Uber Eats is one of the most popular food delivery apps, so you might be interested to know how things work behind the scenes—and how you can save money.
Why does your order costs as much as it does? Does Uber add markup, and what’s with all those fees?
In this article, learn how Uber Eats works, how much it costs, and how you can save on deliveries.
Article Contents
- What is Uber Eats?
- Uber Eats Pricing and Fees
- How to Save: Uber Eats Promo Codes and More
- How to Order on Uber Eats
What is Uber Eats?
Uber Eats is an on-demand delivery app for local restaurants and stores. It is available as a standalone app in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
In many areas, you can also order Uber Eats in the regular Uber app by tapping the Delivery option at the top of the Uber app.
IMAGE: DELIVERY IN UBER APP
How Uber Eats pricing works
The cost of an Uber Eats order consists of the cost of the food & items, a service fee, a delivery fee, other fees, and any applicable local taxes.
Below is a breakdown of each Uber fee and surcharge.
The Uber Eats service fee is a variable charge on the order subtotal that is typically around 15%. The minimum service fee is about $3, and there is no stated maximum.
The Uber Eats delivery fee typically ranges from $0.49 to $7.99. The delivery fee is dynamic, based on your distance to the restaurant and the availability of delivery couriers. When demand for orders is high, the delivery fee increases.
Generally, closer restaurants will have a lower delivery fee.
Priority delivery is a small charge to guarantee that your driver comes directly to you without stopping for other deliveries along the way.
There is a small order fee: A $2 fee if your order is less than $1, and around $3 if the subtotal is less than $15. The exact fee amount varies by city.
The total cost of an Uber Eats order is = The cost of your food + Taxes + The Service Fee + Delivery Fee + Other Fees + Optional Tip
Other Fees: The delivery adjustment fee is added to your order when you make changes that increase the cost, such as changing your address.
California customers pay the CA Driver Benefits fee, an extra fee to fund driver benefits passed by California Proposition 22.
Does Uber Eats add a markup to the cost of food?
Restaurants and stores set their own menu prices for Uber Eats. Uber does not add any extra cost to menu items.
Some merchants may choose to increase the price of their food on Uber Eats to help account for merchant fees that Uber charges.
An Uber Eats order with just about every fee and discount
Do Uber Eats drivers get the delivery fee?
The delivery fee is not paid directly to Uber Eats couriers. So if your delivery fee was $4.99, that doesn’t mean the delivery person paid $4.99.
Instead of passing the delivery fee on to drivers, Uber Eats drivers get paid according to a formula that includes a base fare, a trip supplement, and any other earnings promotions that Uber offers. Drivers receive 100% of tips.
What can you order on Uber Eats?
Uber Eats began as a restaurant delivery app, but it has expanded into many other types of deliveries.
- Restaurant
- Convenience stores
- Alcohol
- Grocery
- Prescription & pharmacy
- Pet supplies
- Retail stores
Look on the home screen of the app to see the types of deliveries available in your area. You may need to tap the See all button to reveal every category.
The Uber Eats delivery categories available in Los Angeles
Uber Eats promo codes: How to get discounts on deliveries
There are a few different ways for Uber Eats users to get discounts on orders. New users can easily find promo codes, and existing users can take advantage of a few other promotions.
Uber Eats promo codes for new users: eats-cws7s2 (USA only)
Promo codes for new users typically offer a discount on your first or several orders.
You can enter a promo code in Account > Promotions, or during checkout. You will get an error message if the promo code is invalid.
Share your Eats promo code to get discounts
All Uber Eats users can share a promo code to get discounts on future orders. When someone enters your code and places an order, you’ll get free credits toward your next order.
Share your promo code by tapping the Account icon, then tap the section that says “Get $x off your order.” The next page will display your promo code and gives you several ways to share your code.
Find your Eats promo code in the Account area
Are there Uber Eats promo codes for existing users?
It’s possible to find a promo code that works if you have already placed at least one order, but they are difficult to find and typically expire after a short time.
For example, Uber sent a promo code that offered free delivery from McDonald’s on Cyber Monday only. Any Uber user could take advantage of it, but it stopped working after Cyber Monday.
Related: Tricks to save on Uber
Uber One: Monthly membership to save on orders
Uber One is a monthly membership that offers several benefits. For $9.99 per month, you get $0 delivery fees + 5% off orders over $15. Grocery orders over $30 also come with a $0 delivery fee.
Uber One also gives you 5% off eligible Uber rides.
To sign up for Uber One, open the Uber Eats app, tap Account at the bottom of the screen, then scroll to find Uber One.
Other Uber Eats deals and rewards
The Uber Eats app regularly features deals on purchases like Buy one get on free, $0 delivery fee, and ‘spend $x to save $x.’
You can filter for deals by tapping the filter button in the upper corner of the app. Then toggle the Deals option.
Look for the green ribbon icon on stores to identify active deals.
Set a filter for Deals to find the best discounts
How to order on Uber Eats
Ordering food with the Uber Eats app is a fairly straightforward process. You open the app, find a restaurant or store, create an order, and set your delivery address.
To begin your order, select delivery or pickup at the top of the screen. If you select delivery, follow the steps to enter your address.
Then, find a restaurant or store by scrolling through recommendations or searching for specific restaurants and cuisine types.
After you tap on a restaurant, you can select between delivery or pickup.
To add an item to your cart, tap on the item and select from any required options (adding toppings, extras, etc). The default quantity for each item is 1, but you can increase the quantity by scrolling to the bottom of each item’s page.
