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Home » Blog » App-Based Gigs » Delivery » Food » 9 Ways to Make More as an Uber Eats Driver

9 Ways to Make More as an Uber Eats Driver

Making money as an Uber Eats driver is hard, but it doesn't have to be. In this post, we'll discuss the ins and outs of driving with Uber Eats, and show you some of the best ways to make money with the service.

Brett Helling
Updated on January 10, 2019December 30, 2020
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You’ve probably seen the blog posts, YouTube videos, and affiliate marketing sites exclaiming:

YOU CAN MAKE $1000 A WEEK WITH UBER EATS!

or

HOW I EARN $1000 A WEEK AS AN UBER DELIVERY DRIVER!

But, if you’ve spent any time at all working for Uber’s delivery service, Uber Eats, you’ve probably already realized that making a grand per week is difficult. Very difficult.

While it is hard to earn that much money delivering food, it’s not impossible to do.

But, you’ll have to work hard. And, you’ll have to work smart, too.

There are a few little tricks you can implement to earn more money as an Uber Eats driver. And while they often involve hustling a bit harder, they’ll ultimately lead to more cash flow.

We’ve outlined a few of them below.


Jump To:

  • How Much Do Uber Eats Drivers Make?
  • Become an Uber Eats Driver
  • How To Make More With Uber Eats
    • Limit Your Working Area
    • Don’t Miss a Surge Period
    • Plan for Boost Earnings Ahead of Time
    • Earn Referral Bonuses By Inviting Your Friends
    • Be Extra Courteous
    • Turn Your Vehicle into an Advertisement
    • Double as an UberX Driver
    • Work For Other Meal Delivery Services
    • Treat it Like a Full-Time Job

How Much Do Uber Eats Drivers Make?

Before we dive into the topic of how to make more as an Uber Eats drivers, it’s worth first addressing how much Uber Eats drivers make to begin with.

According to our research, Uber Eats drivers make around $3.50 per delivery. But, by the time you factor in delays, wait times, and the other expenses that Uber Eats drivers incur as a result of being an independent contractor, the factor breaks down to roughly minimum wage in various cities. This is similar to how much Uber drivers make.

Since this post is how to make more when driving, check out our in-depth earnings breakdown, How Much Do Uber Eats Drivers Make, on our sister site Ridester.com.


Become an Uber Eats Driver

If you’re interested in becoming an Uber Eats driver but haven’t yet signed up, there is no better time than now.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, demand for food delivery apps is surging through the roof, so take advantage of the demand while it is at record highs.

Becoming an Uber driver is easy, and takes very little time to apply. To learn more, we put together a comprehensive guide: How To Become an Uber Eats Driver.


How To Make More With Uber Eats

With those two things out of the way, let’s now dive into the post you came to read – how to make more as an Uber Eats driver.

Luckily for new and existing drivers, there are many different ways to increase your income while driving with the service. Instead of working longer hours, simply work smarter. Here are my favorite tips to succeed and put more cash in your pocket.

Limit Your Working Area

Working within a small radius can help you earn more money as opposed to trying to cover a large area. It not only helps you to cut down on gas but it also allows you to travel quickly from one job to another.

make more money uber eats driver

So, if there’s a restaurant-heavy spot in your town (like a strip mall), you should park there and wait for orders.

You’ll save a lot of time (and money on gas) if you limit yourself to orders from local restaurants in that area and return to your spot whenever things are slow.

Also:

Don’t be afraid to reject orders if they require too much driving. Often, taking those can be more trouble than it’s worth.

It might take you a little while to figure out where the hotspots are. But, once you do, you may find that it’s easier to accumulate cash.

Don’t Miss a Surge Period

Certain times of the day are busier for Uber Eats than other times of the day. Lunch and dinner time, for example, tend to bring in a lot more orders than breakfast.

Because there’s a higher demand for drivers, Uber Eats increases the pay rate to incentivize drivers to work during these times.

