The Dasher Rewards pilot makes big changes to Top Dasher, early access, and catering orders

Over the years, DoorDash launched several perks for Dashers, like early access to schedule hours, the ability to Dash Now anytime, and access to high-paying catering orders.

Now, DoorDash is consolidating all those benefits into one rewards program called Dasher Rewards.

But here’s the catch: Dasher Rewards places an acceptance rate requirement on perks that didn’t have one before.

Gone are the days of getting early access or catering orders with a low acceptance rate!

Dasher Rewards is still only a pilot in a few select cities, but it may spread nationwide soon.

Here’s how Dasher Rewards works, how to unlock rewards, and the changes it makes to some of the perks you’re accustomed to.

The Dasher Rewards pilot program

Dasher Rewards is a pilot program that unlocks benefits when you meet rating requirements for acceptance rate, completion rate, and customer rating.

It combines existing programs like Top Dasher and Early Access into one unified program with more straightforward criteria that you can view in one place.

In participating cities, view your rewards in the Ratings area of the app. You’ll see your ratings, unlocked rewards, and the requirements to reach higher levels.

Where is the pilot program live?

Currently, Dasher Rewards is active in Nashville, Raleigh, Miami, Eugene, Lancaster, Allentown, Columbus GA, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, and Grand Rapids.

Check the Dasher rewards page to see the updated list of cities and the most recent changes to the program.

Requirements for Dasher rewards

Meet these requirements to unlock each tier. New rewards will unlock within 48 hours.

Rewards Level	Acceptance Rate	Completion Rate	Customer Rating	Deliveries in last 30 days	Lifetime deliveries
Silver	50%	90%	4.5	n/a	50+
Gold	70%	90%	4.5	n/a	50+
Platinum	70%	95%	4.7	100	50+

Benefits

Unlock benefits by reaching the Silver, Gold, and Platinum reward levels.

	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Priority access to high-paying orders	Priority	Increased Priority	Top Priority
Advance Scheduling	✓	✓	✓
VIP Support		✓	✓
Access to Large Orders			✓
Dash Anytime			✓

Here’s an example of a Dasher who reached the Platinum level. Note the extremely high ratings!

More info about each benefit

Priority Access to high-paying orders

With priority access to high-paying orders, you are more likely to see offers for high-paying order than other Dashers who don’t have the same perk.

As your reward status increases to Gold and Platinum, DoorDash says that your priority increases.

But what exactly are high-paying orders, and what does it mean to get priority access to them?

DoorDash only says that high-paying orders are “some of the highest paying deliveries in the area, which can vary by area, over time, and by delivery distance.”

So far, DoorDash hasn’t given much detail about the priority access system. A similar priority access system is in place in other markets, and not all Dashers agree that it actually makes a big difference.

Advanced Scheduling — Previously called “Early Access”

With Advanced scheduling, you can schedule to dash up to 6 days in advance beginning at 3 PM each day. It is unlocked at the Silver level.

Without Advanced scheduling, you can only schedule your dash 5 days in advance, and new hours are released at midnight instead of 3 PM.

Advanced Scheduling replaces Early Access, offering the same benefits but requiring a 50% acceptance rate.

Dash Anytime

With Dash Anytime, you can Dash Now at any time and schedule any hours. Usually, you can only Dash Now if a market is busy and marked in red on the map.

Dash Anytime is unlocked at the Platinum level. Previously, Dash Anytime was a Top Dasher benefit. 

Access to large orders — Catering orders

After reaching Platinum level, you will become eligible to receive catering orders. You must also have an eligible catering bag.

Catering orders tend to have higher tips and overall pay. Before Dasher Rewards, there was no acceptance rate requirement to access catering orders. Now, you need to accept 70% of orders.

VIP Support

Platinum level Dashers get VIP Support, which promises to ‘route you to top support agents.’

You’ll have Dasher VIP Support at your fingertips to resolve your issues when you reach out to Dasher support, on or off your Dash.

Here’s what Dasher Rewards is changing

Most of the benefits in Dasher Rewards—like Advance scheduling and Dash Anytime—may look the same to you. But here’s how some of the best benefits are changing.

Top Dasher is gone, but you can unlock the same benefits with Platinum

The Dasher Rewards pilot eliminates Top Dasher status, but you can still get the same benefits by reaching the Platinum level.

