A Postmates tip works through Uber’s systems today, because Postmates is part of the Uber family and its customer help pages are hosted on Uber’s help site.[1] Those pages say tipping is optional, that you can tip in the app or in cash, and that you can do it before or after the order. This guide walks through each way to tip, how long you can change it, and where the money goes.
Is a Postmates tip required?
No. Uber’s Postmates help describes a tip as a way to thank your delivery person, and says it is never required. It also separates tipping from feedback: comments about the items or the restaurant go through rating the order and the merchant, not through the tip amount.[2]
Uber’s pages offer two ways to tip. One is in the app, and the other is cash handed to your delivery person when the order arrives. The cash route is the only one that happens outside the app, so the options below are about the in-app path.
How to tip on Postmates, step by step
Uber’s “How to add a tip” article lists three moments to tip.[3]
- Before you place the order. After you choose your items and move to checkout, the last screen before you place the order is the tip screen. Pick a preset percentage or amount, or tap “Other” to type a custom number.
- After delivery. When the order arrives, you are prompted to rate the experience and add a tip. If you tip here, you receive an updated receipt by email showing the new amount.
- From order history. Open the Orders tab, choose a past order, rate it, pick a tip amount and submit. This works up to 40 days after delivery.
The order-history route is the answer to a common search: how to tip on Postmates after delivery. If you forgot at the door, you still have time.
How long can you change a Postmates tip?
The time limits differ by route, and the table puts them side by side.
| How the tip was added | Can you change it? | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Set at checkout, before the order | Yes | Until one hour after delivery |
| Added right after delivery | No, once submitted | Not applicable |
| Added from order history | No, once submitted | Up to 40 days after delivery to add |
Uber’s “Change tip” article gives the same one-hour window: after delivery you can open the tip editor in the post-delivery prompt, or find the order in the Orders tab and edit the tip there. After the hour passes, the tip is locked in.[4] The post-delivery editor is not available in New York City.
Because a tip added after delivery cannot be changed, it is worth checking the amount before you tap submit.
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Where does the tip go?
Uber states that it does not take service fees on tips, so the tip is not reduced by a fee on your side.[5] Its help pages say the tip goes to the delivery person.
Postmates’ help pages do not describe when the courier sees the amount, so this guide does not claim that. If you are curious whether a courier can see a tip before delivering, Uber’s Postmates help does not answer it. For the courier side, see how Postmates pays couriers.
Which payment method pays for the tip?
Uber’s article on payment methods says a tip added in the app, on the website or through the emailed trip receipt is charged to the same payment method you initially selected for the order. It also covers vouchers: a business voucher can cover all or part of an order, but it does not cover tips, so a tip on a voucher-paid order is charged to your personal payment method.[6]
That matters if a company pays for lunch. The meal may be covered, and the tip is still yours to pay if you decide to leave one.
Are there places where tipping works differently?
Yes. In New York City and Seattle, Uber says tipping before the order is available only for orders delivered by merchants’ own staff, and the post-delivery tip prompt is not shown for merchant staff deliveries.
If your order does not show a tip screen, check whether the merchant delivers it themselves before assuming something is wrong with the app.
What should you check before tipping?
A short checklist keeps it simple:
- Decide whether to tip before checkout, since that tip can be edited for an hour afterward.
- If you wait until after delivery, remember the amount cannot be changed once submitted.
- Use order history if you want to tip later, within 40 days of delivery.
- Tip in cash at the door if you prefer, since Uber lists it as an option.
Postmates help content can change, and Uber’s Postmates pages are the place to confirm the current steps in your app. For background on the service, see what Postmates is and how it works.
