Are you tired of making deliveries that take an hour to complete but getting paid only what you’d expect for working fifteen minutes or less? DoorDash now offers a solution that will please many drivers, while possibly attracting some criticism from others.
With the June 27, 2023, national rollout announcement of Earn by Time by year’s end, Dashers will be able to choose to be paid by the order or by the hour. We cover lots of details about this huge DoorDash driver news:
- What exactly is DoorDash Earn by Time, and who’s eligible for it?
- What are the advantages and challenges of using Earn by Time?
- How can you boost your earnings with or without Earn by Time?
What exactly is DoorDash Earn by Time, and who’s eligible for it?
Earn by Time is a new DoorDash feature that allows drivers to choose whether they would like to be paid for each order they complete or be paid by the hour for their delivery work.
Hourly wages are something drivers have fought for over the years, and in a few cities, such as Seattle and New York, as well as in the state of California, minimum wage laws for rideshare and delivery drivers are already in place. In those areas, the Earn by Time feature will not be available. Dashers working elsewhere are eligible to choose Earn by Time in the Dasher app when starting a shift. Here’s what it looks like in-app:
Once you select the new option, you’ll remain in Earn by Time mode until you sign off to end your Dash and sign on to begin another. At that time, you can switch to Earn by Offer.
Earn by Time could sound like a dream come true to many drivers because they might expect they’d get paid for all the time they spend waiting for orders. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Earn by Time allows you to get an hourly rate for your delivery work from the time you accept the order to the time you drop it off. You will not be paid for the time you are on the app in between orders, just waiting for a ping. It’s the same when you elect to be paid by offer, of course, and this is certainly one of the things that goes along with gig driving in general.
What are the advantages and challenges to using Earn by Time?
You’ll have to decide if it’s better for you to earn by the hour or by the offer. It makes sense that in congested areas, and during parts of the day when traffic jams make for slow going, Earn by Time is the way to go. That’s because you’re getting paid even while sitting in traffic. However, if it’s comparatively easy to get around, and there are a lot of orders to fill, you probably would make more money with Earn by Offer.
DoorDash says they instituted this option because it makes earnings more consistent for drivers. You can predict how much you’ll be paid for the orders you fill based on how long it takes to go to the pickup point, get the order, and deliver it to the customer. All those delays, including long waits at backed-up restaurants, will be accounted for.
DoorDash also states that Earn by Time driving might not yield tips as high as what drivers using Earn by Offer might get, mainly because drivers could get more orders in an hour’s time with Earn by Offer. In both cases, drivers get to keep 100% of tips, and that always helps when it comes to raising earnings.
What many drivers don’t like about Earn by Time is that they can’t “cherry pick” their orders with ease. Dashers using Earn by Time are restricted to one refused or incomplete order per working hour. If they exceed that, they will no longer be able to use Earn by Time.
Another factor that might sway you either toward or away from Earn by Time is the hourly rate DoorDash sets. This can vary from one market to the next and may change depending on demand for drivers. To get a complete picture of what it would be like to Earn by Time, check out DoorDash’s detailed explanation on their website.
In the example DoorDash offers on its website, the hourly rate is set at $14 per hour. This may be higher or lower than the offer you receive. Your hourly rate, as you can see from the screenshot above, will appear in the app. You’ll be able to view it before you choose whether to use Earn by Time. If you complete a delivery within 30 minutes, you’ll get $7.00, plus any tip the customer might give you.
Earn by Time might also affect many DoorDash promotions. Challenges and Peak Pay, for instance, make more sense for drivers using Earn by Offer.
The future might bring some interesting possibilities. Perhaps the hourly rate could be individually adjusted to reward highly rated or high volume drivers. Or DoorDash might encourage customers to give better tips to Dashers who are using Earn by Time. DoorDash believes this new feature makes DoorDash a better service for customers while giving drivers a nifty option. It has been under beta testing for several months, and DoorDash’s decision to roll it out nationally means they must have determined it is going to work for a lot of drivers.
Most likely, the best DoorDash news regarding Earn by Time is the fact that it offers drivers a choice and the flexibility to change from one mode to another at will. This gives drivers more control over the way they feel they deserve to be paid, based on conditions that change from time to time and day to day.
How can you boost your earnings, with or without Earn by Time?
DoorDash is a great app, and it gives drivers lots of features that help them earn more, but if you really want to boost your earnings, you need Gridwise. This app steers you toward more earning opportunities with insight and information, such as where and when the best places to drive are for every app, airport and traffic alerts, plus event start and let out times that will affect traffic.
Not only that, Gridwise tracks all the miles you clock while you’re on your gig driving shift. Your gig apps only add up the distance you cover while you’re engaged with a delivery or a ride. Don’t miss those deliciously deductible in-between miles!
Gridwise also syncs with all your apps to record your earnings, so you can compile and compare them to determine which apps are making you the most over time. The stunning graphs Gridwise provides will give you a clear overall picture of your gig driving business.
Record your expenses as you go along, too, so you can keep track of the money you put into your business and deduct your costs at tax time. Gridwise has your back with low-cost insurance, medical and mental health care, and more.
Gridwise is an app designed with gig drivers in mind by people who either were or still are gig drivers! No other app is so aware of your needs, delivering information, services, deals, and discounts! Don’t wait another minute.
