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Realistic tips and strategies to reach your weekly earnings goal
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Delivering for Uber Eats is a great way to earn extra cash, but is it possible to make $1000 per week? It might be a learning curve at first, but it’s totally achievable and many drivers have done it. In this article, we’ll teach you the best tips and strategies to boost your weekly earnings on Uber Eats. We’ll also explain if it’s helpful to double-up on apps like Doordash, plus discuss which delivery service pays more.

Things You Should Know

  • To reach $1000 a week on Uber Eats, deliver during prime times, like weekends, holidays, and special events, and work in busy and high-demand areas to attract more customers.
  • Increase your tips by delivering food on time and communicating with your customers, and upload a clear and approachable photo on your driver profile.
  • Work for other delivery apps, like DoorDash and Grubhub, to maximize your orders and choose the highest-paying ones—just be sure you don’t confuse the various platforms.
Section 1 of 5:

Easy Ways to Make $1000 a Week on Uber Eats

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  1. Get familiar with the prime delivery times in your area to increase your earnings. Most drivers work between 11 AM to 2 PM and 5 PM to 9 PM, but there could be other popular times depending on where you live. If you work near a clubbing district, for example, there might be higher demand for food after midnight. [1]
    • Tip: Check your delivery history on the app to get a breakdown of your previous deliveries, and analyze the times and days you get the most orders.
    • Generally, Thursday and Friday nights are popular everywhere, while Monday and Tuesday are the slowest days for Uber Eats deliveries. [2]
    • Pay attention to upcoming events like concerts, sports games, or festivals, and schedule deliveries during those times to maximize your earnings.
    • Holidays and extended weekends are great opportunities to earn extra money because people tend to place big orders for parties, leading to larger tips.
  2. Drive around different districts in your city to scope out where you can get the most customers. Where are all the restaurants? Where are people likely to buy their groceries? What neighborhoods can afford to order food frequently? Once you understand your market and target audience, you can be strategic about the orders you accept and increase your profits. [3]
    • If you live in a college town, for instance, it might be less profitable to accept deliveries near campus because most students are on a budget (and are less likely to tip).
    • It might be helpful to target residential areas during rush hour to avoid getting stuck in traffic. You’ll complete more orders in the same amount of time, plus avoid a bad rating for long delivery times.
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  3. One of the best ways to boost your weekly earnings is to provide great customer service. Communicate with the customer if there are any problems or delays at the restaurant, answer quickly if they call or text you, handle their food with care, and deliver with a smile and warm greeting. Tips can help offset the costs of other expenses, like gas, and being polite can improve your overall rating as well. [4]
    • Verify the order at the restaurant, especially any drinks and small bags.
    • Grab extra napkins, condiments, and utensils to make your customer feel cared for.
    • Be safe and focused while driving, and hold the food if you make any sharp turns. [5]
    • Check the customer’s notes in the app to see where to leave their order—some people prefer contactless delivery, while others prefer face-to-face delivery.
  4. Choose a photo where you look approachable so you make a good first impression (and possibly earn more tips). When customers check who is delivering their order, they can only see your name, the number of deliveries you’ve completed, the overall satisfaction rate from your previous customers, your picture, and a brief bio answering why you deliver food. [6]
    • Keep in mind that you can’t change your profile photo once you upload it. Uber only allows drivers to request an update if their appearance has changed since the original photo.
    • For the perfect profile photo, center your face in the middle of the frame, include the top of your shoulders, use a solid background, flash a smile, and avoid wearing hats or sunglasses.
    • When answering the prompt “Why I deliver,” try to come up with a witty, relatable, or heartfelt bio that gives a glimpse of your personality. Some examples include: “crippling student debt,” “so my cats don’t get hungry,” “because gas is $6,” or “baby on the way.”
  5. Use multiple delivery apps to maximize your orders and choose the best-paying ones. Driving for multiple apps is an excellent strategy to earn more, especially since some restaurants might not be Uber Eats partners. Once you accept an order from one app, be sure to set yourself to inactive on the other apps. Then, turn everything back on once you’ve delivered that order. [7]
    • If you decide to double-app, pay close attention so you don’t confuse platforms, miss orders, or forget items.
    • Other popular delivery apps include: DoorDash, Instacart, Gopuff, Grubhub, Favor, ChowNow, Toast Takeout, Caviar, Saucey, Bite Squad, and Drizly (for alcohol). [8]
  6. If a restaurant takes longer than 5-10 minutes to hand you the customer’s order, it’s probably best to cancel it and accept a different one. Late deliveries can decrease your driver satisfaction rate and likelihood for a tip, which could hurt you in the long run. Canceling an active order, however, doesn’t impact your rating, as long as you cancel before picking it up. [9]
