Postmates is a fantastic way to earn a little extra money on the side. In this Postmates review, you’ll discover everything you need to know and just how much you can make!
What is Postmates?
If this is your first time hearing about Postmates, let’s look at what it is a little closer.
Postmates is an on-demand delivery service. People can order anything to be delivered from anywhere; whereas GrubHub and DoorDash deliver just food from restaurants, Postmates will deliver anything from any store. It was founded in 2011 as a “remote control for your city.”
The idea behind it is that you should be able to order anything to be delivered to your door at any time.
Depending on where you live, you can have anything from food to electronics and even liquor delivered to your home!
This is also an excellent way for people to earn extra money on the side.
Postmates Job Review
If you want a flexible way to earn extra money, delivering food and other items for Postmates might be a good idea. Postmates hires delivery drivers as independent subcontractors, not employees. You won’t be eligible for benefits, and you’ll have to pay your own taxes at the end of the year.
In this Postmates review, let’s look closer at this job – how to apply, what the requirements are, and how to make the most money as a Postmates Fleet member.
How to Apply for Postmates
Postmates is available in all 50 states and more than 400 cities in the United States.
To qualify for work with Postmates, you only have to meet three requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Own a smartphone with the Postmates Fleet App downloaded
- Pass a Postmates background check
They don’t have any vehicle requirements, so you can deliver items by car, scooter, bike, or even on foot.
When you sign up, they will send you the supplies you need, including an insulated delivery bag and a prepaid card.
To apply, visit the Postmates website or use the app and click “Join the Fleet.”
How Much Does Postmates Pay?
How much you get paid depends on where you live. To research how much you could earn, check out the Postmates market pages.
According to its website, Postmates pays fleet members for each completed pickup and each completed dropoff. They also pay fleet members for each minute you spend waiting in the store and your travel time between pickup and dropoff locations. Plus, you get to keep 100% of all tips!
Here is an example of how much you could earn through Postmates. I picked a random city from a random state, and this is how much they pay based on that location. Remember, amounts change based on location.
First, there are the bonuses:
- After you complete 20 deliveries in 14 days, you will earn a guaranteed $125, including base earnings and per delivery bonuses.
- You can also earn $150 for each person you invite who completes their 20 deliveries in 14 days.
- Complete 20 deliveries in 30 days and make a guaranteed $150, including base earnings and per delivery bonuses.
This is the amount you could get paid per delivery:
- $1.40 per Pickup
- $0.80 per Dropoff
- $0.07 per minute (waiting for food)
- $0.61 per mile (driving food to drop off location)
Plus, you get to keep 100% of the tips you earn on each delivery.
According to data collected by Glassdoor, the average delivery driver earns around $11 per hour, not including tips. This is the average amount.
Since Postmates pays wages differently from city to city, your earnings could be much higher or lower than this amount.
How Do You Get Paid with Postmates?
Postmates pays out weekly, and you can have the money deposited directly into your bank account. There isn’t a minimum amount you must reach before you can transfer it.
If your checking account doesn’t allow direct deposits, there is a way to make instant deposits to a debit card for a fee of $0.50.
A few things lots of people enjoy about Postmates are the different bonuses they offer. In addition to the invite bonuses, there are other ways to earn extra cash from them!
- Per Delivery Bonus – When delivery requests are high and they need more drivers, Postmates will sometimes offer a bonus payment for each delivery completed within that specific time frame.
- Crusher – They also provide a one-time bonus to users in qualifying markets and require you to complete a set amount of deliveries within a particular time frame.
- Guaranteed Earnings – These are just like Crusher’s bonuses. They require a set amount of deliveries within a specific time frame. The difference is that instead of a bonus, you are promised a specific minimum payout.
- Invites – There is also a Postmates referral program through which you can earn even more bonuses. I explained the payout for those earlier.
Delivery Driver Expenses
All Postmates fleet members are paid as independent contractors, which means that you will be responsible for paying your own self-employment taxes.
This also means you must cover your own non-medical, job-related expenses too.
The good news is that if you keep track of all your mileage, every mile you drive as a fleet member is tax-deductible.
One thing that Postmates offers its couriers is occupational accident insurance. They will pay up to $1 million for job-related medical expenses!
How to Get More Postmates Deliveries
How much you earn entirely depends on how many deliveries you make. In this Postmates review, I want to share some of my best tips to get more deliveries if you want to maximize your earning potential.
Pick up Offers Close to Your Location
You only get paid when you drive from the pickup location to the dropoff, so choose places that don’t take you very long to drive to. A good rule is to try to find pickup locations that are within 8 minutes.
Remember to avoid construction work and traffic congestion.
The better you are at driving around your town, the more you will earn.
Pickup and Deliver Multiple Orders
You are allowed to stack deliveries, so try and do that. If you see orders close together in the same neighborhood, pick them up together, and deliver them on the same trip.
The best way to do this is to pick up one order while waiting for another to be filled. Some places could take up to an hour to fulfill an order, and instead of just waiting, you can pick up another order.
Deliver During Blitz Hours
Blitz hours are in the middle of the lunch and dinner rush. Postmates offers blitz pricing on an order-by-order basis. If you see this, take advantage of it!
Deliver in Hot Spots
When you open your Postmates app, look for the Hot Spots. These are shaded red on the Fleet app and are the places where you have the best chance of receiving a delivery request.
If that area on the map isn’t near your home, you can drive to the Hot Spot location and sit in a parking lot and wait for delivery requests. The darker the red on the map, the busier the area is.
Frequently Asked Questions About Postmates
Now that you know all about getting a job as a delivery person for Postmates, I wanted to include a few questions people have asked about this job in this Postmates review.
Will I Earn More Money with Postmates than Other Delivery Services?
Postmates is one of the few jobs that pays bonuses. Plus, their payout structure is different from other platforms.
While it’s clear to see that Postmates couriers earn about the same as Uber Eats and GrubHub, it’s tough to compare them. Some cities will have more opportunities to deliver for Postmates than other services, and some cities don’t have very many people who use it.
What are the Peak Delivery Hours for Postmates?
Generally, peak delivery hours are during lunch and dinner, around 11 AM – 2 PM and 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
Then, Friday – Sundays are even more popular!
Can I Turn This into a Full-Time Job?
This all depends on how much you rely on your full-time job for benefits like health insurance and 401(k). As a Fleet member, you will have to pay your own taxes and health insurance. You aren’t an employee; you are a subcontractor.
That being said, some delivery drivers do work full-time on the platform. All you have to do is commit to working 40 hours or more per week, and you might be able to earn enough to cover your expenses.
Some delivery drivers split their time between different apps so they can maximize their earnings.
Postmates Review: Final Thoughts
If you are interested in delivering for Postmates, it could be an excellent way to pad your income. There are a few ways you can maximize your earnings with it. The good news is that as long as you can pass their background check, you qualify to deliver for Postmates!
It’s free to apply, so check out Postmates and see how much you can earn. After you start delivering for them, you might just enjoy it so much you keep delivering for them on a regular basis!
maggie
You offer some great tips! an 8-minute drive distance is something I would have never thought of but can make a difference. I like how they offer bonuses as well. Thanks!
Holly Reisem Hanna
Glad you enjoyed the driver tips, Maggie!
If you decide to try Postmates out, keep us posted on your experience.