Unlock Dash Anytime—the primary benefit of Top Dasher—by reaching Platinum.

But there’s one big difference between the old Top Dasher and Platinum rewards: You can lose the Platinum benefits as soon as your ratings drop below the requirement.

In the past, Top Dasher awarded benefits that lasted an entire month, and you only had to meet the rating requirements by the end of the month.

Many Top Dashers allowed their acceptance rating to dip early in the month, then worked it back up in time for the end of the month cutoff.

You’ll have to constantly keep your AR above 70% with Dasher Rewards, which is usually the most challenging rating requirement to meet.

Early access scheduling is now ‘Advanced scheduling’ — with an AR requirement

The ‘Advanced scheduling’ benefit replaces Early Access scheduling. It is unlocked in the Silver tier, which requires a 50% acceptance rate, 90% completion rate, and 4.5 star rating.

The benefit of Advanced scheduling is the same as Early Access: You can schedule hours up to 6 days in advance, at 3 PM each day.

Dashers without Advanced Scheduling can schedule only 5 days in advance, starting at midnight.

The most significant difference between Early Access and Advanced Scheduling is that Advanced Scheduling requires a 50% acceptance rate.

Early Access did not have an acceptance rate requirement, giving you the flexibility to decline more orders while still giving you more access to better hours.

It was one of the best-kept secrets that gave you great benefits with almost no cost, but the new 50% acceptance rating requirement might be too high of a price.

The large order program (catering orders) now has an acceptance rate requirement

The large order program was an invite-only perk that gave you access to lucrative catering orders.

There were strict requirements to get into the program, but there wasn’t an acceptance rating requirement. But with Dasher Rewards, you need to reach the highest tier with a 70% AR requirement to access catering orders.

Before, you had to be an active, highly-rated Dasher to get catering orders, but you were free to reject as many orders as you wanted and still be eligible.

Benefits start as soon as you meet the requirements. And end as soon as your ratings drop

One new feature of Dasher Rewards is that you unlock benefits as soon as you meet the requirements.

Previously, there were weekly or monthly cutoff dates to meet the requirements. For example, Top Dasher was awarded on the 2nd day of each month.

But there’s a new downside: You lose access to a rewards level as soon as your ratings no longer meet the requirement.

You can’t lock in rewards and coast for a week or a month. You have to constantly monitor your ratings and make sure they don’t slip.

That means less flexibility and more pressure. Every order matters. You can’t have high standards and skip most orders and still expect to keep access to perks like Early Access and Dash Anytime.

Other new elements of Dasher Rewards

You have the option to clear your completion rate

As part of the program, DoorDash offers the option to clear your completion rate and let you start fresh.

As you work to rebuild your new completion rate, you’ll be able to reach new reward levels once you meet the acceptance rate and customer rating requirements.

Your completion rate won’t be factored in for up to 50 deliveries or a minimum of 3 weeks, whichever is longer.

After that period, you must meet all ratings requirements—including completion rate—to unlock new levels..

Brand new dashers get benefits for first 50 deliveries

To help new Dashers get comfortable with the platform, DoorDash offers Dash Anytime, Priority access to high-paying orders, and VIP support on your first 50 deliveries.

After you complete 50 deliveries, you’ll have to meet the usual requirements for Dasher Rewards.

In other words, you don’t need strong ratings to qualify for some program benefits if you have completed fewer than 5o deliveries.

The big takeaway: DoorDash wants you to accept more orders!

The Dasher Rewards pilot doesn’t offer any new perks that Dashers didn’t previously have access to.

Instead of adding new rewards, DoorDash added new requirements to get rewards. One positive change is that it consolidates all rewards programs into one place, with easier-to-follow requirements.

But there’s one massive change that many Dashers won’t like: All benefits now have an acceptance rating requirement.

Cherry picking—skipping bad orders and only taking good ones—is no longer a viable strategy if you want Early Access, catering orders, or the ability to Dash Now at any time.

DoorDash wants you to accept more orders! And they don’t want you to let your AR dip early in the month and build it back up later in the month. They want you to constantly accept 50%–70% of orders.

And when pay for many orders is as low as $2.50, it can be hard to accept more than 50% of orders. Many Dashers will have to say goodbye to perks they used in the past.

The message is clear: If you want any perks at all, start accepting more orders!