    • To cancel an order, open the order on the app, and click the 3 dots next to the restaurant name. Click “Report issue” on the order status screen, then hit the applicable reason for cancellation. [10]
    • As you start working more, you’ll learn which restaurants take longer to prepare food, and you can avoid picking up those orders. [11]
  7. When the demand for food deliveries exceeds the number of drivers, Uber increases the base pay in certain areas to encourage inactive drivers to work. This is known as surge pricing, and it’s an easy way to earn more without any effort. Before accepting an order, you’ll see which areas qualify for surge pricing on the map, along with the additional money you receive for that delivery. [12]
    • Uber doesn’t notify drivers about surge pricing in advance because it’s set in real time, but they will send you a notification when it occurs in your area.
    • If surge pricing happens in your city, the affected areas will appear light orange or dark red on the map, with the light orange areas representing smaller earning opportunities and the dark red areas indicating larger ones.
    • Surge pricing generally occurs during rush hour, nighttime, weekends, holidays, special events, and any time a bunch of people request a delivery. Prices depend on your city and specific neighborhood, but it’s possible to earn an extra $3-6 per order.
  8. Occasionally, Uber runs an incentive program called Boost+, which pays you extra for deliveries in a specific area and time period. The additional earnings are usually 1.1 to 1.4 times the base pay, with the promotional area appearing blue on the map. To see if you’re eligible, check the opportunities section of the Driver app, and sign up to participate one hour before the session starts. [13]
    • If the base pay is $9, for example, you would make $12.60 with a boost multiplier of 1.4.
    • The Boost+ promotion usually happens when there’s a big event in town, such as a sports game, concert, or festival.
    • Typically, Uber notifies drivers of the Boost+ promotion via text or email, but you can always check the promotion section of the app for the latest offers.
  9. Every week, Uber offers bonuses for completing a certain number of deliveries within a given time period. These incentives are known as “quests,” and they’re an excellent opportunity to earn extra money. To check for available quests, tap the promotions section under “Trip Planner” in the app. Then, go to the Opportunity Center and hit “Select Quest” on your desired option. [14]
    • A quest could look like earning an extra $15 dollars for completing 3 deliveries or earning $30 by completing 6 deliveries. [15]
    • There aren’t any penalties if you don’t complete the quest you selected, but deliveries must be completed within the time and area specified to qualify for the bonus.
  10. To earn extra money with little effort, encourage your loved ones to become a driver like you. Once they complete a certain number of deliveries and satisfy the remaining referral requirements, Uber will post a monetary reward to your account the following week. The amount varies from state to state, but it’s totally possible to earn a few extra hundred dollars if you get people on board! [16]
    • To refer people, open the Uber Driver app and tap the menu icon. Hit the earnings button, then click “Invite and earn.” From there, hit “Learn more” to access your referral code, and send it to anyone you want!
    • Not sure who’s interested in delivering? Post your referral code to social media, or send it in a group chat to get the word out.
  11. Another easy way to increase your weekly earnings is to use your car for advertising. Companies like Wrapify and Carvertise will pay you to put vinyl wraps on your vehicle, making it a great stream of passive income. [17] The earnings depend on your location and how many hours you drive, but you can make anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars a week. [18]
    • Before turning your car into a moving billboard, you must apply for approval on the company website. If you drive in a region where they want to advertise, they’ll email you and schedule an appointment to wrap your car.
  12. Keep tabs on your expenditures each week to ensure you hit $1000 in profits. If you’re not aware of how much money you spend on gas, for example, you could be losing money when you accept orders that exceed a certain distance. It might be helpful to track costs for: gas, car insurance, maintenance and repairs, tolls, parking, and the commission paid to Uber. [19]
    • Tip: To minimize the cost of gas, download rewards apps to earn cash back, like Upside, Receipt Hog, and Checkout 41. Or, apply for a branded credit card from a gas station chain. [20]
    • Organizing your expenses also makes it easier for you during tax season. Uber Eats drivers are considered independent contractors, which means you’re entitled to tax deductions for your car, mobile phone, and other business-related expenses. [21]
  13. Divide $1000 by the number of days you plan to deliver in a week, then divide that number by the number of hours you want to work per day. From there, you can figure out how much you need to make per hour to reach your weekly earnings goal. Setting a goal is one of the best ways to stay focused, and it can help you develop discipline and a stronger work ethic. [22]
    • If you want to work 5 days a week and 6 hours a day, for instance, you would need to earn $33.33 per hour. This sounds a lot more doable than making $1000 a week, and it can give you a better idea of how long you need to work each day to reach your goal.
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Section 2 of 5:

