7 Uber Eats Driver Hacks To Rake In More Money

Are you looking for a flexible way to put some extra cash in your pocket?

Working for a food delivery app like Uber Eats allows you to set your own schedule and pick up some tips along the way.

But how can you maximize your profits as an Uber Eats driver?

Here are seven Uber Eats driver hacks to rake in more money.

1. First, Understand How It All Works

Before you learn all the other tips and tricks to earning money as an Uber Eats driver, it’s essential to understand the typical hallmarks of the job.

How Much Do Uber Eats Drivers Make?

There is no average pay. How Uber Eats drivers make money means the pay varies even for just one driver. The base price of a delivery will pop up on your app when there is a delivery to be made. You can then decide whether or not you want to take that delivery based on the rate.

The formula for being paid as an Uber Eats driver is simple, though:

Base pay + Trip supplement + Promotions + Tips.

Some research has suggested that the average base pay for a delivery is around $3.50. But once you factor in the trip supplement, promotions, and tips, most Uber Eats drivers can expect to make minimum wage. The median payout of an Uber Eats driver is around $17.

Supplemental Pay

So how does a driver go from earning the base delivery pay of around $3.50 to making it all worth it?

The answer lies in the supplemental income mentioned in the above formula.

The trip supplement is what can make a delivery worth your time.

This extra income comes from the amount of money added to a delivery based on several factors:

• Distance of the trip
• Total time the trip will take
• If the restaurant keeps you waiting

You will be paid out based on mileage rate and minute rate.

The mileage rate differs per location and doesn’t cover the actual distance you travel. It instead takes into account the mileage between the pick-up and drop-off point.

The minute rate pays you for the estimated amount of time a delivery takes. This time, unfortunately, doesn’t account for traffic, so be aware of that when going out for certain orders.

Drop Off Fee

This fee is the flat rate you will receive for successfully delivering food to a customer.

For example, you may have one pick-up from one restaurant, but there are multiple orders for different customers. So you will get a successful drop-off after each customer you visit.

Tips

To top off driver pay on a delivery, you can make extra cash with customer tips!

You aren’t guaranteed tips when you deliver for Uber Eats. But if you can make your deliveries in a timely manner and offer excellent customer service, you should be able to make a little extra.

Uber Eats drivers earned an average tip of $4.90 per ride in 2022.

Common Costs Of An Uber Eats Driver

Even though there are many ways to boost your bank account as an Uber Eats driver, there are also costs.

Uber Eats does not supply drivers with cars or gas money. Plus, you need to have car insurance on top of that. Those costs can get expensive, so it’s in your best interest to ensure you can cover them as you accept deliveries.

You could expect these same costs from working as a driver or courier for competitors like DoorDash, Grubhub, Lyft, Postmates, or other delivery apps.

But using the Uber Eats platform can come to your advantage when you learn how to make the most of it. Now let’s get into how you can make more money!

2. Cash In On Promotions

Uber Eats always has drivers on the road. But how do they constantly have people working?

Their promotions! Driving during a promo will multiply your earnings.

Here are the different types of promotions and incentives Uber Eats offers their food delivery drivers for some extra dough.

Boosts

You know when there is a big event on television, and it seems like everyone is ordering takeout at the same time?

That’s when companies like Uber Eats are going to need more drivers. When this happens, you can opt-in for boosts.

Uber Eats will increase its wages during boosts to encourage more drivers to get out on the road. So during the next game or big concert in town, you could earn triple the amount you typically would.

Boost earnings are multipliers of your normal rate. You should usually get a heads up about a boost promotion ahead of time. Always be ready and plan ahead to make the most of a boost promotion.

Surges

Surges are similar to boosts in that they are also wage multipliers. However, unlike boosts, surges can happen more frequently.

A surge occurs during a busy time of day for deliveries. You can find areas that are doing surge pricing on the map part of your Uber Eats app.

If you plan accordingly, you may notice that surges happen in similar areas or occur at the same times during the week. This may be a lunch or dinner rush.

If you are available during a surge, you can also be multiplying your earnings.

