How to Get More Postmates Jobs

In a world where consumers often see convenience as more valuable than cash, freelance delivery jobs are popping up everywhere such as Postmates jobs.

It’s a win/win for the client and the deliverer, and companies like Postmates are happy to put the two together (for a profit).

Working a Postmates delivery job gives you the lifestyle benefits you’ve always wanted: you set your schedule, don’t have a boss to answer to, and your paycheck goes into your pocket.

But if you want to make a full-time living in this role, you’ll need to get as many Postmates jobs as possible.

So how can you make the most of your gig-work role?

In this article, we’ll give you tips on how to make the most profit in your delivery gig.

1. Learn the Top Postmates Zones

Every city has its preferred goods or food delivery company, whether it’s DoorDash, Postmates, Grubhub, or something else. The top choice depends on a mix of driver availability and consumer demand.

Most importantly, though, it’s based on which restaurants are willing to pay the fees to partner with a delivery service.

In some areas, Postmates isn’t even on the radar. You can “work” for the company, but if you’re in a zone where no one uses it, you won’t get any work.

Make the Zones Work For You

How do you avoid taking a job that turns into a dead-end (pun intended)?

Just look for the top zones before you apply for any delivery service. The term “top zone” refers to the sweet spot where the customers and restaurants or shops are heavily centered.

From there, the zones decrease in supply and demand until they get to where there isn’t any work (aka, where you don’t want to be).

Learning where the top zones are doesn’t mean you have to move there. But if Postmates does more business in the next town over than it does in your own, it could be worth the money to drive and deliver there instead.

2. Drive Strategically

Use a GPS to help you make the most of your driving time and complete more orders.

Limiting your working zone to a certain radius will help you make good on Postmates’ one-hour delivery promise. If you have to drive fifty minutes from the pick-up spot to the customer and you hit traffic, you may not get paid for the order.

To add to the juggling act, you’ll also have to consider the shopping cart orders (Postmates delivers more than just restaurant food). You could find yourself grocery shopping for your customers, and you don’t want to have to drive across town afterward.

Note that even with all the juggling that goes into optimizing profit, Postmates is a popular service with drivers.

Postmates drivers aren’t limited to mealtime rushes because clients can order more than just meals from restaurants. This means you can work whenever you have time and still earn a decent income.

3. Work for Multiple Delivery Services

As a service delivery driver, you’re an independent contractor. This means you can work where you want when you want, and you’re not stuck with a restrictive contract.

If another delivery service is active in your area, you’re free to work for them and Postmates. Why not spread the wealth and work for multiple services at the same time?

With this tip, you might not get more Postmates jobs, but you’ll have a lot more work.

Joining Other Delivery Services

If you’re in a high-demand zone, there are probably many other delivery services trying to find drivers. As long as you can pass a background check and have a clean driver’s license, you shouldn’t have a problem getting hired.

You already know about the main ones, but here are a few lesser-known companies to look into:

• Alcohol delivery through Drizly, DoorDash, and MiniBar
• Package delivery with Amazon Flex
• Rent out your car on Turo (renters can pick it up or you deliver it to them)
• Grocery delivery through Instacart, Spark (Walmart), or Amazon Fresh
• Deliver passengers as a rideshare driver through Uber or Lyft
• Other food delivery services like Slice, GrubHub, GoPuff, and ChowNow

GoPuff is one of the only 24-hour delivery options available in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. If you don’t mind the midnight shift, competition is low and orders can be high.

Tips on Working for Multiple Delivery Services

Delivering for multiple companies means focusing on two goals: making the most money and staying within the one-hour Postmates delivery promise.

These tricks will make it easy for you to meet both goals:

• Sign up for multiple orders at once so you can grab them all and deliver them in one batch
• Learn the roads in your prime locations and plan your route before you start driving
• Follow the driver app and website news to watch for bonus opportunities from your service
• Let the Postmates app version of AutoAccept sign you up for all new orders that meet your filters

3. Use the App to Find Hot Spots

Before Postmates and Uber Eats merged, the app Postmates drivers used was called Fleet.

You’ll still see this app out there when you research how to get more jobs, but be careful what you click on, as the Postmates Fleet app is no longer active.

Now, drivers must use UberFLEET — Uber’s app — to find hot spots.

The two apps are pretty similar overall, though. They show drivers all high-demand areas so you can get there while the money-making potential is strongest.

Head to the Areas With Multiple Hot Spots

UberFleet’s “heat map” feature is an invaluable resource, particularly when you’re juggling delivery jobs.

