In today’s “gig” economy, there are a number of ways to earn extra money. Delivery app jobs are among the latest trends.
You can deliver groceries, meals and merchandise. For each delivery, you earn a commission and the customer may leave a tip.
Previously, a job as a courier meant working part-time for one company. You can find side hustles that are well-paying and fit your schedule to maximize your time.
Top Delivery App Jobs
You can work as an independent contractor to deliver goods for several apps. Many side hustlers scan multiple apps in order to find the most lucrative delivery requests.
Start with just one app to earn the new driver bonus.
1. DoorDash
You can earn $15 per hour by delivering restaurant meals using DoorDash. DoorDash is available in many smaller towns, unlike other delivery apps that partner with major cities.
Some apps are not available in small towns of less than 10,000 people.
The vehicle requirements for a driver are less strict because you won’t be delivering passengers like a ride-share driver. You can, for example, drive an old but reliable car or one with only two doors. You can also deliver goods by bicycle or scooter in some cities.
You can use the DoorDash application to browse an interactive map and see where the most demand is. You go to the restaurant to accept an order and then deliver it to the customer.
You can earn extra cash by delivering at peak times and receiving tips from customers. DoorDash has also launched a new “Top Dashers” rewards program to give you additional benefits.
Your linked bank account will be credited weekly. Instant payments can be made the same day, but they cost $1.99 each.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- Social Security Number (in the United States Only)
- Valid driver’s licence and auto insurance
- Own a scooter, car or bicycle (in certain cities)
- You must pass a background check
2. Instacart
You may prefer to have groceries delivered instead of restaurant food. Instacart is partnered with many supermarkets.
Instacart shoppers receive orders on their phones and collect the products from each aisle. You coordinate with the customer for delivery of the groceries after paying the order. You get to retain 100% of customer tips as a bonus.
The base rate you receive depends on your driving distance, the type of item(s) and the number of items. Instacart says that orders that require more effort may also pay more.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- Ability to lift 40 pounds or more without assistance
- Access to reliable cars on a regular basis
Within seven days after becoming an Instacart shopper, you will receive a card for payment. This card is used to pay for your grocery orders.
Instacart offers the opportunity to work as a personal shopper if you are not able or willing to deliver groceries. You can fill orders at one store, and work up to 29-hours per week.
3. Shipt
Shipping allows you to deliver household items and groceries from supermarkets, warehouse clubs, and discount stores. You might deliver groceries to Target, CVS Pharmacy, or Costco as your first delivery.
Shipt claims that you can make up to $22 an hour. You can earn extra money by using customer tips and delivery bonuses to help build wealth or repay debt.
You can get discounts on pet care, auto insurance and healthcare.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- Valid license and auto insurance
- A reliable vehicle that is at least 1997 old or newer
- The ability to live 40 pounds
- Know your product before you buy
4. Postmates
Postmates allows you to deliver groceries, meals and merchandise. Alcohol deliveries are possible if you are at least 21. You can, however, decline them.
Postmates is a delivery app that offers a variety of delivery options.
You can earn weekly guaranteed payments and keep 100% of all tips from customers, just like other delivery apps. You can request payments on demand after each delivery, for $0.50.
Postmates are usually only available in larger and medium-sized towns. Postmates are also available in tourist destinations that have a lot of restaurants.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- You must be a qualified driver to drive in your city
- Own a scooter, car or bicycle
5. Amazon Flex
You can earn money online with Amazon in a variety of ways. You can earn up to $25 an hour by driving for Amazon Flex.
You can deliver the following Amazon products:
- Amazon.com Orders
- Prime Now
- Amazon Fresh
- Local stores: Orders
- Instant Offers
The delivery options you have are dependent on where in the world you live. You can get the most options for delivery if you are near multiple warehouses.
You can order Whole Foods groceries in most cases.
As a Flex driver, you can sign up for blocks of deliveries and then report to the pick-up location to load your vehicle with deliveries. The average delivery window lasts between two and four hour.
You can deliver up to six-hours if you have an SUV or truck with a bed covered.
You can use any reliable vehicle to deliver Prime Now or Amazon Fresh. Amazon.com requires a mid-size four-door sedan or larger car to deliver orders. Scooters and vehicles with open air are not allowed.
