a guaranteed payment system based on a systematic calculation that puts in factors such as the time to be spent on the road, the distance between customer location, pickup location, traffic flow and order value.

So who gets these charges? And how can you get rid of or avoid these fees? This article will explain this in detail.

Understanding Doordash Fees and Charges

Before we go on to this list of approaches to get rid of the fees you find on Doordash, let’s try to understand how they’re charged.

Firstly, Doordash fees can be divided into 4 sections, which include:

Menu Charge

Many people have always complained about why the menu pricing for foods on Doordash is usually more expensive compared to the actual restaurant.

Not, just that, but in most cases over 20%.

The reason behind this is that…

Doordash charges restaurants a commission rate fee per order processed on the platform.

This can go anywhere from 21% to over 36% in cost.

To cover these costs, restaurants would usually add a percentage to the cost of food listed on Doordash and in most delivery platforms.

In other words, Doordash gets the money for the extra difference you’ll find on the platform compared to local restaurants.

Delivery Fee

This is the primary fee, expected from Doordash to add. However, in most cases, it gets more than this (we’ll talk about others as you read through).

Primary, this is the fee you’re charged by Doordash to bring your order from the restaurant to you.

A common misconception here, however, is that the delivery fee goes all in, to delivery drivers. That’s not the case. A Dasher’s pay is calculated separately, and usually not up to the delivery charge.

Typically, the delivery fees on Doordash are based on the distance between your location, the driver’s location and the restaurant location as well as the traffic flow on the road.

Service and Other Varying fees

While Doordash already charges restaurants and has a good percentage in the delivery fee, there are still other charges needed for you to pay.

This includes;

1. A service fee – This is the official fee Doordash needs you to pay them for the service they offer to you. Note that this fee is applicable to each and every order you make.
2. A small order fee – This is a fee you’re charged when your order is below a certain amount. This costs around $2.50.
3. Taxes – For every order you make, you have a share of the tax to be paid, based on “estimates”.

The bad part about all of this is that there are no open formulas to easily calculate or estimate these. And Doordash isn’t ready to be transparent about them either.

How to Avoid Doordash Fees

Now, comes the big question. How can you avoid these fees on Doordash?

Well, there are a few ways to, and we’d be listing them below:

Look for Restaurants with Free Delivery

If all you want is to get the fee on your order or subsequent order waived by all means, one way to do this is by going for restaurants or deals accompanied by free delivery.

Most restaurants would once in a while, run promos that could offer a number of discounts, which include some dollars off on the price of their food, and of course free deliveries.

When they do, you have the chance of using them.

Typically, you can do this by filtering your search on the app.

If you’re not a fan of using new restaurants out of the blue, you could also be able to filter your searches by lowest price, and other conditions which you’ll find available.

This can significantly help you get better orders.

Having a problem using the free delivery? We have an article that covers why this may have happened.

Sign up for DashPass

If you’re someone who uses Doordash frequently and orders at least 5 times a month, why not sign up for Dash pass?

Dash pass is a service on the platform, that allows you to pay nothing for delivery while you keep on with a monthly charge that costs around 11 dollars for adults and 7 dollars for students.

Not only would it cover the cost of delivery, but there are also some profits to be made when compared to the normal delivery fee.

Now, it’s important to take note that the Dashpass only covers the cost of delivery, which we talked about earlier and not anything else.

Also, if at any point you feel like you no longer need the subscription, it’s worth mentioning that you should try cancelling it in your dashboard, as Doordash would normally keep charging you.

Check for Promos Codes and Coupons

Just like most platforms, Doordash do run and accept promos.

This may be anything from a self-hosted promo by Doordash to promos and coupons by third-party sites, like USNEWs (a media-based platform) or Retailmenot (a coupon-based platform).

You’ll get a notification on your dashboard for self-hosted coupons that you’re legible for. Alternatively, you could also use this link to check for eligible offers.

To find third-party sites with promo offers, making a quick search on Google could help you save stress.

For instance, by typing “Doordash promo code,” I was able to get these results from popular media sites (of course, they won’t make a joke out this, hence, they’re definitely legit offers):

Always compare with other platforms

Just like someone who wants to get a new car, or washing machine that’s worth the money spent, if you want to get the best value for money when ordering food online, there are extra efforts you need to add.

One is to always compare between platforms.

Don’t just be a Doordash fanboy. Consider registering for other top alternatives to Doordash in your area. This may include

1. Grubhub
2. Ubereats
3. Postmates
4. Deliveroo

While it could be pretty much the same thing or similar, other times there could be huge differences you don’t expect.

So, it’s worth the extra effort.

Conclusion

Avoiding Doordash fees might seem impossible as they’re pretty much the standard fees everyone recognizes, however, it’s possible. By considering the tips shared in this article, you should be good to go.