Check the delivery apps to see where the heat is currently surging. This is illustrated by multiple colors with different intensities. Zooming in and out on the map also gives you the pricing estimates in the area.

Head to the orders in the app where these intensities and price surges are highest.

You’ll need to get there fast because other drivers are doing the same thing. But by sticking with hot zones that overlap, you’ll get to pick up and deliver more orders that are nearby.

During your slow times, take a few minutes to research the trends in your preferred cities. By learning when order surges take place, you’ll be able to schedule your shifts accordingly.

4. Strive for Bonuses and Tips

With a work-from-home job, it’s always a plus if you can get paid extra to do what you’re already doing. So, on top of your Postmates salary, make sure you take advantage of the incentives offered by the company.

Sign-On Bonuses

Although the gig economy is still booming, the pandemic has impacted every industry. In the delivery industry, it increased customer demand while reducing the number of drivers.

To combat this problem, companies are trying to attract new drivers with sign-on bonuses.

As an example, Instacart offers a referral sign-up bonus. If you’re referred by a current Shopper and you meet the new driver requirements (background check, valid social security number, etc.), you may be eligible for an extra cash bonus.

Postmates offers sign-up bonuses, too. The amount varies from region to region, but you can earn an extra $125 to $1000 if you complete a certain number of deliveries within your first 30 days as a driver.

If you can hold out and wait until a delivery service has a sign-up bonus incentive, you’ll end up with extra cash.

Meeting and Exceeding Goals

Your flexible schedule lets you work when you want, but companies try to entice you to work when they need help.

Each service has its goal-related incentives. When you meet or exceed those goals, you can earn cash or get access to jobs with higher earning potential. Goals can be a certain number of jobs, hours, or five-star reviews from shoppers.

Check with each company to see how they set up their earnings programs and work toward increasing your rankings.

Provide the Best Customer Service

Another way to make more money is to improve your customer service style as a Postmates courier. Many drivers rely on the app to communicate the progress of the order, which keeps the transaction cold and impersonal.

You’re more likely to get a bigger tip if they see you as a real person.

Text your customers directly, let them know how it’s going, and connect with them. Then, try to make the handoff face-to-face.

You’ll be amazed at how your tips increase!

5. Lower Your Expenses

Earning more Postmates pay is great, but when it’s leaving your bank account as fast as it comes in, there’s a problem.

On top of getting more work, you also need to figure out how to save money. Luckily, gig work sites (like the Selfgood blog) are full of great advice for freelance workers like you.

Use These Smart Hacks to Save Money as a Postmates Driver

When you plan your budget, some expenses seem like they’re impossible to get rid of, like insurance.

It’s one of those “responsible” things you have to have but hope you’ll never need. Auto, health, life, disability … the possible coverage options are endless.

Yet, they don’t have to break your bank if you know how to shop around.

Discount Auto Coverage

As a delivery driver, your car is your lifeline. Your insurance needs to be top-notch in case you’re ever in an accident. And you’ll pay more because you’re using your car on the job.

But just because you have high-quality coverage doesn’t mean you have to pay premium rates.

Shop around for auto insurance from lesser-known providers. If you have a clean driving history, you should be able to get cheap rates.

Once you have a provider, don’t stay locked in with them. Check for new coverage every six months, and you could save hundreds every policy period.

Gig Worker Health Insurance

If you polled thousands of workers and asked them why they stayed in jobs where they were miserable, one of the top answers remains insurance coverage.

Health insurance is often cheaper through an employer, so millions of employees are afraid to lose their benefits if they leave their corporate jobs. Services like Selfgood, however, exist to help freelancers get the same or better rates on health insurance.

You don’t have to work a full-time job and a part-time Postmates side hustle to care for your family’s health. Download the iPhone iOS or Android Selfgood app and see how you can have discounted health coverage.

Take Advantage of Tax Deductions

As an independent contractor, you’re able to write off any business-related expenses as tax deductions.

For instance, any gas you use while delivering for Postmates is a business expense. A certain percentage of repair and maintenance costs are deductible, too (unless you use your vehicle exclusively for work, in which case the full cost of repairs, maintenance, and your car payment itself are deductible).

You don’t have to pay taxes on any income that goes back into your business. So, maximizing your deductions can help you save a lot of tax time.

Conclusion

If you work strategically and manage your business with care, you can make a decent living as a Postmates driver.

Getting more driver jobs means paying attention to the top zones and hot spots or adding more on-demand delivery services into your schedule.

While you’re working hard at bringing in extra cash, use Selfgood and other discount providers to lower your expenses, too.