Gridwise blog

In this blog, we'll explore the strategies and techniques that can show you how to earn $1000 per week as an Uber Eats delivery driver. We'll cover everything from optimizing your delivery zones and schedules to maximizing your tips and customer satisfaction. Whether you're a seasoned Uber Eats driver or just starting out, this guide will provide you with the insights and actionable steps to take your Uber Eats driver earnings to the next level.

Becoming an Uber Eats delivery partner can be a lucrative opportunity, especially if you're able to consistently earn $1000 a week. By understanding the platform, optimizing your delivery strategies, and focusing on customer satisfaction, you can maximize your earnings and turn Uber Eats into a reliable source of income.

We’ll cover the following topics to provide coaching and ideas to help you push your earnings up to that $1000 per week level:

[elementor-template id="20891"]

What do Uber Eats drivers do?

Uber Eats drivers deliver prepared food most of the time, but they also might shop for and deliver goods from convenience outlets and grocery stores. The job is pretty simple. You get a request for an order, you drive to the restaurant or store to pick it up, and then you deliver it to the customer. If you already drive for Uber, you can choose to take orders for Uber Eats delivery any time.

If you’re not an Uber Eats driver yet, it’s pretty easy to become one. This Gridwise post tells you what you need to do if you want to sign up and start making money Uber Eats style. Many rideshare drivers welcome the chance to deliver food rather than people. This article from Nerdwallet covers the Uber Eats gig from that angle.

There are some sweet advantages to working with Uber Eats. In lots of cities you don’t even need to have a car. You can use a bike or a scooter, or even walk, to make your rounds. If you do use a car, Uber Eats’ requirements are a lot easier to meet than they are for Uber rideshare driving.

You also have a lot of flexibility. You can shop and deliver convenience items and groceries, but you don’t have to. And, like most driving gigs, you can choose your own hours, and map out the locations where you want to work. 

Use Gridwise features When to Drive and Where to Drive to help you figure out what work hours and which specific areas will be the most profitable for you. Real data from real delivery people will show you earning patterns for drivers in your town.

[elementor-template id="20949"]

How much can you earn doing Uber Eats?

The honest answer to this question is: basically, as much as you want! It all depends on how many hours you put in and how strategic you are about your gig. Earnings vary from one area to another, as this article from Entrepreneur points out. To give you a baseline, let’s look at the earnings of Uber Eats drivers who tracked their earnings with Gridwise.

Remember that these numbers show us only average earnings. To make $1,000 a week with Uber Eats, you’re going to have to be better than average, and we’ll show you how. For now, though, it’s good to have these figures so you get a ballpark number of where to start.

How much do Uber Eats drivers make?

Gridwise data tell us the following:

• Monthly earnings average around $444.00 per month.
• Gross earnings per trip are between $9.00 and $10.00.
• Tips make up about 50% of most Uber Eats drivers’ income, which amounts to about $225.00 per month.

Is Uber Eats good money? It can be. While there are other gigs that pay more per trip, if you drive for Uber Eats, you’ll always be pretty busy. 

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HPAz8/3

You can also see that, unlike many other gigs, tips play a huge role in Uber Eats earnings.

With these numbers as a baseline, what can we say about how to earn $1,000 a week with Uber Eats? As we said in the introduction, it’s going to be a hustle, but it’s really possible. To figure out how to make the most money with Uber Eats, let’s start by looking at how many trips these “average” drivers made each month.

We know that average gross earnings were $444.00 per month, and drivers got around $10.00 per trip. That means they took 44 or 45 trips per month, which breaks down to 11 trips per week. That’s not a lot of Uber Eats delivery, is it?

The fact that Uber Eats drivers averaged so few trips shows us that many drivers use more than one app at the same time. This is called multi-apping, and you can learn more about it in this Gridwise post. If you want to answer the question of how much you can make with Uber Eats, then you need to stick with the app and keep plugging away at those orders. You also need solid strategies, as well as some inside tips and tricks.