The “Add to Cart” button will be greyed out and untappable if you haven’t selected all the required items. The button will become tappable once you’ve completed all the steps necessary for the item.
To see your order, tap View Cart.
Delete an item from your order: Go to the checkout page and swipe left to delete an item.
Modify an item in your order: Go to View Cart, then tap the item. Make any changes, then tap Update Cart.
Cart page: You can modify an item, delete an item, or place your order
Tap Place Order when you’ve finished building your order. Make sure to enter any promo codes before you place your order.
Track your order: An order tracking screen will appear after you place your order. The tracking screen shows a few different statuses in the order tracking area: ‘Confirming order with restaurant,’ ‘Preparing your order,‘ and ‘Food is on the way.’
If you leave the order tracking screen, you can return to it by the green bar at the top of the screen.
You can also find order tracking in Carts on the bottom of the screen.
Return to the tracking area by tapping the green bar on the home screen
Another way to track your order
How to cancel an Uber Eats order
To cancel your order, tap Carts on the bottom of the screen. On the tracking page for the order, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, then tap ‘Cancel Order.’
Order cancellation fee
Uber may charge a cancellation fee if:
- You cancel your order after the restaurant has begun preparing your food
- Your delivery courier is on the way to pick up your food, or if
- The courier has already picked up your order
Uber Eats does not guarantee a refund on your food if you cancel too far into the order process.
Order tracking page: Track order status, cancel your order, and get help
You may be charged a fee if you cancel your order
Delivery drop-off options: No contact, meet at door, meet outside
You can choose how you want your order to be dropped off:
- Leave at door: Your driver will drop your order off at your door for a no-contact delivery
- Meet at door: Your driver will meet at your door to hand off the order directly to you
- Meet outside: Go outside to meet the driver on the curb or at their vehicle
Set your drop-off option on the order checkout page. You can also write delivery notes to help your driver find your location.
Set your drop-off preference on the Checkout page
Related: How to get no-contact deliveries on DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats
How to tip your Uber Eats driver
You can choose to tip your driver on the checkout page before you place your order, or you can wait until after your order is complete. Drivers receive 100% of tips. Tipping is not mandatory, but it is recommended.
Can drivers see your tip? Before accepting your order, Uber Eats drivers see an estimated payout that includes some or all of any tip you enter at checkout.
So if you don’t tip at checkout, the estimated pay for your order will be low, and the driver might not accept it.
Tipping is highly recommended. Think of it as a bid for faster service
If you don’t tip at checkout, your order progress screen will nudge you to tip
To rate an order: Follow the popup prompts after the order, or go to the order tab and find the order.
Tap the Rate Order button. Follow the on-screen steps to rate your driver and leave a tip. If you don’t want to leave a tip, you can select “Done” without selecting a tip amount.
Make sure to rate your driver and leave a tip after the order is complete
What is it like to deliver for Uber Eats?
If you’re interested in what it’s like to deliver food for Uber Eats, below are several detailed articles that describe the work, how much you can expect to make, and the requirements to get started.
- Driving for Uber Eats: What it’s Like to Deliver Food for Uber
- Uber Eats vs DoorDash: Which is Better for Drivers?
- Vehicle Requirements for Uber Eats, Postmates, and DoorDash
- The Highs and Lows of Uber Eats Pay
PooPooPooPoo says
It is not true that closer = lower delivery fee
DougH says
True. Though distance is a big factor. Do you know more about how the fee works? Always interested in more insight
Tera says
Way too many unreasonable fees 7.99 tax & service fee the tax in my county is 7.34% so on 27.00 is only2.00
Then you have 2.00 driver fee then .49 delivery fee even though it said free delivery then some other fee so your paying an extra 10.00 before you even leave a tip.
The price in the restaurant for the item is 22.00 your paying with a tip 39.00!
Mel says
I live outside the United States but would like to send food to relatives in the US, will I be able to place an order? Thanks.
DougH says
I’m not sure it will work. You typically have to be inside the delivery radius to order. Try to download the app and see what happens when you put in your relatives address. If that doesn’t work, you can get your relatives an Uber Eats gift card.
Desiree says
Hi Doug do you happen to know whether we’re allowed to combine Reward Points with Uber cash to pay on UberEats? Can’t seem to find the answer to this anywhere. Thanks in advance!
DougH says
That’s a good question, and I’m not 100% sure. It’s hard to get info when you’re creatively combining features. Maybe go ahead and try, see what happens, and let me know how it goes?
Lucy says
Unimpressed on 2 successive occasions Uber eats delivery was not wearing a mask at all. It is law and if it happens again, we will no longer use this service.
Joe says
I ordered food that Uber never picked up to deliver and was still charged for Uber’s mistake. How do we correct this?
DougH says
Open up the Uber Eats app. Tap ‘Orders’ on the bottom. Find the order you were charged for and tap the “Get Help” button. Find the “My order never arrived” option. You should eventually get a refund or app credit
Peter says
I have understand credit however even when I apply the credit I get charged full price and the credits are not used… how do I fix this ?
DougH says
You might have to contact Uber. Typically credits are applied automatically. Head to help.uber.com and look for the “My promo code didn’t apply” article. That has instructions, and forms to contact Uber
Tessa says
I received a $5 credit from Uber Eats but no matter how hard I tried, I could not use my credit for my order. I made sure to go into payment settings and turned on the available credits but it still would not apply
DougH says
Typically any promotion will be automatically applied, so you don’t have to select it to use it. If you had a promotion and it didn’t apply to an order, you’ll have to contact customer service.