They refer to these times as “Surge Periods.”

So, one of the best things you can do to earn more cash is to make sure you work during Surge pricing times whenever possible.

During these times, you can earn up to two or three times as much as you’d make during a regular shift.

Not only are you paid more for each delivery, but you’ll also have a more significant influx of orders, too.

You can find areas with Surge pricing by looking for the highlighted areas on the map in the Uber Eats app.

Typically, Surge prices occur around the same time and in the same areas every week. So, pay close attention to when they happen so that you can build your schedule around them and maximize your income.

Plan for Boost Earnings Ahead of Time

make more money uber eats driver

Uber has another excellent incentive program to encourage drivers to work when there’s a high demand.

It’s called Boost Earnings.

Whenever the company needs drivers, they’ll increase wages to ensure that they’ll have people out on the road.

Usually, they implement a Boost Earnings promotion whenever there’s a big event in town. So, if there’s a convention or a big game, for example, they’ll increase driver rates to make sure that there are enough cars to meet the demand.

Like Surge Prices, Boost Earnings are a multiplied pay rate.

For example, if the Boost Earnings multiplier is three times the average rate, they’ll multiply all of your earnings for your shift by three. So, instead of earning $5 for completing a drop-off, you’ll make $15.

Typically, the company will notify you of a Boost Earnings promotion ahead of time, so read the text messages and emails they send you!

Then, make sure that you’re available to work the entire Boost shift. That way, you can maximize the amount of money you make that day.

Earn Referral Bonuses By Inviting Your Friends

make more money uber eats driver

Uber’s delivery business depends on new drivers signing up to deliver food and complete orders. So, they’re always looking for capable, hard-working people to join the team.

They’re so eager to hire new contractors that they’ll pay you to bring your friends on board.

Here’s how it works:

When you download the app and become a driver, you can create a Referral Code.

Essentially, this is a promotional link that you can use to invite your friends to become drivers.

If you send out that link to your buddies and they sign up to work as Uber Eats drivers, the company will pay you once they complete a certain number of deliveries.

The exact reward amount and the number of trips your friend has to complete vary from city to city, depending on the demand for drivers. One driver in Providence, RI said that they received a $50 bonus for referring a friend while someone in Austin, TX claims that they got $300 for a referral.

Either way, it’s never a bad thing to make some extra money for doing very little on your end.

Be Extra Courteous

make more money uber eats driver

Tips are crucial for Uber Eats delivery drivers.

After all, while the company takes 25% of your income from each order, they don’t touch your tips. Those go straight to your pocket.

So, it helps to earn as many tips as possible. And the happier your customers are, the more tips you’ll make.

Therefore, we recommend that you go above and beyond to ensure that they have a good experience.

It doesn’t take much to be polite (say “Thank you” and “Have a good day,” saying the customer’s name, etc.), and if it’s the difference between getting a nice tip or a few dollars, it’s worth it.

But, you can also do little things like grabbing paper plates, plastic silverware, and straws from the restaurant. If your customer doesn’t need them, they’ll probably still appreciate the kind gesture and may give you a larger tip.

Even if they don’t give you an extra tip, your thoughtfulness will garner positive reviews and can earn you more food delivery offers through the app.

It’s important to keep in mind that if you’re trying to make the most money you can as an Uber Eats driver, you must work hard for it.

Sure, you can make deliveries and do the bare minimum and get by fine, but what will set you apart and make this a successful gig is hard work.

Turn Your Vehicle into an Advertisement

There are a few ways you can earn some extra money through other companies while working for Uber at the same time.

One company called Wrapify, for example, will pay you to turn your car into a moving billboard.

They offer to wrap an adhesive vinyl advertisement around your car (kind of like a NASCAR vehicle). Then, they’ll compensate you for every mile you drive.

It sounds crazy and a little odd, we know. But, according to Wrapify, it can earn you up to $500 per month.