How to make the most money on Uber Eats: Delivery driving tactics

Getting to that $1,000 a week with Uber Eats isn’t so hard when you remember that the drivers we saw making about $111 a week were only taking around 11 trips in the same time period. That’s not much at all! If you work the Uber Eats app like a boss, you’ll soon have many more trips than that, easily reaching the number needed to get you to $1,000 a week. Now, let’s get to some tactics you’ll need to make that kind of bank.

1. Stay with the Uber Eats app, and track your earnings. Gridwise can easily do that for you. Simply sync your Uber Eats app with Gridwise, and you’ll be able to see how much you’ve earned with Uber Eats, what times were most profitable, and your average hourly pay. Racking up trips with Uber Eats has other benefits, including perks and bonuses that are awarded to top drivers.

2. Leverage surge pricing and promotions. Surge pricing is applied when there is a lot of demand. When surge pricing is in effect, many of the trips you make will pay more than usual. Promotions are offered to drivers who complete a given number of trips in a certain time period. High traffic volume days, nights, and times give you these chances to get extra earnings. Challenging yourself to complete the right number of trips for promotions will add to the number of trips you can count on for big bucks, too. Learn more about Uber Eats surge pay, boosts, and promotions in this Gridwise blog post.

3. Say yes to doubling up on orders. With Uber Eats, you can get back-to-back orders or receive batched orders. Back-to-back orders happen when you receive a new request while you’re on the way to deliver an original order. The Uber Eats app routes these trips automatically, so you won’t be sent out of your way. 

Batched orders are Uber Eats’ way of bundling together orders from either the same restaurant, or two nearby eating establishments. You get money—and trip count credit—for all the orders you complete, plus customer tips, without having to make a bunch of separate trips.

4. Turn on the charm and get bigger tips. Being nice really is part of the Uber Eats driver’s job, and getting tips is one way people who drive for Uber Eats make money beyond their basic pay.. Bring along those extra napkins and condiments, use equipment that keeps food and drinks at the right temperatures and prevents spilling, and consider your customers’ needs. If you deliver groceries, be extra careful with delicate items such as bread and eggs. 

And, most important, follow your customers’ directions, and stay in communication with them if you are going to be delayed, or if you have questions about their order. This Gridwise post will tell how to get bigger tips as a delivery driver.

5. Use even more charm to keep your ratings high. As an Uber Eats driver, you will be rated by the restaurant or store where you pick up the orders as well as the customers who are waiting for the deliveries. This two-way rating system is designed to keep you on your toes, so Uber can keep people satisfied with your service. Don’t worry—you get to rate them, too. 

There’s another reason why your rating as a driver is important. It not only keeps you in good standing with Uber; it helps you to qualify for the Uber Eats Pro incentive program. To learn more about Uber Eats Pro, and what it takes to earn perks such as preferred services, discounts, and deals, check out this Gridwise blog post. 

Smart business moves that seal the deal

Now that you know how to gobble up the deliveries you need to make $1,000 a week with Uber Eats, it’s going to be a breeze to get there. Let’s make it even easier, with business moves that boost your earnings and shrink your expenses. If you use these, it will also be easy to say yes when people ask, “Can you make good money with Uber Eats?”

Minimize expenses. Avoid racking up big fast-food bills by bringing your own food and beverages. You might not think you’re hungry when you first start your Uber Eats run, but once the aroma of pepperoni pizza, premium cheeseburgers, and piping hot fries start wafting through your car, that might change. Bring a sandwich or other healthy food from home, and buy bottled water in bulk to save tons of cash compared to what it costs to buy single servings.

Maximize tax deductions. Another way to minimize your expenses is to maximize your tax deductions. Start by tracking mileage with Gridwise.

Gridwise App

Gridwise captures every deductible mile you drive, including the distance you cover between the trips your driving app records. Know what expenses you can deduct, and put them to work for you when tax time comes. Learn more about tax deduction strategies in the Gridwise Tax Guide for drivers.

