How to get more tips as a delivery driver is a question the apps answer only indirectly. Tips come from customers, and no service tells couriers what any one customer will leave. What the official courier pages do describe is a set of habits, from checking the bag to the drop-off photo, that make the customer’s experience better. This guide collects those habits for food and grocery couriers and makes no claim about what they add to a payout.
Pay mechanics, tip screens and the rules of each app are covered in separate guides. Here the focus is behavior.
What makes a good delivery driver?
The basics are accuracy and care. At pickup, Uber’s courier page tells couriers to verify that they have all the items in the order, and names frequently missed items, like drinks.[1] The same check applies on a grocery order, where a missing item is the problem a customer is most likely to remember.
Accuracy also includes the instructions attached to the order. DoorDash says the customer’s drop-off notes, such as an intercom code or a floor number, appear in the delivery instructions of the Dasher app once you arrive.[2] Reading them before you walk up saves a call and a delay.
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How do you communicate with customers?
DoorDash’s guidance for Dashers is the most detailed of the three. Top Dashers recommend keeping customers updated throughout the delivery, particularly when something unexpected happens, such as a traffic jam or a backed-up kitchen.[3] One Dasher quoted on the page suggests a courtesy text from the restaurant that mentions any wait or any item that is out of stock. Another advises using the method that works for the customer: text first, then a call if there is no reply.
The page does not promise a reward. It says customers report appreciating updates, which can lead to better tips and ratings. That is a reasonable reading of the evidence: communication costs you a few seconds and removes the uncertainty a waiting customer feels.
Uber’s courier page shows where the contact option sits in the Driver app, behind a phone icon that you reach by sliding up from the bottom. For the rider side of Uber tipping, see how much to tip an Uber driver.
How should you hand off the order?
A careful hand-off is the last thing the customer sees. DoorDash’s app requires a proof-of-delivery photo before you can finish, and the help article says that when the customer has notes, you drop off the order and take a good picture. If the surroundings are dark, it says to turn on the flash. Uber’s page likewise mentions taking a picture of the drop-off location to assist the customer, and, for some orders, collecting a signature or verifying ID for alcohol.
Tip: Photograph the bag where the customer asked for it, with the door or a landmark in frame, so the photo answers the question “did it arrive, and where?” before the customer needs to ask.
Do ratings matter for tips?
The apps keep the two separate. DoorDash says a customer rating reflects how customers rate their delivery experience, not their food experience, and is based on your last 100 ratings.[4] The page also lists measures such as the share of offers completed within the expected time, and warns that repeated late deliveries can lead to deactivation. Ratings help decide eligibility for rewards and certain programs. Nothing on the page links a rating to a tip amount. See how DoorDash tips and pay work for the pay side.
This is also the answer to the common question of how to be a faster delivery driver. The apps measure on-time performance, but the sound way to save minutes is to avoid mistakes: check the order before you leave the counter, read the notes before you arrive and do not guess at the address. Hurrying through traffic is not worth a lower rating or a crash.
What do food delivery tips look like on a grocery order?
Grocery couriers have more ways to disappoint, such as substitutions and the placement of bags. Instacart’s page about rating an order invites customers to give feedback on communication with their shopper, on whether the shopper followed instructions for items, replacements or where to leave the order, and on professionalism, including discussions about tipping.[5] Customers have 14 days after the order is complete to share that feedback.
In practice, that means a grocery shopper should keep the customer informed when an item is out of stock, follow the customer’s stated preference on replacements and leave the bags where the customer asked.
Which delivery driver hacks should you skip?
Searches for delivery driver hacks often turn up advice about hinting, guilt or complaining about tips. Instacart’s rating page lists discussions about tipping among the interactions customers can give feedback on, so asking directly for a tip is a risk, not a tactic. The same logic applies to thank-you notes that read as a demand.
A shorter list of what the courier pages support:
- Check the order against the bag before leaving the pickup counter.
- Read the delivery notes before you arrive.
- Send an update when a wait or a missing item changes the plan.
- Place the order where the customer asked and take a clear photo.
- Stay polite and brief, and leave the amount to the customer.
These habits do not guarantee a tip, and none of the apps says they do. They do reduce the chances of a complaint, which protects your rating and your access to better work.
