Driving for on-demand delivery services like Postmates and Favor is an excellent way to make some extra cash on the side while being your own boss.
The question is, which one should you drive for?
Postmates, a nationwide option, is by far one of the most popular and prevalent delivery options out there.
Favor, on the other hand, is only available in Texas.
For you Texans trying to decide which one is a better fit, we’re going to take a look at each of these platforms from the viewpoint of delivery drivers.
What Are Postmates and Favor?
Postmates and Favor are online food delivery apps that will deliver nearly any item to their customers.
Both of these services simplify the shopping and dining experience by bringing groceries, takeout food, alcohol, and nearly any other item straight to consumers’ doors.
For gig workers, these two companies provide you with an alternative to your typical 9-to-5 job.
Instead of following the same routine every day and answering to your boss at work, you could opt for something different.
You could decide to drive for Postmates or Favor and enjoy the freedoms of being your own boss, setting your own schedule, and working as much as you’d like.
As an employee for both of these companies, you’ll be delivering orders directly to consumers.
Once you receive orders that customers place through the app, you’ll drive your vehicle (or bike) to store locations and pick up their order items.
You’ll then navigate to the customer’s location and drop off their items.
For each one of these deliveries you complete, you’ll be compensated with a monetary delivery fare.
Let’s take a look at what is required to become a worker.
What Are the Worker Requirements?
For both of these companies, the requirements for becoming a worker are quite easy to meet.
You shouldn’t have a problem becoming a worker, as long as you’re a safe and responsible worker that has access to a vehicle or bicycle to complete deliveries.
The requirements for both of these platforms are nearly identical, however, let’s take a look at each one for further clarification.
Postmates
The requirements for becoming a Postmates driver are that you’re at least 18 years old, have a clean criminal and driving record, have access to a vehicle to complete deliveries, and have all of the required documents to legally operate a vehicle.
The full requirements for becoming a Postmates driver are the following:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Own a car, truck, scooter, bicycle, or motorcycle to complete deliveries (Postmates allows you to walk in some cases)
- Vehicle must be insured
- Pass a Postmates background check
- Own a smartphone capable of running the Postmates app
Compared to gig companies like Uber and Lyft, the vehicle requirements are next to none.
Lucky for you, as long as your vehicle is insured and is capable of driving, you’re able to use it for Postmates delivery.
In regards to the Postmates background check, Postmates reserves the right to refuse you employment if you have a spotty criminal or driving record.
Postmates will be looking for violent, sexual, or drug-related offenses as well as major violations from the past seven years.
Favor
Like Postmates, Favor requires that you’re at least 18 years old, have a clean and non-violent criminal or driving history, have access to a working vehicle, and possess all of the required documents to operate that vehicle.
The complete driver requirements for Favor are the following:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Own a car, truck, scooter, bicycle, or motorcycle to complete deliveries
- Vehicle must be insured
- Active U.S. driver’s license
- Pass a background check
- Android or iOS smartphone capable of running the Favor app
- Bank account to process direct deposit
Outside of having an operable vehicle, there are no vehicle requirements.
If you decide to deliver via bicycle, then you can only do so in Austin, Texas in the bike zone.
Unlike Postmates which requires bicycle drivers to still have a driver’s license, Favor allows you to operate a bicycle without a driver’s license.
However, you’ll still need an official state ID to run your background check.
In regards to the background check, there are a few things that will disqualify you from employment.
Here are a few offenses that will prevent you from working for Favor:
- DUI or reckless driving within the last seven years
- More than two moving violations within the last 36 months
- Major traffic citations within the last 36 months
- Violent crimes like assault and battery
- Theft, burglaries, and property damage
- Sexual offense or harassment
- Felonies within the last seven years
- Misdemeanors within the last seven years
Favor has the final say on whether or not you’ll be a good fit.
If your background check pulls up anything they deem disqualifying, they reserve the right to refuse you employment.
How Is the Pay Calculated?