Boost earnings with referrals

As an independent contractor, you’re probably looking for ways to make even more money than you can with Uber Eats. And most gig workers like you enjoy getting passive income. With Uber Eats, there’s a really easy way to do that—referrals! 

All you need to do is find friends and encourage them to deliver for Uber Eats. If they make a certain number of deliveries within a specified time, you will get paid for doing nothing more than having them sign up under your referral code! Rates of pay vary by city, so check your Uber Eats app to find out what the current deal might be, and learn more about the referral program on the Uber Eats website. 

Also remember: “friends” don’t have to be your best buds. Many delivery people carry cards with a QR code linking to their referral information, so just about anyone you encounter can join Uber Eats and boost your earnings. You could meet a source of passive income at the gas station, on social media, or at your high school reunion. The more you hustle, the more there is to gain, right?

Master the art of self-employment

As an Uber Eats driver, you’re an independent contractor. That means the company isn’t going to withhold your taxes, provide insurance, keep track of your earnings, or tell you about tax deductions. You’ll have to do all these things for yourself.

If you want to maximize your tax advantages, open an official business entity. You can incorporate (create a corporation) or you can work as a limited liability corporation (LLC). You can also work with a DBA (Doing Business As) arrangement, but the corporation or LLC will do a better job of protecting you from liability.

Establishing a corporation or LLC offers better tax advantages than being a sole proprietor. For instance, if you simply collect your earnings into your private account, you’ll be charged self-employment taxes in most states. And paying extra taxes is something we all want to avoid, within legal limits, as much as possible.

Every Uber Eats driver needs to learn about self-employment, and there are some great resources you can review. Check out the CareerOneStop website about self employment which will help explain the basics. You can also check with a professional tax accountant, or look other websites to learn more about actually creating a business.

Scope out your market

Look at the area around you to see where you’re likely to get the most deliveries. Where are all the restaurants? Where might people be more inclined to order deliveries? What hours do you want to drive? What activities might be going on around those times? Think about late-night and after-school times as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner times.

Be realistic about the potential for your area and aware of new services opening up. For example, in New York, there is already a tab on the Uber Eats app that allows customers to order groceries. In our article about the best food delivery service to work for you’ll see that Uber Eats stacks up well against other delivery companies, mainly because of its potential for expanded opportunities for drivers to earn.

So, is Uber Eats good money? As we said, it isn’t an automatic guarantee that everyone will make $1,000 a week with Uber Eats. Trying out the suggestions we give you here, though, should put you on the right track! Go out there and start stacking up those orders and raking in some impressive earnings!

[elementor-template id="20936"]

Get more inside information on Uber Eats in these posts from the Gridwise blog:

• The delivery driver guide: Using the Uber Eats app
• Everything you need to know about driving for Uber Eats
• Uber Eats Pro: What drivers need to know
• Looking for a different gig, part-time or full time job? Check out the Gridwise Job board.

Uber Eats FAQ

How does the Uber Eats platform work for drivers?

Uber Eats is a food delivery service that connects customers with local restaurants and independent delivery partners. As an Uber Eats driver, you'll receive notifications of nearby delivery requests, which you can accept and complete. The platform provides flexibility, allowing you to work on your own schedule and earn money based on the number of deliveries you complete.

What are the requirements to become an Uber Eats delivery partner?

To become an Uber Eats delivery partner, you'll need to meet certain requirements, such as having a valid driver's license, a registered vehicle, and passing a background check.

How can I choose the right delivery zone to maximize my earnings?

Selecting the right delivery zone can significantly impact your earnings, as some areas may have higher demand and better-paying orders. It's important to research and identify the zones in your area that tend to have the most consistent and lucrative delivery opportunities.

How can I take advantage of peak delivery hours and surge pricing?

Understanding peak delivery hours, such as mealtimes and weekends, and taking advantage of surge pricing can boost your earnings. Be aware of when demand is highest in your area and adjust your schedule accordingly to capitalize on these peak periods.

What are some tips for maximizing tips and customer satisfaction?

