Want to become an Uber Eats driver? Before you get started, you’ll have to learn how to use the Uber Eats driver app. We put this post together to make that task easy for you. Here’s the outline:
- How to get started on the Uber Eats app
- Uber Eats app: layout and features
- Uber Eats earnings and payments
- Your driver ratings and how to keep them high
- Make Gridwise your Uber Eats partner
How to get started on the Uber Eats app
Before you do anything else, you’ll need to know what it takes to sign up for Uber Eats as a driver. Depending on where you live, you can deliver by car, scooter, bicycle, or even on foot.
Here are the requirements for each mode of transportation:
| Delivery by car | Delivery by scooter | Delivery by bicycle or on foot |
| Be at least 19 years old | Be at least 19 years old | Be at least 19 years old |
| Have a 2- or 4-door car | Have a motorized scooter under 50cc | Bicycle or on foot |
| Have a valid driver’s license in your name and insurance for your vehicle | Have a valid driver’s license in your name | Have a government-issued ID |
| Submit your Social Security number so Uber can run a background check | Submit your Social Security number so Uber can run a background check | Submit your Social Security number so Uber can run a background check |
| Select “scooter,” if available in your area, as your mode of transportation | Select “bicycle” or “bicycle or on foot,” if available in your area, as your mode of transportation |
In all cases, you’ll need a bank account to link to your Uber earnings for deposit. You can also apply for the Uber Pro Card, which would give you a stand-alone account for your earnings.
If you meet the qualifications, you’re all set to become an Uber Eats driver. You can deliver food and packages, or you can take Shop & Pay orders. Those require you to go shopping for your customers, and then deliver the items to their doorsteps. Read more about Shop & Pay on the Uber website.
There’s not a separate app for Uber Eats, so it’s easy to figure out which app for Uber driver you need to get. If you’re already an Uber rideshare driver, getting started to deliver for Uber Eats is super easy. All you need to do is elect to receive deliveries within your app, and you will see the Uber Eats requests come in through the app. If you are not yet an Uber driver, you’ll need to download the Uber driver app. Get it for Android from the Google Play Store or for Apple at the App Store.
From there, it’s easy to sign up for Uber Eats driver. Enter all the required information, including your bank account and vehicle of your choice (if you’re going to use one), upload a nice photo of yourself, and submit. You will need to wait a few days for the background check to clear.
You will probably be notified by Uber that you are eligible to order an Uber Plus Card. This card enables you to pay for customer orders without using your cash or credit card. The customer still pays for the order; you simply use the Uber Plus Card to pay for it. Read more about the Uber Plus Card on the Uber website.
While you don’t have to order the Uber Plus Card, having it gives you an advantage: you’ll receive more requests for orders when your driver profile shows that you have the card. You will also need to remember to carry it with you whenever you want to drive for Uber Eats.
Once you are approved and ready to deliver, you will need to learn how to use the Uber Eats app.
Uber Eats app: layout and features
Fortunately, the Uber Eats app is easy to navigate. If you are qualified as a rideshare driver, you’ll need to specify which requests you are willing to take. From your home screen, tap on the two lines in the lower left-hand corner.
Under “Preferences,” check the boxes on the types of rides and/or deliveries you are willing to receive. Be very careful about this aspect of the app! Check it frequently to ensure that it’s set up to reflect your preferences. The app will sometimes default to make you available for more than one or all of the options. Of course, you can keep yourself open for everything if you wish, but that’s not always optimal. If you don’t want to take Shop & Pay orders, for instance, you’ll want to uncheck the Shop & Pay box, under “Trip filters.”
Once you’re set up and ready to take orders, here are the steps to making money with Uber Eats.
- Click the blue “GO” button on the home screen, and wait for your first offer to appear.
- Either accept or decline the order, based on the time, distance, and pay being offered. You get to decide if it will be worth it for you.
- If you accept, the app displays a GPS map and directions taking you to the order pickup point. If you decline, you can wait for the next order to appear.
- Once you arrive at the pickup point, go inside to collect the order.
- When you have retrieved it, go back to your car and swipe or tap the app to indicate you’re ready to deliver.
- Another GPS map and set of directions will appear, showing you the way to the drop-off point.
- Once you arrive, pay close attention to the order instructions. The customer may want you to leave the items outside, or they might request you to summon them when you get there.
- When the delivery is complete, return to your vehicle and be ready to deliver the next order.
This sounds pretty simple, but it isn’t always that simple. There are things called “stacked orders,” where you might be asked to pick up more than one order from the same place or nearby locations at the same time, and deliver them to their destinations. Fortunately, the algorithm in the app calculates the best way for you to do that. Simply follow the directions, and you’ll be led through the most efficient delivery route.
For Shop & Pay orders, the process is pretty much the same, except rather than just picking up the orders, you’ll also have to shop for the items on the list your customer provides. The Uber Eats Shop & Pay app will offer substitutes for any items not available, if the customer has authorized that. Shop & Pay orders take more time, but they also pay very well. It’s best to experiment with all your options, and then decide when and how you will use your Uber Eats app.
In addition to this, there will be times when the people you deal with, both at the pickup and delivery points, will prove to be challenging. If you have an obvious problem, or if you want to report someone’s disrespectful behavior, you can contact Uber driver support. We will go into more detail about how to handle these situations later in this article. For now, let’s get back to the basics.
