Making Extra Money: How to Become a Doordash Driver

Lots of DoorDash drivers have a compelling story about why they decided to take a delivery driver position during COVID-19. Driving for Doordash gives delivery drivers the money they need to keep going throughout these unsettling times. These drivers have discovered not only how to become a DoorDash driver but also do it well enough to make lucrative money. 

Making extra money is essential right now. Not many people can afford not to work for any prolonged length of time, which is why more people are starting to check out becoming a delivery driver. DoorDash offers competitive pay, hours, and advantages while being a versatile, professional, and reputable food delivery company.

Read on if you want to know how to become a DoorDash driver so you can make the extra money you need. 

How To Become A DoorDash Driver

Internationally and nationally, more and more people are beginning to join what’s called the ‘gig economy.’ The ‘gig economy’ is a multi-billion dollar economy based on consumers who spend money on a product delivered to them through service on-demand. Most people have various on-demand services as an application on their smartphone or a website on their computer. 

The delivery driver’s advantages come directly from being a part of the gig economy. If you work for DoorDash, the benefits include but aren’t limited to:

  • A minimum of one dollar per delivery is your pay rate, and you get to keep 100% of whatever the customer tips you.
  • Bonus pay periods that DoorDash calls “busy variable pay” if you’re willing to work during peak periods
  • When working peak periods, you need to meet a certain quota or threshold to receive your incentive
  • You must use your car, but DoorDash pays you bonuses that can help with car upkeep and maintenance if you are willing to work during peak periods.
  • You receive the IRS 1099 independent contractor report, but you may be able to deduct your vehicle expenses, car make and model from your taxes owed
  • You also must at least 18 years old and have a Social Security number with a working smartphone. Your smartphone can be an Android or iOS phone. The vehicle you use to make deliveries must meet legally mandated insurance coverage, and you must have a valid driver’s license. 

DoorDash Requirements

The thousands of drivers in the delivery service are called Dashers. So the next time you order food from the DoorDash app, you’ll be receiving your delivery from a motivated driver that delivers your food within a specific range of time. But if you want to become one of the Dashers and make money, there are some hard-fast rules and requirements you need to know.

While learning these hard-fast rules, remember that DoorDash offers you a chance to earn the extra money you need in a safe and regulated environment with a reputable company. 

Four Mandatory Items to Become a Dasher for DoorDash

Four things are mandatory for you to know and have before ever getting a job as a Dasher.

  • You must have access to and be able to drive a personal vehicle. That can be a car, bike, or scooter as long as it can carry food safely and securely.
  • You must have a valid driver’s license. 
  • You must have active and valid car insurance.
  • You must pass a background check before being approved to become a Dasher. It’s a standard mandate for most businesses, and the background check process usually takes around three to five days. 

Most of all, you want to start motivating yourself to succeed. If you understand the principle of making money, if you hustle while working as a Dasher, you should be able to make enough to pay your bills and then some.

What Do DoorDash Drivers Do And How Do They Do It?

You’ve probably ordered from DoorDash previously and already know they pick up prepared food orders from a restaurant and deliver them to customers. Sometimes DoorDash can also pick up goods from DoorDash partner merchants and deliver them to customers. There are some step-by-step instructions in what you do on a typical DoorDash day when you report to work.

Step-By-Step Dasher Instructions on a Typical Day

The app on your smart device allows Dashers to see customer contact information and address. That way the details of the order are listed with directions to the restaurant that has the order waiting for them to pick up. Dashers also have an estimate of how long the pickup and delivery will take start to finish. 

  1. Every Dasher logs in through their DoorDash app at the start of their shift schedule.
  2. Dashers don’t have to accept a shift if they don’t want to, so when they check their shift schedule, they can take the shift order delivering food or decline it.
  3. If a Dasher accepts the shift, the delivery order is theirs, so they go to the merchant to pick it up.
  4. Once a Dasher picks up a delivery order, the Dasher pays for the order with their Red Card. The Red Card is a DoorDash issued a reloadable prepaid card. There are times when a merchant will be cash-only, and if that’s the case, the Dasher can make arrangements with DoorDash.
  5. If a Dasher has to pay cash for an order, that is an exception to the DoorDash rule for delivery payment methods. 
  6. The Dasher then takes the order to the customer using the in-app contact function for the customer’s location. If there are any special security issues, the Dasher needs to know about often the Dasher will reach out to the customer and find out how to navigate the customer’s place of residence or work.
  7. The Dasher then hands off the order to the customer once they arrive at the customer’s location. 