Providing excellent customer service and going the extra mile to ensure a positive experience can lead to more tips and repeat business. Prioritize communication, timeliness, and attention to detail to keep your customers happy and satisfied.

How can I set realistic weekly goals to reach my $1000 target?

To make $1000 a week with Uber Eats, it's essential to set realistic weekly goals and track your earnings and expenses. Start by determining your target earnings and breaking it down into achievable daily or weekly goals. This will help you stay on track and make adjustments as needed.

What are some strategies for efficient route planning and navigation?

Effective route planning and navigation can save you time and fuel, allowing you to complete more deliveries. Utilize mapping apps and take advantage of features like real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn directions to find the quickest routes.

How can I balance my Uber Eats deliveries with other commitments?

Develop a schedule that allows you to capitalize on peak delivery hours while still maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Consider using tools like calendar apps to plan your availability and track your hours to ensure you're maximizing your earning potential without sacrificing your personal life.

What are the key considerations for maintaining my vehicle as an Uber Eats driver?

Keeping your car clean and well-maintained is crucial for maximizing your Uber Eats earnings. Regularly scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, and other preventive maintenance can help extend the life of your vehicle and minimize downtime. Additionally, budgeting for vehicle-related expenses, such as fuel, insurance, and repairs, will ensure you're accounting for these costs and maximizing your net earnings.

What are the tax obligations and legal considerations for Uber Eats drivers?

As an Uber Eats delivery driver, it's essential to understand the tax obligations and legal considerations that come with being an independent contractor. This includes properly reporting your earnings, deducting eligible business expenses, and making quarterly estimated tax payments. Additionally, you'll need to ensure you have the appropriate insurance coverage, such as personal auto insurance and possibly commercial auto insurance, to protect yourself and your vehicle while on the road making deliveries.

Gridwise is an essential assistant app created by gig workers for gig workers. Our mission is to support those engaged in gig work in every way possible. We understand how challenging it can be to deal with income instability, a lack of benefits, and job insecurity that often comes with gig work. The Gridwise app tracks and organizes earnings and expenses, and offers a wide array of discounts, deals, and services that make the lives of independent contractors easier and more rewarding.

We firmly believe it’s possible to make a viable living and create a gig experience that offers flexible hours, variety, and excitement. With issues such as consistent earnings and job security in mind, Gridwise is proud to offer a centralized platform that shows you how to find gig work and secure reliable opportunities. We’re proud to introduce the Gridwise Job Board.

[elementor-template id="20891"]

The Gridwise Job Board: Key features

Because Gridwise is dedicated to serving the gig worker community, we’ve filled the Gridwise Job Board with useful features that won’t waste your precious time.

• Comprehensive listings. Find part-time, full-time, temporary, and per-task work. Drive or deliver with your vehicle, utilize an employer’s vehicle, or even find non-driving gig work.
• User-friendly interface. Find the jobs that are right for you with a tap of your screen.
• Verified opportunities. We vet the jobs before they are listed to ensure you’re getting high-quality job postings.

How to get more gig work, seasonal, part-time or full-time jobs with the Gridwise Job Board

Looking specifically for “gig work apps” or “gig jobs near me?” You’re in luck. Our filters and search functions send you directly to the listings you seek.

Here’s how it works.

• Access the Job Board via the Gridwise website.
• Search for jobs by type, location, and more.
• Select the job that interests you, and read all about it.
• Scroll through the description, and if it appeals to you, click “Apply for job.”

Many types of jobs are available. Adjust the search filter to see the full variety of opportunities that will let you cash in. Deliver food, set up catering, do rideshare driving, get paid for doing package delivery, and much more. You’ll find short-term gigs, long-term contracts, and part-time positions.

