Just about everyone buys something from Walmart or Sam’s Club, whether it’s food, supplies, or novelty items, and many people like to have their goods delivered. That’s why Walmart Spark drivers are so busy, and Walmart Spark delivery driver pay is so high.
In this post, we’ll show you just how well you can be paid as a Walmart Spark delivery driver and how you can make $1000 a week with the app.
Here's what we cover:
How much does Walmart Spark delivery pay?
Spark is really coming on strong in 2023. By tripling the number of pickup areas it launched this year compared to last year, the Spark app now covers 84% of American households through 15,000 pickup points. In addition to Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, these points include Walmart GoLocal client locations, which provide delivery services for businesses of all kinds.
Obviously, there is a lot of opportunity for Spark delivery driving, and Gridwise data show that Walmart Spark delivery drivers can not only count on solid business,but also receive good pay.
Here’s the rundown:
Walmart Spark Driver Earnings Data
December 2022–February 2023
| Average hourly earnings | $24.10 |
| Median hourly earnings | $23.70 |
| 90th percentile hourly earnings | $24.50 |
| Average earnings per week | $323.00 (average of 13 hours of work/week) |
Source: Gridwise
Walmart Spark delivery pay is on the high side compared to most other rideshare and delivery services. Notably, earnings of $323 per week are based on just 13 hours of work. Drivers in the 90th percentile, who earned an average of $7595 per week, put in about 31 work hours.
When you consider that kind of return on a driver’s investment in time and work, it becomes easy to see how a number like $1000 a week can be more than just a distant dream. Before we go into some strategies that will help you achieve super high earnings with Walmart Spark, let’s get some insight about how Walmart spark delivery driver pay works.
How does Walmart Spark pay?
Walmart Spark pays drivers for each delivery they complete. There are a few different options with Spark, including picking up from Walmart and Sam’s Club curbside areas and GoLocal points, going inside the store to make the pickups, and shopping and delivering for certain orders. The pay for each order will be displayed on your Spark app screen when the offer for the order comes through.
It’s important to note that when you receive a Spark app request, the deliveries may be stacked. That is to say, a single request might cover one delivery with just two items, and another delivery with eighty things to get to the customer. Even though they may go to different destinations, the pay represents what you will get for doing both deliveries in a single bundle. In most cases, the deliveries are going in the same general direction, but sometimes they don’t. You’ll have to look closely at the options before deciding to accept any offer.
While many drivers don’t mind getting stacked orders, because they may pay more, it does make each order take longer to deliver. This can become an issue when a driver is looking to complete a certain number of orders within a certain time period to qualify for the incentive programs Spark offers to drivers from time to time.
This brings us to exactly to what goes into Walmart Spark delivery driver pay. There is the per order basic pay rate, but there is more. Walmart Spark drivers can also count on
- tips: Most reviews from Walmart Spark drivers tell us that customers tip well. Data collected from Gridwise drivers corroborates this view, indicating the following tip rates:
- median: 29% over base pay
- average: 32% over base pay
- 90th percentile: 34% over base pay
This is a very healthy tip rate! Spark drivers can count on earning above and beyond their base rate, thanks to their customers’ hefty tipping tendencies.
- lump sum incentives: The driver earns a lump sum on top of their basic earnings for completing a certain number of deliveries. Here’s where those stacked orders can become problematic.
- tiered incentives: This rewards drivers who want to achieve by getting more trips. There might be an offer for $20 extra for 4 trips, $30 extra for 8 trips, and $40 extra for 12 trips.
- confirmed payment incentives: These are offered occasionally to get drivers to deliver more. For instance, drivers might be guaranteed to make $400 if they complete 25 or more trips over a single time period, usually a few days. If they earn less, the Spark app will cover the difference.
- per trip incentives: These might be offered as an incentive to get drivers to deliver during off-hours, such as rush hour or late at night. Drivers are given extra money for each trip they complete.