Does Uber Eats or DoorDash pay more for drivers?

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  1. However, pay is highly dependent on your delivery time and location. Both apps have similar pay models, rates, tips, and incentives, but DoorDash has a greater share of the food delivery market than Uber Eats. [23] Since more people use DoorDash compared to Uber Eats, you can potentially complete more orders and earn more per hour as a Dasher.
    • In general, Uber Eats earnings per trip are 18% higher than DoorDash, but DoorDash drivers complete 1.5 trips for every trip completed on Uber Eats. [24]
Section 3 of 5:

Is DoorDash or Uber Eats better to work for?

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  1. DoorDash drivers typically earn more, can schedule their hours in advance, and have more time to decide to accept an order. Before deciding whether to work for DoorDash or Uber Eats, learn which service is more popular in your area. Deliver with DoorDash for one week and Uber Eats the following week, then compare your earnings to see which one is more profitable. [25]
    • At the end of the day, both DoorDash and Uber Eats are excellent ways to earn extra money, and you can always work for multiple apps to reach your financial goals!
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Section 4 of 5:

How much can you make with Uber Eats?

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  1. Uber Eats pay depends on your location, market, and working hours, but according to Indeed, drivers earn $24.22 per hour on average in the United States, before taxes and expenses. [26] If you work 8 hours a day and 7 days a week, that would be around $194 per day (or $1356 per week).
    • It would be challenging to earn $2000 per week with Uber Eats, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! If you take advantage of surge pricing and promotions, are strategic with your schedule and orders, and provide great customer service, you can turn it into a full-time job.
    • If you deliver food in high market areas, it can definitely help you complete more orders (and earn more money). Check out the top cities in each state with the highest demand for Uber Eats Drivers.
Section 5 of 5:

Pros & Cons of Working For Uber Eats

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  1. If you’re thinking of becoming an Uber Eats driver, there are tons of positives that make it possible to reach your financial goals:
    • Quick sign-up: It’s easy to qualify to become an Uber driver, and you don’t need previous experience. You just have to be 19 years old, have a 2- or 4-door car, have a valid driver’s license, and submit your social security number for a background screening. [27]
    • Stable pay: There’s usually always demand for food, no matter where or when you work, and if you need to make more money, you can work more hours.
    • Weekly pay: Uber Eats pays weekly through direct deposit, or you can cash out early with Instant Pay for a $0.50 fee. [28]
    • Accessible: Uber Eats is in over 6000 cities in the United States, so there are opportunities to work across the country. [29]
    • Flexible: You choose when and where you work, and you don’t have to schedule your hours in advance. Plus, you decide what orders you accept.
  2. Although working for Uber Eats is super convenient and flexible, there are a few downsides when it comes to paying for certain expenses and using your car frequently:
    • Responsibility for all expenses: An Uber Eats driver is classified as an independent contractor, which means Uber won’t reimburse your expenses for gas, tolls, parking, and car maintenance. [30]
    • Inconsistent earnings: Uber Eats pay depends on your location and delivery schedule, which means you might earn significantly less (or more) on certain days.
    • Wear and tear on your car: Driving every week may wear down your vehicle and accelerate depreciation.
    • Long hours: You might have to work anywhere from 40 to 65+ hours a week to make $1000, depending on your area and schedule.
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      Tips

      • Figure out how to occupy your downtime between orders to make work an enjoyable experience—listen to a podcast to learn a skill, turn on a new album, or read a book. Finding something you love to do can help you stay motivated and prevent burnout.
      • It’s tempting to spend money on food when you’re delivering it all day, but that can eat into your earnings. Carry minimal cash while you’re working, and meal prep for the week to avoid eating out.
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