Quests

The last type of promotion from Uber Eats is a Quest. Quests are almost exactly what they sound like: Uber Eats will allow you to make extra money if you reach specific trip goals in a certain amount of time.

You can see quests ahead of time so you can prepare yourself for the opportunity. For example, a typical quest is that you can earn an extra $50 for completing ten trips during the work week.

Cashing in on promotions and picking up food orders during surges are some of the best ways to make money as an Uber Eats driver. All you need is a little planning to be able to cash in on these Uber Eats driver hacks.

3. Work At The Right Times

Uber Eats delivery rates can vary based on the time you decide to make deliveries. This is particularly important for new drivers and part-time delivery drivers. If you want to make the most with your Uber driver app, make sure to pay attention to the times you decide to work.

Busy Delivery Times

Even though you can make more money during surges, on an average week, you want to try to work during busy times even if they aren’t surges.

It would be best if you tried to work during times when people are most likely to be ordering delivery, such as lunch hours between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and dinner hours between 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The more deliveries you can complete in a short amount of time, the more money you can make. If you set your schedule to be available to deliver during busy times, you can make more money as an Uber Eats driver.

Popular Events

Working during popular events can be a perfect way to cash in on promotions.

While everyone is inside watching a game, you can be delivering the wings. Even if there isn’t a boost going on during a popular event, you can make more money if you know that people are going to be ordering delivery.

4. Location, Location, Location

Different locations affect how much you can earn as an Uber Eats driver. It’s a good rule of thumb that delivering in large cities with more people will help you have a higher base rate for Uber Eats deliveries.

Some of the highest paying places to be an Uber Eats driver are:

• New York City
• Atlanta
• Austin
• Dallas
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• Chicago

If you don’t live in a city, try making sure you position yourself in a neighborhood with a lot of restaurants. The more restaurants in a small area, the easier it is to get more deliveries and make more cash.

Try areas like these for higher paying rates:

• Strip malls
• Downtown areas
• Localized restaurant hubs

You can also save money on gas by keeping your delivery area small. If you create a small delivery area near popular restaurants, you can be sure to get more deliveries and use less gas in the process.

5. Referrals

Uber Eats offers referral bonuses. When you get the app, you’ll get a unique referral code.

When you share this code and someone you know signs up as a driver, you’ll make a bonus!

6. Be Kind

Tips aren’t guaranteed as an Uber Eats driver, so be kind! The better customer service you provide, the more likely it is that people will tip you.

Applying good customer service techniques can be anything from sending polite updates to customers about their delivery to being friendly when you greet them at the door.

As a gig worker, a little kindness can go a long way. You never know who you’re going to meet or the rewards you may gain for making someone smile.

7. Be A Smart Gig Worker

When you drive for Uber Eats, you are working as an independent business owner. This means there are certain costs that you can deduct from your taxes at the end of the year while working in the gig economy.

Track Your Mileage

Although this is not a refund, you can get a deduction for your mileage and pay less on your taxes. This mileage deduction can save you a little extra cash in the long run.

However, you must be meticulous when tracking your mileage; you cannot deduct any mileage for non-business purposes. But you can claim all business-related mileage.

For an Uber Eats driver, this includes mileage driven to and from delivery requests. The IRS calculates a flat deduction rate per mile every year. This allows you to deduct that amount from your income when reporting on your 1099 as an Uber Eats driver.

Monitor Car Expenses

Another way to make business deductions is to claim your actual expenses. You, unfortunately, cannot deduct both your gas mileage and actual car expenses but can choose one or the other.

When you claim car expenses for your deduction, the government considers many factors, such as gas usage, oil changes, tires, maintenance, and insurance.

It is up to you which rate you would like to take for your tax deduction. Many independent contractors tend to go for the mileage rate as it can be easier to track, calculate and claim more.

Your car will experience depreciation while completing food deliveries, so make sure you claim these expenses.

Conclusion

Working with a food delivery service isn’t always the easiest job. However, if you follow these seven tips, you may be able to turn a side gig into a full-time opportunity.

Make sure you consider these the next time you don’t feel like making a delivery during dinner time. Now get out there and enjoy that extra cash!