20+ DoorDash Driver Benefits: Lifestyle, Cash and More

When you drive for DoorDash, you’re self-employed, which means you don’t get traditional employer benefits like health insurance, a 401k, and paid time off. 

But that doesn’t mean that you don’t get other types of benefits: instead of being locked into your employer’s health insurance, you can choose your own. You don’t get paid-time off, but you can take off whenever you want without having to get anyone’s approval.

And of course, you can choose when, where, and how you work (pending local DoorDash availability). Compared to a traditional job, you get a lot more control and flexibility. 

DoorDash is an unconventional work situation, and its benefits are similarly unconventional. Here’s what you can expect if you decide to become a Dasher. 

You’re trading traditional benefits for DoorDash lifestyle benefits

We’ll get into the range of bonuses, perks, and discounts you can take advantage of as a Dasher further down, but the fact remains that if we’re talking about traditional benefits you’ve come to expect from an employer, you won’t be getting them from DoorDash.

That said - don’t forget the nontraditional benefits you’re getting in return:

• When you work: total control over your schedule
• How much you work: work more or fewer hours any given week
• Where you work: choose the neighborhoods you’re comfortable in
• Be your own boss: no manager to micromanage you or take undue credit for your hard work
• Use the tools you like: your own car, your own phone
• Manage your own vacation time: no need to submit time off requests

Driving for DoorDash gives you the freedom to plan your work around your life so that you won’t have to miss your daughter’s piano recital or skip your evening class to be on time for work.

But let’s get into some more tangible perks, too…

Earn more cash with DoorDash bonuses, tips, and incentives

As a Dasher, you should think about your earnings in three components:

1. Base pay
2. Tips
3. Bonuses and incentives

Base pay is the foundation of your compensation — it’s the amount you’re guaranteed to earn for completing a delivery. According to DoorDash, Base pay ranges from $2-10+ per order and is based on the estimated time, distance, and desirability of an order. 

When you complete an order, you’ll also get to keep 100% of any tips that a customer leaves you. The DoorDash app presents consumers with large buttons that encourage the customer to leave a tip for their Dasher - often 10-30% of the order total. But do know that some frustrating customers will go around consistently tipping $0. 

Dashers we spoke to typically feel that tips make up the bulk of their DoorDash income. 

Ryan Shaw, who has been Dashing for three years, says “personally, and I think for most Dashers, the "meat and potatoes" (or what to me means the bulk) of compensation comes from customer tips. Nine times out of 10, you're getting $2-2.50 base pay, and unless it's a very short distance or a quick and easy order, I don't usually accept orders under $5. For example, If I do some quick math on my last week of dashing, DoorDash pay accounted for 31.6% and tips accounted for 68.4%.”

DoorDash also runs various promotions and that can help boost your earnings. These aren’t always available — they pop up from time to time depending on how much demand there is in any given location. 

Peak Pay, one of the company’s most well-established promotions, increases your base pay if you deliver during specified times. For example, a Peak Pay promotion may offer you an extra $2 in base pay for each order you complete between 11am and 2pm. 

Challenges are another way to make some extra cash. Dasher Challenges reward you for making a set number of deliveries within a specified time period. For example, you might get an extra $20 for completing 15 deliveries within a week.

You can also make some serious cash by getting friends to sign up with DoorDash’s referral program. When there’s a referral promo running in your area, you can make hundreds - sometimes thousands - of dollars just for getting a friend to sign up and complete their first deliveries (your friend will get a sign up bonus too). 

What’s more: there’s no limit to how many referral bonuses you can make. The more friends you get to sign up, the more you make. 

Take advantage of non-cash DoorDash perks

DoorDash offers all of its drivers several perks: 

• Discounts
• Financial education and coaching

Currently (as of this official documentation as it reads in 2024), Dashers receive the following discounts:

• Minimum 2% cashback for gas purchases with DasherDirect (pending program approval)
• 6 months of Premium Plus Clerkie for free
• 20% off Everlance Premium
• $20 off Turbo-Tax Self-Employed
• $20 in CarAdvise credits to spend on car maintenance
• 30% off the purchase of an e-bike from Dirwin
• Weekly gas bonuses for those who dash the most
• Coverage under DoorDash’s Occupational Accident Policy

Additionally, DoorDash partners with Stride, which helps Dashers find affordable health insurance plans, and Merit, which empowers Dashers to earn industry-recognized credentials at no upfront cost. 

Eligible Dashers can also get one month free of DashPass, followed by 50% off the monthly subscription cost ($4.99/month). DashPass is a subscription service that gives you unlimited deliveries with no delivery fee on orders over $12. This is a consumer app, so it will save you money if you decide to order delivery — it doesn’t have anything to do with the deliveries you make as a Dasher. 

All Dashers get access to GoalUp, which provides on-demand financial literacy courses, covering topics like budgeting, credit scores, and more. 

Make your Dashing job easier with the Dasher Rewards Program

DoorDash recently launched the Dasher Rewards Program pilot, which unifies the following rewards programs:

• Top Dasher: Allows top-performing Dashers to “Dash Now” even in areas that are grayed out on the map. This lets you Dash where you want without having to schedule in advance.
• Priority Access: Dashers with at least a 4.5 customer rating and a 50% acceptance rate get priority access to high paying offers and Dash Now. 
• Large Orders Program: Superb Dashers get priority for large orders, which can pay 2-3 times as much as regular orders. 
• Early Access Scheduling: Qualifying Dashers gain access to the Dasher schedule 6 days in advance. 
• VIP Support: Top Dashers receive access to premium support. 

The Dasher Rewards Program is currently in its pilot phase and is only available in select markets. Currently, all these programs are separate, and you need to qualify for them individually according to each one’s unique criteria. The Dasher Rewards Program rollout will change that, but it’s not available yet. 

With the DasherDirect debit card, you get a slew of additional benefits

• Your money is deposited into your bank account after every dash (which may be one or more orders) without any deposit fees
• Minimum 2% back on gas purchased anywhere
• Wellness Core from Avibra Essentials, which includes:
  • $10,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance 
  • $1,000 life insurance
  • Credit counseling
  • Debt counseling
  • Housing counseling
  • Discount prescriptions
  • 24/7 well-being advisors

Additional optional perks from Avibra Essentials are available for a fee of $1.00 each per week, which include:

• Roadside assistance
• Family telemedicine
• Cell phone protection
• On-demand fitness and nutrition
• Family dental plans
• Identity theft monitoring
• Family vision savings pass

Get started

Ready to hit the open road and start earning on your schedule? Sign up to be a Dasher today — it only takes five minutes, and you can start earning within days (pending Dasher approval and local availability).