- surges: When volume is extremely high and there are not enough drivers to handle demand, the app will raise the earnings on the offers in order to incentivize drivers to take them.
Read more about Walmart Spark incentive programs on their website.
- referrals: After completing a given number of orders, drivers are eligible to refer friends to become drivers. If the referred friend meets the requirements of order volume within a given time period, both parties will be rewarded. Learn more about the Walmart Spark Driver Referral program on the Spark website.
Strategies for making $1000 a week with Walmart Spark
As you can see from the $755 per week earnings for 31 hours of work (reported from Gridwise Spark drivers who are in the 90th percentile), it is possible to earn a lot with Spark. But to hit $1000 a week, you’re going to have to push just a little bit harder.
One woman in New Mexico earned $100,000 in one year by driving for Spark, according to Your Driver Mike’s YouTube video. She worked from 10–12 hours per day, however, and was extremely perceptive. She also learned how to work in ways that optimized her chances for making as much as $400 per day. Here are some strategies she might have employed.
- Put in the time. If you want high earnings, you will have to work more than 10 hours per week. It might not take a lot to hit the $1000 a week mark if you were to work 40 hours per week or slightly more.
- Create passive income. Refer friends to work for Walmart Spark, and use your referral link in as many places as possible. Your email signature, a website, or YouTube channel could all bring in people you can refer and collect on when they join and drive for Walmart Spark.
- Position yourself right. Check out where the Walmart and Sam’s Club locations are in your area, and drive to where you could be pinged for orders by either (or both) of them. Being close to a potential pickup location will cut down on the miles you need to drive in order to complete deliveries.
- Bank on incentives. Keep checking your Spark app for incentives, and participate in as many as possible.
- Don’t decline too many orders. Although it might make sense to decline an order, when you do, there could be consequences. The app may not go to you right away when the next one comes in, and you could be stuck waiting a long time for the next one.
- Get familiar with time and location patterns. Take notice of when there seems to be the largest numbers of orders and where they tend to come from. While you can do this by trial and error, there are ways to get help, too. Gridwise, as you see below, will give you exactly what you need!
- Consider multi-apping. Fill in the gaps between heavy delivery hours with more driving for other apps. Check out how multi-apping can earn you more in this Gridwise blog article.
Work smart and use brilliant resources
If you want to get insight into the best times to drive for Spark, and get a slew of other amazing tools, you need Gridwise!
Gridwise allows you to:
Track every mile you drive for your gig. Don’t miss out on the miles you can deduct while driving to and from each delivery. Gridwise logs your mileage from the second you sign on at the beginning of each shift.
Get information on delivery demand. When to Drive and Where to Drive from Gridwise show you data from real drivers indicating where and when you’re likely to get the most business, and the biggest earnings.
Track your earnings. Watch your progress as you work your way toward earning $1000 a week ! You can sync your Walmart Spark app to Gridwise, and let Gridwise hold on to the data. Then you’ll be able to see how much you’re making, based on a variety of factors. Gridwise shows it all to you in elegantly formatted, easy-to-read graphs.
Find out about traffic, events, and weather. Gridwise keeps you in the know with happenings in your town, so you can navigate the lay of the land and know what to expect as you drive your delivery routes.
Get benefits, deals, and discounts for drivers. As an independent contractor, a lack of insurance coverage, and other perks you might get as an employee, becomes a concern. You’ll be glad to know that Gridwise Benefits has you covered! From no- and low-cost life insurance to telehealth, mental health, dental, and visual care, you can take care of all these needs for you and your family.
Be sure to download the app and check out the other deals and discounts Gridwise has secured for drivers.
Now that you know how to make $1000 with Walmart Spark, you won’t want to do it without Gridwise!
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Now that you know how to make $1000 with Walmart Spark, you won’t want to do it without Gridwise!
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One Response
I drive spark EVERYDAY and your data is COMPLETELY FABRICATED.