Wrapify helps you earn money passively with your car

About Wrapify
Apply With Wrapify

Interestingly enough, it’s somewhat difficult to get approved for work in an area where this type of advertising will be effective.

So, before you’re able to wrap your car, you must use their app to track your would-be driving route and verify that it will be worth it.

If they find that you drive in a region where they want to advertise, they’ll reach out and schedule an appointment to get your car wrapped.

This isn’t a bad way to earn some extra cash, either, given the fact that it takes very little work on your part.

Sure, your friends may make fun of you for having a giant picture of a cheeseburger plastered on the side of your vehicle, but it’ll be worth it if you can earn extra money each month.

Double as an UberX Driver

One of the nice things about working for Uber is that they let you switch interchangeably from one service to another. In other words, you can drive for both Uber Eats and UberX at the same time.

If you’re already an Uber driver giving people rides around town, it’s super easy to opt-in to the Uber Eats platform. After all, you’ve already met the driver and vehicle requirements, so Uber knows that you’re reliable and driving a decent vehicle.

Drive with a rideshare company and earn even more

Uber Gigs
Lyft Gigs

If you’re an Uber Eats driver who wants to start ridesharing, the process is also pretty easy. Unfortunately, you’ll have to call the company directly or visit your local Uber headquarters, as there’s no easy way to opt-in to becoming an UberX driver through the driver app.

But, as long as your car meets the ridesharing requirements, it should be no sweat to switch from one to the other.

In this case, it’s easier to drive for Uber instead of becoming a Lyft driver due to the ease of opting into Uber Eats as an existing Uber driver. Driving for Lyft is a great option, but it will likely be easier to switch back and forth between Uber Eats delivery app and the Uber driver app.

The best part about working for both services, of course, is that they each get busy at different times.

So, you’ll be able to earn Surge rates through Uber Eats during lunch and dinner and again during the late-night rush after the bars close with UberX.

Work For Other Meal Delivery Services

It’s great working as a delivery partner because you’re not tied down to any one company.

Therefore, you can drive for as many food delivery services as you’d like and minimize any long wait in between deliveries.

And there’s no shortage of them. Today, there are more than a dozen online food delivery request platforms available on the market. Most of the top food delivery services, like Postmates, DoorDash, and Grubhub are in every major US city and some are in major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver.

So, by driving for more than one, you’ll be able to maximize the number of orders you take on during each shift.

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If Uber Eats is particularly slow on a specific day, for example, you can open up your DoorDash app and wait for orders to come through there. That should fill your time until the Uber Eats orders start coming.

This works exceptionally well in areas that have a lot of restaurants because every restaurant works with different platforms. So, if your normal working area has 17 restaurants and ten of them work with Uber Eats, it’s likely that the other 17 work with another platform.

By signing up for those platforms, too, you can ensure that you’re never missing out on a potential order.

Of course, we don’t recommend that you work for every platform all at once. It can get challenging to multitask, and we all know how that can end up (mixed-up order numbers, forgotten items and order details, etc.).

But, by keeping a hand in each platform, it’s likely that you’ll always have something to do.

Treat it Like a Full-Time Job

make more money uber eats driver

This is the key to making the most amount of money with Uber Eats–you must work full-time.

When you work as a delivery partner, it’s easy to put off work because you want to sleep in, go to bed early, or hang out with your buddies.

But, if you had a traditional 9-5 job, you’d be responsible for being there every day. So, you should do the same when you work for yourself.

If you treat your job as a food delivery driver like it were a 9-5, you’ll find that you’re able to earn at least $100 a day (unless it’s a particularly slow day).

And, if you hit all of the Surge and Boost times on top of that, you can earn a lot more.

Therefore, to earn the maximum amount of money possible, you should start by figuring out which times are the busiest and then build your schedule from there.

You probably won’t see too much action while people are at work during the week, because those aren’t the busiest times — except for lunchtime.