Perks of the Gridwise Job Board for gig workers

Gig workers who know how to make extra money will appreciate how the Gridwise Job Board lets you multiply your chances of bringing in big earnings. Here’s how:

• Increased stability. Use the Gridwise Job Board to find part-time or permanent jobs in addition to the part-time gigs you already have. Always keep a steady stream of earning opportunities flowing toward you.
• Flexibility and autonomy. Choose jobs that fit your schedule, work around other jobs and family duties, and still leave room for some fun in your life. Discover side hustles to supplement your full-time job, permanently or just for the season.
• Skill development. Find part-time work that lets you use a skill you already have, or try your hand at something new. It’s a smart way to develop a portfolio to showcase what you can do, or even to find permanent employment.

Get Gridwise and stay up to date on the Gridwise Job Board

Gig workers need plenty of information and assistance, and Gridwise is here to give it to you. Download the app and get essential features such as

• seamless earnings tracking
• mileage tracking
• expense recording, including notes
• low-cost and no-cost insurance benefits
• access to affordable medical, dental, vision, mental health, and alternative care
• professional services including legal and financial help
• deals and discounts
• weather, events, and traffic reports
• inside information on where and when to drive

[elementor-template id="20936"]

More to know about gig work:

• Best side hustle jobs in 2024
• Taskrabbit: A flexible and fun side gig 
• Use Gridwise features to maximize your tax deductions
• Check out the best side hustle websites

Many drivers ask, “Do I really need a mileage tracking app?” The answer is simple: only if you want to have an accurate count of all the miles you can legally deduct from your taxable income! You might think your rideshare or delivery driving app has got you covered. After all, they do quite a good job of logging the miles you drive while you’re on a trip or delivery. But, if you want to have the best app to track mileage for Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, or the other apps you may use, you need more. Why is that?

Without a separate tracker, you’re missing the miles you drive in between pings. Did you realize that all the miles you drive, from the moment you begin your shift until it’s over (as long as you don’t drive several miles on a break to hang with your friends), are tax deductible! That means you need something besides your driving app to keep an accurate count of your travels. Read this Gridwise post to see how important it is to keep track of every deductible mile.

You won’t be surprised to hear that there’s an app for tracking miles. In fact, there are several of them. Here, we’re going to tell you about five top mileage tracking apps, and help you figure out which one is best for you.

Before we get to the list and identify the best mileage tracker app, let’s clarify what exactly a mileage tracking app is. According to G2.com’s technology glossary, mileage tracking is done for the purpose of keeping a log of mileage that is either reimbursable or tax deductible. 

And yes, of course you can track your miles simply by taking readings on your odometer. But are you really prepared to account for how many miles you drove for personal reasons and subtract them from the total to get your business mileage? Even if you can remember all that and do the arithmetic, if you want an accurate reading of the miles you drive for business, and can therefore deduct, a mileage tracking app will save you a lot of trouble and prevent you from making costly errors. 

Plus, as a gig driver, you have specific needs when it comes to a mileage tracker. Ideally, you’d be able to handle mileage tracking and several other functions all in one app. It can be maddening enough to deal with driving apps, particularly if you’re an avid multi-apper. You would want your mileage tracker app to help you keep account of other aspects of your business, including income, expenses, and inside information about the art of gig driving.

Not all mileage apps are equal, to be sure! Let’s look at five of the best apps to track mileage and figure out which is the best app to track mileage with Uber and Lyft, or what mileage tracker app is best for DoorDash.

[elementor-template id="20891"]

1.  Zoho Expense

First up is Zoho Expense, which does exactly what its name says. This app is designed to allow companies to give employees a uniform way to create and submit expense reports. It can be used by individuals, including gig drivers, as well. 

It includes a mileage tracker, as well as features that let you track other deductible expenses, including the ability to scan and record receipts. 

Available on Android and Apple: Yes

Ratings: 4.8 stars on App Store, 4.7 stars on Google Play

Free Version: Yes

Subscription price: $3 per month, billed annually

Created specifically for gig drivers: No

2. Quickbooks Online

Quickbooks Online is a cloud-based app that allows you to track your mileage, earnings, and expenses. The information you enter can then be used to generate various reports that prepare you for tax time. It also allows you to create graphs that illustrate your cash flow, and includes a receipt scanner so you can instantly record deductible expenses. Quickbooks is popular, highly reliable, and designed mainly to help people keep track of their small businesses.