All 50 states have service areas. Check back often to see if your city has any openings. You receive direct deposit payments twice a week.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 21
- Valid Driver’s License
- Social Security Number
- Four-door mid-size vehicle or larger
6. Uber Eats
Uber’s rideshare service is well-known, but it also offers a delivery service called Uber eats. The requirements for drivers and vehicles are more flexible when delivering food than they are when transporting people.
Uber Eats requires that you are at least 18 years of age and own a scooter or two-door vehicle with a minimum 20 year old. You can also deliver your food by bicycle in some cities.
If you meet the minimum requirements, you can be an Uber driver.
You can withdraw up to 5 times per day. Instant Pay costs 50 cents for each cashout.
Delivering during peak hours in a zone marked on the map within the app will earn you a Surge Bonus.
Uber Eats periodically offers a Quest. You can earn cash bonuses by completing certain deliveries within a set deadline.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18 years (or minimum driving age in your city).
- Minimum one year driving experience
- A car or scooter that is 20 years or younger
- Valid driver’s license, valid insurance and a vehicle registration
7. Enjoy the Benefits of Using
Favor says they are seeking personal assistants rather than delivery drivers. With Favor, you can expect food, groceries and alcohol to be delivered. In some cities, you can expect to receive dry cleaning or other personal items.
You can order groceries and alcohol through H-E – B. Favor also partners with local restaurants and shops.
You can earn between $10 and $18 an hour if you are a runner, as long as you retain 35% of your delivery fee. Your hourly rate is boosted by any customer tips. By choosing your delivery schedule in advance, you can ensure a minimum hourly rate of $9.
Favor only works in Texas. Many towns in the Lone Star State, including Austin, Dallas Houston and San Antonio, have Favor drivers. Drivers are also needed in smaller cities, from Amarillo up to El Paso.
Favor allows you to deliver outside of major metroplexes between 8 AM and 10:00 PM in most cities. You can choose the hours you want to deliver as an independent contractor.
You can deliver via car, motorcycle or scooter. Only bicycles in Downtown Austin are permitted.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- Reliable scooter, car or motorcycle
- Valid driver’s license, valid insurance and a vehicle registration
8. Grubhub
The Grubhub app is another widely used delivery service. Grubhub is partnered with 350,000 restaurants across 3,200 US cities. You can order restaurant meals, and you will be able to set your own schedule for delivery.
Drivers often plan their deliveries in advance to increase their chances of receiving more offers.
The driver recognition program is one of the main differences between GrubHub’s delivery app and others. Drivers with high ratings can sign up up to two weeks in advance for delivery blocks.
You can accept catering orders with higher payments and larger tips.
You can climb the ranks in the GrubHub Recognition Program by attending the delivery blocks you have signed up for, and accepting at least 85% orders that are offered to you.
GrubHub pays its drivers every Thursday. If you want to receive daily payments, instant cashouts are $0.50. The instant cashout fee is waived when you link a Chase checking or savings account.
To start delivering, you will need to have a reliable vehicle. In some cities, bicycle and scooter delivery is available.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 19 years (21 in Chicago and Las Vegas).
- Valid driver’s licence (for a minimum of two years).
- Insurance for a reliable car
9. Dispatch
Dispatch is one of the more interesting delivery apps, as you are able to deliver different products to businesses. You can be a personal courier and deliver anything up to 50 pounds.
Examples include buckets of paint, flooring and parts for job sites.
Dispatch will send a push message to drivers closest to a pickup point in order for them receive offers. You can accept the gig if you are the closest driver in the Dispatch application.
App also tells the customer your estimated arrival time.
Earn up to $125 a day, and get paid on Monday. Dispatch does not encourage its customers to tip. You can still keep any tips you receive.
The size of your car will determine which deliveries you are able to complete. You can deliver a car with two doors, but the offers may be inconsistent.
You can qualify for more gigs if you have a cargo van with a pallet that measures 4 feet by 8 feet. The minimum length for a pickup is 78 inches.
Dispatch is only available in major cities throughout the United States.
Some cities include:
- Austin, TX
- Albuquerque, NM
- Birmingham, AL
- Detroit, MI
- Miami, FL
- Nashville, TN
- Philadelphia, PA
- Richmond, VA
- Seattle, WA
To become a driver, you can search the current Dispatch openings.