Beyond the delivery functions, the Uber Eats app offers other features you should know about, including
- safety provisions: instant access to 911 calls, the ability to record trips, and a way to have your loved ones track your travels as you go about your delivery duties
- tax information: a full annual earnings report on a 1099 you can use to prove your earnings when you file your taxes, plus earnings records for all your deliveries
- a destination filter: a way to ensure orders you take are along a given route, especially useful when you’re driving toward home at the end of your shift
- an extensive help section: provides information about using the app and delivering for Uber Eats, as well as contacting driver support
- a learning center: contains videos that show you how to use the app and map, and how to prepare your vehicle
- referrals: a way to earn money by recruiting friends to become Uber Eats drivers
- Uber Pro: a rewards program that offers priority treatment, deals, and discounts
- Uber Wallet: a record showing your account balance and your payout activity
Something else you should know: if you don’t like the way Uber routes you, or you simply prefer another GPS app, you can connect it to your Uber Eats app under “App Settings” and “Navigation.”
You might be excited about getting started, as many drivers are. Still, you should take your time so you can be sure that you know what you’re doing. Before you accept your first delivery, you should take some time to learn how to get around the Uber Eats delivery driver app, and set it up so that it is perfect for what you want to do.
Even if you’re very well prepared, it’s inevitable that you’ll learn even more by doing. If you make a few mistakes here and there, just chalk it up to experience. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert at using the app for Uber Eats driver(s).
Uber Eats earnings and payments
Uber Eats pay is comparable to what you get with other delivery gigs. This Gridwise blog post tells you how well Eats drivers fared last year, and this Gridwise article compares Uber Eats earnings with other delivery apps. As with many gig jobs, your Uber Eats gig can be as lucrative as you are willing to make it. Let’s look at the way you get paid with Uber Eats, and how that structure affects your earnings.
With Uber Eats, you get paid a base fare, any trip supplement, plus promotions and tips. The Uber algorithm is based mainly on the time and distance it’s expected to take you to complete the trip. Drivers get to keep 100% of the tips they receive. Read more details about the way Uber pays its Uber Eats drivers on the Uber website, And if you want to drill down, check out this article from Tech with Tech. It dishes all the details about the various ways the Uber algorithm interacts with customers, restaurants, and drivers.
You can see how much you earn on each shift right in your app. There are also monthly and weekly figures available, so you can see how much you’re earning, and set your goals according to how much more you will need to earn.
The very best way to track your earnings, though, is by getting your Uber Eats app to sync with Gridwise. The Gridwise app seamlessly tracks your earnings and compiles all the figures that matter most into slick, readable graphs.
You also have some options that you can set up with Uber, such as whether you want to pay for extra insurance through them, and whether you want to get your pay instantly or wait until Thursday of each week to receive the previous week’s earnings. View your earnings statements, including the status of any pending deposits, in your Uber Wallet.
Your Uber Eats driver ratings and how to keep them high
Driver ratings are an important part of maximizing your earning potential with the Uber Eats app. Every time you make a delivery, you get an opportunity to rate the restaurant from which you retrieved the order as well as the customer who received it.
And, in turn, they have the opportunity to rate you, with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. If you get a thumbs down rating, the Uber app will request further information about the delivery. Your ratings can definitely affect the way the Uber algorithm sees you as a driver.
If there is an incident between you and a restaurant worker or customer, and it’s reported, the app will no longer pair you for future orders. If you have an inordinate number of negative ratings, you will be asked to review remedial driving and delivery tips and/or get help from other drivers. If you don’t improve, you may lose access to the Uber Eats app. See more about this issue on the Uber website.
You can view your ratings on the app simply by tapping on your picture, then tapping on the rating to get more details about the way others see you and the way that you provide service. You can dispute a bad rating by contacting Uber driver customer service. In most cases, it pays to be proactive about dealing with it. If you can sense that a restaurant worker or customer is going to be unfair about the rating they give you, report the incident. This will show Uber that you are aware of the situation, and that your side of the story is worth listening to.
The best way to avoid suffering from bad ratings, though, is to keep yours high. Uber states that the main things customers want from Uber Eats delivery drivers are
- speed and efficiency
- courteous and respectful service
- appropriate handoff according to customer instructions
- communication about restaurant and traffic delays
Read this Gridwise blog post for more tips about keeping your ratings high.
Also keep in mind that you don’t have to do all of this alone.
Make Gridwise your Uber Eats partner
With Gridwise, you can get a leg up on all the things you need to do well in order to be the best Uber Eats driver in your town. Gridwise is the world’s best rideshare and delivery assistant. Why? Because it was made for drivers, by drivers. From traffic and weather alerts to event schedules and deep driver discounts, Gridwise is the ultimate Uber Eats partner.
Beyond the essentials that other apps offer, Gridwise gives you a whole lot more, including
mileage tracking: Track every mile you drive for Uber Eats, including the distances you cover going to and from your gig. You’ll want to log every last bit of deductible mileage when tax time comes.
earnings insights: Sync your Uber Eats app to Gridwise, and all your earnings will be seamlessly recorded and tabulated so you can analyze them from a wide array of different perspectives.
expense recording: Keep records of each and every expense you accrue while you’re driving for Uber Eats. Gridwise will tabulate those, as well, and make finding your deductions at tax time a breeze.
driver-focused blog: The Gridwise blog contains massively informative articles on everything from how to make more money with your gig to how to hold on to most of it at tax time.
inside info: Gridwise features Where to Drive and When to Drive show you where to find business for your gig, based on what drivers in your area are earning.
incredible benefits: Drivers need support when it comes to getting insurance, medical care, dental coverage, legal help, tax help, discounts on car maintenance, and more, and Gridwise Benefits deliver!
Unlock the power of Gridwise, and make the most of driving with the Uber Eats app.
Download Gridwise now.
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