The customer can track the Dasher’s progress through the app on their smartphone. Once the order delivery is complete, the Dasher marks it down as such within the DoorDash app. It’s at that point that DoorDash knows the Dasher has successfully concluded their scheduled delivery. 

DoorDash Pay Once You Become a DoorDash Driver

Every Dasher gets to choose whether or not they want weekly or daily payouts. Every Dasher receives pay at their base pay rate at a minimum of $1 per delivery. A customer can give the Dasher a tip, and whatever tip the customer provides is 100% the Dashers.

There are other ways a Dasher can make money working for DoorDash. Dashers can also receive Busy Pay bonuses during peak times. Often they accept incentive payments if they meet a milestone or quota criteria that are set by DoorDash.

No matter what, every DoorDash order provides the minimum guaranteed payment rate. If you combine the base pay with customer tips and incentives and you still haven’t reached the minimum amount DoorDash has pre-determined, you’ll get a payment boost to make up the difference. The average rate most Dashers earn is $15-$20 per hour on average for base pay and tips.

Any busy or peak period rates include active pay bonuses that end up being a pretty competitive gig economy market rate.

DoorDash Onboarding Process

You already know the DoorDash application process is pretty straightforward. Once you’re accepted or hired to become a Dasher, there is an onboarding process you need to know. The onboarding process provides you with a selection of two options.

  • You can do your onboarding with a home-delivered activation kit
  • You can do your onboarding with a virtual orientation

Virtual Orientation

If you choose your onboarding process to be a virtual orientation, you walk through the basics of what a Dasher does and any Dashing job duties.

Home-Delivered Activation Kit

If you choose to go through your onboarding process through a home-delivered activation kit, you’ll receive a hot bag to keep the food you’re delivering warm. You’ll also receive your Red Card and the DoorDash orientation manual. It takes up to four days for you to get the home-delivered activation kit so you can plan accordingly for your schedule for officially beginning at DoorDash. 

There are times you can pick up your home-delivered activation kit from a local DoorDash office if you live in a larger city or area. Whether you chose a home-delivered activation kit or a virtual orientation onboarding process once completed, you need to activate your Red Card and fill out your W-9 taxpayer identification form. You’ll also need to set up a direct deposit for paycheck deposits, and once DoorDash activates your account, you can begin working as a Dasher.

All That You Don’t Know About Becoming a DoorDash Driver 

Almost no one knows that you don’t have to own your own car to become a DoorDash driver. You do have to have access to a vehicle you can use, and in a gig economy job, this is usually one of those hard and fast rules you must meet. It’s good to know you can still get work as a Dasher if you have permission to use a vehicle, can prove you are a licensed driver, and have insurance coverage.

If you start working for DoorDash and can work a few shifts during peak customer demand and if you complete at least three orders during your turn, you receive $2.00 extra per order. The peak hours during lunch usually runs from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

It’s your responsibility to ascertain when you want to add peak hour times to your delivery schedule so you can receive the bonus or incentive pay.

DoorDash Key Advantages

Another key advantage of working for DoorDash, especially over other ride-sharing apps, is that DoorDash has the highest order of volume deliveries during peak hours. That means if you’re willing to work the weekend evenings or early morning delivery shifts, you can make enough to make a difference in your Dasher pay. 

Every major U.S. City and even cities that are densely populated but not considered a major city is now seeing DoorDash taking off. That is especially true in college towns or hubs.

That makes being a Dasher an outstanding opportunity for growth and development.

The DoorDash Opportunity

You now know how to become a DoorDash driver and why it’s such a great opportunity to make extra money. Every Dasher will tell you what they hear most, and that is almost everyone who loves the convenience of DoorDash. It doesn’t matter if someone is too tired to cook or worked too late at their job because DoorDash can get them the food delivery they need when they want it.

Customers want to come home and have options when they order food for delivery. DoorDash has made the process easy, accessible, and ready for anyone who wants to become a Dasher. DoorDash has built the process of hiring Dashers and onboarding as simple and as easy as possible.

No matter what new job you begin, there’s always a learning curve. You may have a learning curve at DoorDash too. But if you excel when working with people and are committed to earning extra money, DoorDash is for you. 

Remember to put a little bit of effort, commit the time you need to, and you’ll make a success in earning what you need through a gig economy job. You’ll be amazed at what you can earn as a Dasher. If you need anything else that can help you access more money, check out


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