Delivery drivers work hard and deserve perks that make all that hard work worth their while. Uber Eats Pro is the company’s way of rewarding drivers for making lots of deliveries and earning high star ratings from their customers.The program is still in the beta testing phase but is being rolled out in more cities all the time. If you haven’t seen it pop up in your app already, it could be coming to your town soon.

In this post, we’ll cover all the important points you need to know about the Uber Eats Pro program, including:

• What is Uber Eats Pro, and how does it work?
• Navigating Uber Pro: the rules that apply.
• What are Uber Eats Pro tiers?
• What it takes to reach the Uber Eats Pro tiers. 
• Spruce up your customer service skills.
• A super perk: the Uber Pro Card.

What is Uber Eats Pro, and how does it work?

Uber Eats Pro is a program that rewards drivers with perks, privileges, and savings. Drivers earn points by making deliveries, being willing to work at busy times, and demonstrating their ability to be fast and reliable delivery drivers. 

The program incentivizes drivers to be more diligent about their work by giving them discounts and special privileges that make the job of delivery driver easier and more profitable. This helps out Uber Eats, but it also pushes drivers to make more money. As they take on more deliveries and go out of their way to please their customers, they’ll get more pay and bigger tips. In essence, it’s a win for everybody involved.

Here’s how Uber Eats Pro works:

1. Drivers earn points for deliveries. Some deliveries will earn more points than others. For instance, you’ll get one point for every completed delivery, three points for each order during lunch hours (11 am–2 pm), and six points for every delivery during dinner hours (5 pm–9 pm). The more points you score, the more perks you’ll get.
2. Drivers must maintain a 95% satisfaction rate with customers and restaurants. This level of customer satisfaction is required to make your way up the ladder through the various levels of the Uber Pro program and continue receiving rewards.
3. Drivers receive rewards. Depending on the number of points you accrue, and if you maintain that 95% customer service level, you unlock rewards at different levels. 

Navigating Uber Eats Pro: the rules that apply

Making your way through the program isn’t terribly challenging, but there are a few things you need to consider. For instance, you might work really hard to get your points stacked up for a month, but to keep that level, you’ll need to keep piling up points. Here are the guidelines:

• You earn Uber Eats Pro points one month at a time and get to keep your rewards through the following month. 
• When you earn enough points to move to the next level, you get your new rewards right away. 
• You must keep your point level and customer satisfaction score up to maintain the higher status levels and continue getting the rewards until the end of the following month.

What are Uber Eats Pro tiers?

There are four tiers you can reach in the Uber Eats Pro program, and each includes an array of discounts and other benefits that range from reduced gas prices to a Costco membership and free tuition at Arizona State University Online. You can see the specific benefits offered for each tier on the Uber Eats website. Here, we’ll give you an overview of the tiers and what it takes to reach each one.

The Uber website reminds us that you must have a 95% or better customer satisfaction rating from customers and restaurants to qualify for the Uber Eats Pro program.

🟢 Green. At the Uber Eats Pro Green level, you get an array of discounts on items such as insurance and gasoline as money toward EV charging and $2,500 off a GM Bolt. Not bad, just for showing up!

🟡 Gold. With Gold, you’ll get all the Green tier perks plus free road service as part of your Uber Eats Pro Gold rewards.

⚪ Platinum. At the Platinum level, gas discounts rise from five to six or seven cents per gallon, 7-Eleven discounts increase by a dollar, and that free one-year Costco membership is yours.

⚫ Diamond. With Diamond status, you’ll get all the benefits of the Platinum tier; plus your discount on TurboTax will soar from 25% to 50%. You will also get priority treatment from Uber Eats support.

What it takes to reach the Uber Eats Pro tiers?

Now that you know what you get with each tier of the Uber Eats Pro program, let’s see what it takes to get there.

🟢 Green.  Everyone starts here. Once Uber Eats Pro becomes available in your area, you automatically receive the perks for this tier.

🟡 Gold. Uber Eats Pro Gold benefits come once you’ve earned 400 points in a one month period.

⚪ Platinum. You’ll reach Uber Eats Pro Platinum when you log 800 points in a month. 

⚫ Diamond. Unlock Uber Eats Pro Diamond status when you rack up an impressive 1,200 total points in a month.

Any reasonable driver might ask, “Is Uber Eats Pro worth it?” Since it doesn’t cost anything to qualify, there’s really nothing to lose by participating in the program. However, hustling to get more and more points might not pay off in the long run, as the benefits you get as you rise through the tiers don’t change a whole lot.

Plus, there’s a way to get benefits similar to the ones offered by Uber Eats Pro—from Gridwise! Get insurance, affordable healthcare options, discounts, deals, and insights that every driver needs. You’ll also have a way to track every gig-mile you drive and earnings records that will help you actually see how much money you’re bringing in from each app you sync with Gridwise.

Spruce up your customer service skills

Even if the Uber Eats Pro program doesn’t seem to be everything you’ve ever wished for in terms of perks and rewards, it still pays to participate, because keeping up your customer and restaurant satisfaction rating at 95% will help you become the best driver possible. A big part of this is your attitude and your efficiency.

You can keep those ratings up by following some of these tips for cultivating your customer service skills:

• Be friendly and helpful. Use your smile, offer quick and reliable service, and communicate with your customers. If a restaurant is backed up, a quick text will tell customers what to expect in terms of timing for their deliveries.

• Get geared up. If you want to keep foods at the proper temperature, avoid spills and other mishaps, and make your job easier, you need some delivery gear. Insulated bags, beverage holders, shoulder straps for bags, and more will do all of the above. Uber Eats offers recommendations for food delivery gear on their website.  

• Be courteous to restaurant workers. You know that person’s face. You’ve seen those hands pass off delivery bags to you countless times. Now, what’s that person’s name? Be aware of the little things that make restaurants like you. Calling staff something besides “Hey, you” will help a lot, and most of them wear little tags, so you may not even have to ask their names. When you show respect, they’ll rave about you in your ratings.

• Know where the busy places are. Rather than mindlessly drive from one delivery to the next, pay close attention to where you get the most business, and make sure you put yourself there at the right times. If you need help with this, the Where to Drive and When to Drive features on the Gridwise app will help a whole lot.

• Practice speed. If it’s your jam, aim to do fast pickup and delivery in the busiest markets. How? Simply make it your mission to be in the right areas, and focus on strategizing so you can get the best orders.

A super perk: the Uber Pro Card 

Image credit: Uber.com

There’s another nice perk that comes with being part of Uber Eats Pro that we want to make sure you don’t miss.

The Uber Pro Card is available to Uber Eats drivers in the Uber Eats Pro program. It’s a debit Mastercard featuring a bank account powered by Branch. On top of providing you with a fee-free way to cash out your earnings instantly, it gives you cash back on gas and other items. With this card, you won’t have to worry about the gas hold on your account. Also, you’ll receive an extra percentage point off your gas with each tier you reach. The total amounts depend on the city or area where you drive. Find out more about the Uber Pro card on the Uber website.

As we’ve said, it can’t hurt to participate in Uber Eats Pro, or in any program an app you use offers. Just remember that Gridwise offers many of the same perks! These include benefits, and programs drivers like you look for, plus features that boost your earnings and make your job a breeze!

Download the Gridwise app today.