Uber Eats is rolling out a new way for delivery drivers to get paid. It’s called “flat rates,” and it gives you the option to earn an hourly rate from the moment you accept a delivery until you complete it.
Instead of being paid a flat upfront fare, you’ll be compensated for your time working on the delivery.
But there’s a catch: You can only reject 1 order per hour to continue receiving flat rate offers. You’ll return to the default earnings system if you reject too many orders.
Sound familiar? Flat rate pay is similar to Earn by Time on DoorDash.
And just like Earn by Time, flat rate earnings are a tempting option if your market mostly has time-consuming offers and unpredictable tippers.
Flat rate pay on Uber Eats: The basics
In pilot markets, you can opt-in to earn a set hourly rate while you are actively on a delivery. Active time starts the moment you accept a delivery and ends when you complete it.
That means you don’t get paid while waiting for orders—Only active time is paid. You still receive 100% of any tips and are eligible for promotions like Quest bonuses.
And there are other rules: You can’t decline more than 1 order per hour and you can’t reject a stacked order. If you do, flat rate earnings mode will end and you will go back to the default earnings mode.
Here’s how the pay for a flat rate delivery works. The offer below pays an $18/hour rate for a 34-minute delivery. If the delivery takes exactly 34 minutes, your pay from Uber will be $10.20. The calculation is: ($18/60 minutes) * 34 minutes = $10.20.
This will pay $10.20
How to opt into flat rate earnings
Go to Menu > Opportunities and look for the Flat rates tag. Browse available time periods and tap to sign up. You will only earn the flat rate for the hours that you schedule.
If you decline or cancel more than 1 order in an hour, you will exit the flat rate spot. You can’t return to the same time slot once you exit it.
Check Opportunities to sign up for flat rate offers
How flat rate pay is different from the default earnings system
In the default earnings system, the pay for an order is a flat upfront amount that includes base pay, any promo earnings, and customer tips.
Base pay is a variable amount that is different for every order and it can be as low as $2 or $3. Because base pay varies and customer tips are unpredictable, some orders might pay a lot and some pay a little. It’s less predictable.
Flat rate earnings are more predictable: You will always earn the flat rate while actively delivering. If a delivery takes longer than expected, you are compensated for your time according to the pay rate.
The other difference is that you can reject as many orders as you want in the default earnings system. You can only reject 1 order per hour while on a flat rate offer.
Flat rate earnings examples
Let’s say you opt-in to earn $18 per active hour. You accept a delivery and it takes 30 minutes to complete the order. Your pay from Uber would be $9, and you will also receive any tips that the customer might leave.
If it takes a full hour because of unexpected wait time or traffic, your earnings from Uber will be $18.
Here are a few more examples from markets that have flat rate offers.
The order below is a double-stacked order from Popeyes with an estimated total delivery time of 1 hour and 1 minute. The flat rate offer is $18/hour, so your pay will be $18.30 if it takes the full hour and 1 minute. You’ll earn more if it takes longer and less if it’s shorter.
You’re guaranteed to be paid for your time on a long order like this. But does it pay enough?
Below, a 26-minute offer with an $18/hour flat rate. If the order takes 26 minutes from start to finish, you’ll get $7.80 from Uber.
If this takes exactly 26 minutes, Uber will pay $7.80
Is it better to earn per order or earn a flat rate?
Ask yourself: Can you usually earn more than the flat rate offer? If you can, stick with the default earnings system. But if you typically earn less than the flat rate, it’s wise to pick the more secure and higher-paying option.
Flat rate earnings offer security and certainty. The default earnings system offers more flexibility.
Which one is better? It depends on what you value. Some drivers prefer more stable earnings, but others are willing to risk a slow hour if it means hunting for the highest-paying orders.
The flexibility of the default earnings system is something that many drivers value. You don’t have to do the lowest-paying, non-tip orders. And you can skip orders with lots of miles that don’t meet your earnings-per-mile goals.
When flat rate earnings are the best choice: Late night, drive-thrus
Because you get paid to wait, flat rate earnings incentivize you to wait longer at restaurants than you would under the default earnings system.
That means that flat rate earnings are a good choice when you expect orders to take longer and you can’t easily get quick, high-paying orders.
Flat-rate earnings are great for late-night deliveries when most orders are for drive-thru restaurants and overall order volume is lower.
When you are earning a guaranteed flat rate, getting paid to wait half an hour in the McDonald’s drive-thru isn’t a bad delivery.
Can you intentionally delay deliveries to earn more?
It’s possible to artificially increase your paid time by taking longer to finish deliveries, but Uber has systems in place to detect that you are taking longer than you should.
On DoorDash, Dashers have been deactivated for abusing the Earn by Time system. Just like DoorDash, Uber Eats has an estimated arrival time for each order and you can get deactivated if you are frequently late to deliveries.
You might boost your earnings for a short time, but in the end, running up the clock will likely lead to deactivation.
Flat rate earnings on Uber vs Earn by Time on DoorDash
The flat rate earnings system on Uber Eats is very similar to Earn by Time mode on DoorDash. They are so similar that it’s very likely that Uber used DoorDash as the model for their own flat rate system.
The pay calculation works the same way for both: You are paid for your active time on delivery, and you can’t decline more than 1 or 2 orders per hour.
The only major difference is that Earn by Time on DoorDash is an option you can choose before you start delivering. On Uber Eats, you have to sign up for flat rate earnings in advance. It’s not always available.
Lessons from Earn by Time on DoorDash
Earn by Time has been around for a while on DoorDash, so we can take the lessons we’ve learned there and apply them to flat rate earnings on Uber. Here’s what to expect.
Expect to do a lot more no-tip & high-mileage orders
On the default earnings system, many drivers skip low-paying orders that don’t include an upfront tip, or orders that require too much driving.
But when you’re earning on a flat rate, you’re only allowed to skip one order per hour. That means you’ll do the high-mileage, low-tip orders that other drivers skip.
Flat rate earnings are good for late-night delivering
Late at night, most orders are for drive-thru fast food restaurants. Those orders weren’t worth your time if you were only being paid a flat upfront amount like $5, but it’s worth it if you’re getting paid to wait.
If most orders late at night have lots of wait time, flat rate pay is the best option.
Your highest earnings happen when you earn per offer
Your highest earnings come when you skip low-paying orders and get lucky with strong tips.
When you’re stuck earning a flat rate, you’re less likely to filter through the bad orders and find the great ones.
Flat rate earnings are a good offer in some markets
Some drivers can regularly earn more than a flat rate offer by being selective about the orders they accept. But that’s not true in every market.
Being selective about orders won’t be as profitable in markets that don’t have enough order volume or high tippers. A flat rate offer might be your best choice in smaller, slower markets.
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