What is Postmates? It is an on-demand delivery service where you order from local restaurants, grocers and other retailers and have the order brought to your door or ready for pickup. Uber announced on December 1, 2020 that it had completed the acquisition of Postmates Inc. in an all-stock transaction.[1] This guide explains what the service is today, how a customer uses it, and how courier work fits in at a high level. Courier requirements and pay have their own guides, so they are not repeated here.
What is Postmates, in plain terms?
Postmates started as a delivery brand and is now part of Uber. Uber’s December 2020 release described its offering as more than 600,000 restaurants and retailers available for delivery and pickup (a figure from that release, not a current count; the postmates.com page description still repeats it), and said the combined business would strengthen delivery of food, groceries, essentials and other goods. The postmates.com page describes the same idea in its own words: order delivery or pickup from restaurants, retailers and grocers across your city.[2]
The practical meaning of the question is therefore “what can I order and how.” The answer is not limited to restaurant meals. The site’s headline lists food, drinks and groceries, and its description adds retailers beyond restaurants.
Compare car rental
500+ rental companies. Free cancellation on most bookings.
How does Postmates work for customers?
The ordering page is simple. You enter a delivery address, search for a place, pick items and check out. The site also offers a pickup option labeled “Pickup near me,” a link to buy gift cards and a list of nearby restaurants, plus a link to view all cities.
Sign-in changed after the Uber deal. Uber’s Postmates help page, written for the 2021 transition, says customers log in by entering the phone number used to sign up, after which they link the account to an existing Uber account or follow steps to create one.[3] It adds that you cannot change your phone number on Postmates once the two accounts are linked, that you can use your email through the “Can’t sign in” link instead, and that as of August 9, 2021 a Postmates account can no longer be linked to an Uber account. Because the page describes that transition, follow whatever the current sign-in screen asks for.
Pricing is shown at checkout, and postmates.com links to a pricing page that explains it. Uber’s pricing explanation is not reproduced here, so this guide lists no fees. Compare the total for the same order in the app you use before you pay.
Is Postmates the same as Uber Eats?
No, and the official wording is careful. Uber’s release said that the consumer-facing Postmates and Uber Eats apps would continue to run separately, supported by a more efficient combined merchant and delivery network. The help page says the two companies “joined forces” to offer more restaurants, faster service and better recommendations.
So the brands are related, but they are different front doors to a shared network. Whether a particular store appears in one or both depends on your address and the merchant, and the official pages do not publish a list. See also whether Postmates and Uber Eats are the same.
How does Postmates work for couriers?
At a high level, requests for couriers moved to Uber’s platform. The help page says that customers and delivery requests switched to the Uber app as of June 7, 2021. Uber’s delivery basics page describes what a courier can receive there: food delivery, packages from time to time, shopping for groceries and retail items through Shop & Deliver, and in some places alcohol for people 21 or older.[4]
A courier sees a request with details such as a fare estimate, the type of delivery and the trip duration before accepting it. The delivery types a courier is approved for depend on things such as vehicle size and whether they have an insulated bag, and they are visible in the Driver app. For age, documents, screening and pay, use the guides on those topics. For pay, see how Postmates pays couriers.
What does Postmates deliver?
The official pages mention restaurant food, drinks, groceries and retail items. They do not publish a full catalog, and the range differs by city. The reliable way to find out is to type your address into postmates.com or the app and see what appears.
Alcohol is a special case. Uber says eligibility for couriers depends on location and that the courier must be 21 or older, so a store may list drinks that are not available at every address.
Is Postmates worth using?
The sources give no ranking of delivery apps, and we do not make one. A fair check is practical:
- Enter your address on postmates.com and see which merchants appear.
- Build the same order in another delivery app and compare the final total, including fees and tip.
- Check delivery or pickup timing for that order.
- If you used Postmates before 2021, expect the sign-in to ask for your old phone number or email and an Uber account.
What should you remember about Postmates?
Postmates is a delivery service owned by Uber, still reachable at postmates.com, with courier delivery requests routed through the Uber app since June 2021. Everything else, from fees to which stores appear, depends on your location and changes over time, so the address box is the most dependable source.