But, that’s something to consider when you work a non-traditional job — the hours are going to be non-traditional.

Once the cash starts rolling in, you’ll be happy that you put in all the hard work.

  • Author Details
Brett Helling
Owner , Gigworker.com
Brett Helling is the owner of Gigworker.com. Since an early age, he has started business ventures and worked various side hustles in many different niches. He has been a rideshare driver since early 2012, having completed hundreds of trips for companies including Uber and Lyft. In 2014 he started a website to share his experiences with other drivers, which has now become Ridester.com. He is currently working on a book about working in the Gig Economy, expanding his skill set beyond the rideshare niche by building and growing Gigworker.com. As the site grows, his insights are regularly quoted by publications such as Forbes, Vice, CNBC, and more.
Web
https://bretthelling.com/
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12 Comments

John Hopkins

May 2, 2019 at 11:21 am

Great article on maximizing profits from the very beginning. My only initial hold-up was that I had JUST completed my lease contract, and turned my car in to the dealership. This meant that when I was signing up with Uber I was using the only car in my household, which was registered in my wife’s name, as was the car insurance. I have been an additional covered driver for her car for as long as she has been one on mine, but it comes down to whose name is on the vehicle registration, and whose name is on the insurance card. My name is on her longform policy, but not on the cards themselves. This was a sticking point for me. In the end it was easier to go lease a second vehicle (We ALWAYS need 2 anyway) and then become a driver. I have been self employed for many years, and income is like a rollercoaster (great weeks..and the weeks I can hear crickets), and becoming a driver, with no commitment to minimum hours has been a GREAT source of supplemental income during those slow periods.

  • Reply

Saleem

July 16, 2020 at 5:56 am

It’s is really helpful article if you want to make some extra money even part time or full time. Work hard and keep your commitments.

  • Reply

Jim

October 24, 2020 at 8:01 pm

I had a similar situation with my wife’s car. Not wanting to put too many miles on just mine (she has a 2017 Audi with only 30,000 mikes on it)… we called her insurance company and had them ADD my name to the insurance card we get every 6 months. Uber accepted that and allowed me to add her car to my account. You just have to remember to choose the correct car in the app by tapping the appropriate radio button for whichever car you drive on any particular day.

  • Reply

Michael Babyak

October 19, 2019 at 9:32 pm

What point are uou trying to make mr hopkins ?

  • Reply

Denver

November 21, 2019 at 2:27 am

What are the tips for taking maximum number of orders?

  • Reply

Jim

October 24, 2020 at 8:29 pm

Every person tips differently (or not at all.. it happens). I drove only Uber X (passengers) when I first started in March 2020 and only 10% of the riders tipped. I tired of having people in my car, so tried Uber Eats and now ONLY drive for Eats. Why? People have always been more accustomed to tipping for food (delivery or dining in), so now I have almost 90% of people tip me for delivering food (again, because people are used to tipping for food)…. best thing is, if you’re courteous and communicate via the customer messaging option, you can let them know you’re still waiting on their order (if restaurant hasn’t quite got it ready). I usually text them “ Hi, the restaurant is still packaging your food, but I’ll let you know as soon as I leave”’… then text them the automatic “I’m leaving now” right before starting delivery. Also, sometimes, before I hit the “delivered” button, I text them to “enjoy your meal!”.

This accomplishes two things:

1. Better ratings, including “good communication” and thumbs up ratings from customer.

2. It usually results in a larger tip.

I can honestly say, most shifts, my tips are usually the same or a lot of times, even higher than the delivery rate I get from Uber, doubling my money…. My largest tip once was $15 on ONE delivery (dinner) and the trip was only 5 miles from the restaurant! My average tip for lunch is about $4.50 and dinner, average about $7… I can do 15 dinner trips in ~4 hours.. I drive fast… and make ~$140 just on a dinner shift! Lunches are about $100 a shift only because the customer spends less when ordering lunch. Try it! Customers love the communication and quickness and tip accordingly.

