Food delivery apps and their hidden fees

In short

How DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart and similar apps work, what the fees add up to, and how to pay less.

Delivery apps bring restaurant meals and groceries to your door. They are easy, but the final price can be much higher than the menu.

The main apps

Restaurant delivery: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub.

Grocery delivery: Instacart, Walmart, Amazon, and many supermarket apps.

What you really pay

A $15 meal can easily cost $25 or more after:

Menu markup: prices in the app are often higher than in the restaurant.

Delivery fee and service fee: added by the app.

Small order fee: if your order is below a minimum.

Sales tax.

Tip for the driver: usually 15% to 20%, or at least a few dollars. Most drivers earn a large part of their pay from tips.

Look at the total on the final screen before you tap Order.

How to pay less

1

Order pickup in the same app. No delivery fee, no driver tip.

2

Order directly from the restaurant website or by phone. The prices are often lower.

3

Use first-order discounts once, then compare.

4

A yearly or monthly delivery membership lowers fees but only pays off if you order often. Many have free trials that renew automatically.

5

For groceries, compare the app's price to the store's price for the same item.

Placing a good order

Write clear instructions: gate code, building number, "please leave at the door" or "please hand it to me".

For allergies, write them in the order and call the restaurant. Drivers cannot check ingredients.

Check your order when it arrives. Report missing items in the app within a few hours for a refund.

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Common mistakes

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Using delivery every day. Two or three deliveries a week can cost more than your phone and internet together.

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Tipping nothing for delivery. It is expected.

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Leaving the order outside for a long time in hot weather. Food safety matters: hot food should be eaten or refrigerated within 2 hours.