If you complete ten deliveries in the first 30 day period, new drivers will receive a bonus of $50. Referral bonuses are available for drivers who enjoy driving with Dispatch.
Minimum Qualifications
- 23 Years Old
- Own a car or mid-size SUV. Pickup truck, cargo van, or pickup truck
- Lifts up to 50 pounds
10. Bite Squad
Drivers of the Bite Squad deliver food, alcohol and catering orders. Delivery Logistics will ask you to apply as an independent contractor.
You can also receive offers to download the Bite Squad or Waitr apps. You decide how frequently you want to deliver.
You can sign up in advance for delivery blocks, similar to other delivery apps. The amount you earn depends on your order type and customer demand.
Although Bite Squad does not state the possible earnings of drivers, the pay is competitive with other meal-delivery apps.
Bite Squad has been available in 14 US states, but only some cities. Arkansas, Florida and Hawaii are the states with the most towns participating.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- Valid US Driver’s License and Insurance
- Clean driving record
11. GoPuff
GoPuff delivers in more than 500 cities. You must be 21 years of age to deliver food, beverages, OTC medication, baby items, and merchandise.
You will not be able to deliver restaurant food that is pleasing to the ear.
This is not a full-service app for grocery shopping like Instacart. You don’t have to go to the grocery store to get your items. Instead, you can pick them up at a GoPuff warehouse.
You load your order in the car and a warehouse worker will pick up the items.
GoPuff does not state the amount drivers can earn an hour. The drivers earn a commission on the order total and get to keep all of the tips from the customers. In some cities, it’s possible for drivers to earn an hourly minimum.
You can choose the hours you deliver and earn more money if your schedule is flexible.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 21
- Valid US driver’s license and insurance
- Clean driving record
You must be able to successfully complete a course on prepaid alcohol delivery.
12. Roadie
Roadie allows you to earn money by delivering goods locally or long distances. Local trips pay $15 per trip on average. Long-haul trips pay more.
You could deliver small orders to a construction site, such as a small musical instrument, or hardware.
You will be able to see when you accept a gig the route you are going to take, the payment amount, and the products you are delivering. If you are near customers who need your services, then more requests will come in.
Large trucks or cargo vans can also generate more demand.
After completing the first five deliveries, drivers receive instant payments every day.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 18
- Valid Driver’s License
- Reliable vehicles
13. Burro
Do your co-workers and friends ask you to lend your truck for hauling bulky items all the time? Burro allows you to earn money by delivering Craigslist or Facebook Marketplaces from Austin and San Marcos.
You can make at least $40 for each delivery, even if you don’t have a full-size truck. According to Burro, some drivers earn as much as $1600 a week.
The bed of your pickup truck must be at least 9 feet long, with the tailgate down, and 48 inches wide. To secure your items, you will need to supply your own packing straps and moving supplies.
Burro currently only has an iOS application, and the Android version is still in development.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 21
- You can have a full-size truck without a bedcover
- Lifting up to 100 pounds
14. Drizly
Drizly is a great option if you are comfortable delivering alcohol. Drizly, which requires you to apply at a local liquor shop, is more of a traditional courier position.
Drizly does not allow you to select delivery slots or pay for them.
Drizly allows the customer to make a purchase that is fulfilled by a local retailer. You can work a specific shift if you are hired by the liquor store.
By using the Driver Job Board, Drizly is a great way to get a job.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 21
- Valid Driver’s License
- Reliable Vehicle
15. Ease
Eaze is another unique app that allows you to deliver cannabis in Californian cities. Delivery specialists can earn up to $26 an hour, including mileage reimbursement and your hourly rate.
The exact rate you will be charged depends on where you live and for whom.
Eaze partners up with licensed cannabis retailers throughout northern and southern California. Eaze, as the retailer who hires you may not be able to offer the same flexibility in scheduling as other delivery apps.
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum age of 21
- Valid Driver’s License
- Vehicles that are 2005 or newer
- Current registration and car insurance
You may also need to meet requirements specific to your city or retailer. You can check any additional qualifications you may have during the application process.
You can read more about it here:
You can earn extra cash by using a delivery app in your spare time or when you are between errands.
Deliveries can be made without interfering with family or work obligations.
Have you ever delivered orders before? What is your favorite order to deliver? What app will you try first?