The pay calculation for Postmates and Favor are quite different.
Postmates relies on a variable pay system that compensates you for time and distance driven.
Favor, on the other hand, is more of a flat percentage rate for each delivery you complete.
Let’s take a look at the Postmates pay calculation first.
Postmates
As mentioned above, Postmates charges customers based on several order variables.
Each order will yield you a different fare depending on how much effort went into the order.
Driver fares will vary depending on several variables listed below:
- Pickup
- Drop-off
- Per minute rate (includes wait time while at the pickup location)
- Per mile rate (between the pickup and drop-off point)
- Bonuses
- Tips (Postmates couriers keep 100 percent)
The further you drive and the longer each order takes, the more you’ll get paid out.
Lucky for you, you get to keep 100 percent of the tips that come your way.
Postmates also has minimum payment amounts that will vary from city to city.
Favor
Unlike Postmates, Favor drivers will get paid a flat 35 percent of each delivery fee.
The standard delivery fee is $6.00, but sometimes can be as low as $3.00.
The upside is that you get to keep 100 percent of your tips and it seems as though the minimum tip amount is set at $2.00.
Even better, Favor has a default suggested tip amount that is usually higher than this $2.00 minimum.
Favor reports that most drivers that operate in busy areas during peak hours will make between $12.00 and $18.00 per hour.
There are even minimum hourly earning opportunities that promise drivers around a $10.00 per hour wage.
Let’s go over some of the bonus and incentive opportunities that each provide their drivers.
Bonuses, Incentives, and Programs for Each Platform
When you look at Postmates and Favor, both on-demand delivery platforms offer drivers bonuses and incentives in one form or another.
When you compare the two, Postmates offers a few more bonus and incentive opportunities than Favor.
Postmates
Postmates offers drivers two forms of incentives — bonuses and guaranteed earnings.
Bonuses are extra rewards drivers can earn for completing orders during certain periods of time.
Guaranteed earnings are a minimum payment that’s rewarded to drivers who complete a certain number of deliveries during a set period of time.
Here are some examples of each incentive.
- Per delivery: Earn $4 extra for each delivery you make between 4:00–7:00 p.m.
- For sum of deliveries: Earn $15 for completing six rides between 6:00–8:00 p.m.
- Simple guaranteed earning: Complete 30 deliveries in the next four days and earn a guaranteed $400 (excluding tips)
- Tiered guarantee earning: Complete five deliveries during dinner hours (5:00–9:00 p.m.) on Friday
Favor
Favor offers much fewer bonuses and incentives than Postmates does.
In some cases, Favor will offer its drivers minimum hourly guarantees.
In order to receive access to these minimum hourly earnings incentives, drivers must schedule their drive times ahead of time.
In a way, Favor incentivizes drivers to schedule their shifts ahead of time by promising an hourly wage of at least $9.00 to $10.00.
Which Platform Is in My Hometown?
If you’re trying to decide which platform you should drive for, this is by far the greatest factor that will weigh in on your decision.
Postmates is a nationwide company that’s in nearly every major U.S. city.
On the other hand, Favor is only located in Texas.
Postmates
Postmates is located all across the U.S. in nearly every major city, from New York to Los Angeles.
There’s is a pretty good chance that your city will be covered, but if you’re unsure you can head to their website to make sure.
Compared to Favor, there is a much greater chance that you’ll be able to work for Postmates.
Favor
Favor is an Austin-based company that only operates in cities in Texas.
The company is located in over 100 cities there.
Therefore, if you’re not in Texas, your decision becomes pretty easy as to which platform you should drive for.
Where Do You Fit In?
At the end of the day, you can decide which food delivery service is best for you.
Whether you’re a new driver, someone looking for part-time work, or somebody that wants to drive full-time, there’s an option out there for everyone.
If you’d like to compare to other food delivery apps, you can check out our Postmates comparison guides with Instacart, DoorDash, and Grubhub.
Have fun deciding!