  • Reply

Juan Solis

March 5, 2020 at 10:14 am

I started delivering for Uber Eats since February of this year (two and a half months) working after my regular office job, from 5 PM to 10 PM and afternoon weekends (a third of the time I am resting watching YouTube News in my Cell inside my car waiting for deliveries). I have now $3,000 extra in my savings account.
GREAT as supplemental income.
But also it has non-money advantages:
– I have lost some pounds, because I am not eating munchies in my house in the afternoons. It is also necessary sometimes walk and go upstairs for deliveries to door.
– I have no time to fight with my wife.
– I have time for myself to meditate.
– It is a emotionally-rewarding job. Clients always receive you with a big smile (they are hungry an you arrive with they favorite food).
If you want to start this job, I recommend you to get some basic training with some one with experience to avoid novice-mistakes. You can also find some YouTube videos, but live training is better. You can reward your trainer with the referral bonus he can get from you.
Buena Suerte !!

  • Reply

Danny Miguel

March 26, 2020 at 6:15 pm

Fantastic article, haven’t hit a grand a week but I will be hitting my first 1000 deliveries in the next month 2.5 years later. Definitely agree treating it as your work schedule, it’s about setting your delivery and income goals, having total focus on the road and giving customers a good experience. A breakthrough I had was that I use to be the guy looking to party hard on weekends, now I deliver on that time and generally don’t miss those days at all. UberEats has made me a relatively Sober person, I now enjoy getting into the ‘zone’ delivering with my V6 Mustang, seeing new places, taking photos safely, discovering new music and the good vibes delivering to others. If you look at this gig introspectively, you can enjoy the experience as much as the pay. Have fun and be safe out there.

  • Reply

Matt

July 27, 2020 at 2:12 pm

This app has helped me sober up so mch because it gives me something to do. So instead of sitting inside wishing i had money to buy cool things I can just complete missions on my phone and get paid. I always have a ridealong as well so I’m never lonely, bored or broke! And now… I can actually appreciate the occasional joint :).

  • Reply

Steve Schmieder

August 1, 2020 at 5:37 pm

Excellent article. I left my 9-5 warehouse job 5 weeks ago and haven’t looked back. I’m now Uber Diamond with a 95% approval rating, making $800-1100 a week and enjoying the job. Hard work but I’m my own boss and love working out in the world, listening to what I want, and making people smile. I’d recommend this job to anyone who likes to be busy and doesn’t freak out in traffic.

  • Reply

Melissa

August 5, 2020 at 10:05 am

Hi, I love being my own boss, and being an Uber Eats driver. It allows you to work when its convenient for YOU.. You pick your own hours, you take breaks when you want, and you dont have a boss looking over your shoulder the whole time. I love it. I love driving to different places and meeting different people. I can be broke one minute then the next minute, I get in my car and do some deliveries, I make money…LOL

  • Reply

Denise

December 13, 2020 at 8:02 am

I have been an Uber Eats driver for two years and I enjoyed learning more from this article then I already know. I had children and in school full time. I only do Uber Eats even before the pandemic. When I need to make 1k a week I have to really motivate myself. More money equals longer hours but working at peak hours plus promotions helps out a great deal. Best times are 6am-2p and then it slows down until about 4p and then it’s fast money again up until about 3am (restaurants like McDonald’s and other 24 hr). This pattern has been true so far for Texas (Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock and surrounding areas) and Georgia (Atlanta and surrounding areas). Note that when you go outside your main working state you can only do Uber Eats. Also for anyone thinking about stopping their job to do Uber Driving and or Eats.. know most places do accept it as proof of income, discounts on some phone carries, random discounts for oil changes, you make a great amount yearly and a lot more. Lol I sound like I work for corporate. Good Luck to everyone.

  • Reply
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