Available on Android and Apple: Yes

Ratings: 4.7 stars on App Store, 4.4 stars on Google Play

Free version: 30-day free trial

Subscription price: $15 per month for basic version if purchased for 3 months or more

Created specifically for gig drivers: No

Source: quickbooks.intuit.com

3. Shoeboxed

Shoeboxed started in 2007 as a service for scanning paper receipts into digital form. Now the app offers a free mileage tracker and has enabled users to scan receipts directly. It touts itself as the best mileage tracking app for DoorDash, but there are some elements missing that Dashers might like to have. While it provides features that record your expenses and prepare you for tax season, it doesn’t automatically track your earnings. The mileage tracker has a system where you can drop pins along your routes to make the tracking more precise, identifying those legs of a trip that you make for business purposes. The mileage tracker is “free” once you sign up for the basic version.

Available on Android and Apple: Yes

Ratings: 4.5 stars on App Store, 2.3 stars on Google Play

Free version: No

Subscription price: $18 per month for basic version

Created specifically for gig drivers: No

Source: blog.shoeboxed.com

4. Stride

This free mileage tracker does a fair job of keeping track of the distances you rack up while gig driving, but it doesn’t automatically track earnings. It can be a big help, though, in tracking your expenses. You can link Stride to your bank account, and it will automatically scan your expenses to identify items you can potentially deduct. The app is totally free. This could make it the best free mileage tracker app, but there is a small price to pay. The app will persistently push you to consider various insurance plans that they are affiliated with. If you don’t mind that, this is a solid mileage tracker, even if it doesn’t track your earnings. 

Available on Android and Apple: Yes

Ratings: 4.8 stars on App Store, 4.6 stars on Google Play

Free version: Yes

Subscription price: None. The app is free.

Created specifically for gig drivers: No

5. Gridwise

Gridwise has a free mileage tracker and free features that record your income and expenses. It gives you access to insurance and benefits, as well as insights about the best times and places to make the most money while gig driving. The Gridwise mileage tracker captures all the miles you drive while you’re on your driving shift, and it can be used if you have other trips you need to make which qualify as business travel.

Drivers love it because it is geared toward the needs of rideshare and delivery workers, providing free information about airport departures and arrivals, event start and let out times, weather, traffic, and more. The Gridwise Plus subscription adds value by providing additional insights and reports, discounts on benefits, the ability to export data in .csv format,, and more.

Available on Android and Apple: Yes

Ratings: 4.9 stars on App Store, 4.6 stars on Google Play

Free version: Yes

Subscription price: $9.95 per month for Gridwise Plus, or $95.99 per year (a $23.41 savings)

Created specifically for gig drivers: Yes!

What is the best mileage tracking app?

Now that we’ve checked them all out, we’re positive about the answer to that. Hands down, it’s Gridwise. Are we biased? You bet we are! But drivers love it too. Gridwise is the best mileage tracker app—and so much more. So many of the features are free, and the subscription to Gridwise Plus will pay for itself with additional insights to boost your earnings and deeper discounts on products and services.

Most important, Gridwise is designed specifically for gig drivers by experts who were once gig drivers themselves! Knowing what gig drivers need is a crucial step in creating an app that rideshare and delivery drivers can really use! Here are a few of the features, besides mileage tracking:

• seamless earnings tracking
• automatic, on/off toggle and manual mileage tracking
• mileage categorization
• airport, traffic, weather, and events information
• insights into where to drive and when to drive
• reports showing earnings across the platforms you use
• discounts on countless products and services for drivers
• additional resources for finding side gigs
• an informative and comprehensive blog
• affordable benefits, including insurance, medical, dental, and alternative practitioner discounts
• a community of drivers just like you

Don’t settle for just any app. Get the best mileage tracker, and so much more, from Gridwise!

[elementor-template id="21599"]