How to Make $500 A Week With DoorDash in 2023

If you’re looking for a flexible way to make extra money, then you need to know if it's possible to make $500 a week with DoorDash. 

Food delivery apps, like DoorDash, are an excellent side hustle idea when you're looking for something that lets you pick your own hours. To help you get started, we’re going to explain the exact strategies DoorDash drivers use to make the most money possible.

Here’s How to Make $500 A Week With DoorDash

About DoorDash

Here are the basics before we go any further, DoorDash is the largest on-demand food delivery service in the U.S., controlling 65% of the market share. It’s now available in over 7,000 cities in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan. 

Dashers (what DoorDash drivers are called) are paid for each order they complete. You keep 100% of your tips, can schedule your hours in advance or work whenever you have extra time, and get paid daily or weekly.

About DoorDash Driver Pay

Like we said, DoorDash drivers are paid per order, and you can often earn more for larger orders, ones that are more difficult to complete, when the app is busy, if you’re in an area with fewer Dashers, and when DoorDash runs promotions.

Because pay fluctuates based on each order, there will be days when you make more than others. 

DoorDash pays weekly, but there’s also a Fast Pay option that lets you cash out the day you drive. It costs $1.99 for each use, but if you sign up for the free Dasher Direct card (which is a free prepaid debit card and subject to approval), you can cash out daily for free.

Learn more in How Much Can You Make From DoorDash in A Day.

DoorDash Disclaimer: Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.

11 Tips for How To Make $500+ a Week With Doordash

We’ve talked to real DoorDash drivers and asked them for their best tips for making the most money, and here’s what they’ve said:

1. Accept Batched Orders

Batched orders are when you’re offered more than one order at a time, and it’s an opportunity to make more money. The DoorDash app offers batched orders at the same time or sequentially. The app suggests an order of operations to efficiently complete the batch, but you can choose how you want to deliver the orders.

Batched orders help you reach your goal because it can save you time, and that increases your average hourly rate.

2. Look for Guaranteed Earnings Incentives

DoorDash occasionally offers guaranteed earnings incentives, which ensure that you receive at least a certain amount of money if you complete a specific number of deliveries in a set amount of time. 

Here’s a guaranteed earnings example from DoorDash: “Earn at least $500 in total earnings for 50 deliveries in the next week.” That means that if you complete 50 orders and only make $450, DoorDash will add on an additional $50 to meet the $500 guarantee. 

DoorDash will notify you via email if you’re eligible, and you’ll be automatically enrolled if eligible.

3. Drive for Multiple Apps

Multi-apping is a strategy food delivery and rideshare drivers regularly use to make more than average. Because you’re an independent contractor, you can sign up and work for more than one app at a time — you don't have to be loyal to a single app. Multi-apping means you toggle back and forth between more than one delivery app at a time to find the highest-paying orders. 

If you’re interested in delivering for other apps, check out these articles to learn more:

• DoorDash vs. Uber Eats
• DoorDash vs. Grubhub
• Instacart vs. DoorDash

4. Hang Around in Busy Areas

There will naturally be areas that are busier than others, and it’s worth getting to know where those areas are. For example, an area with a lot of corporate-type businesses will have more orders during lunch time. Sticking around those areas will help you reach your goal of $500 a week.

5. Take Advantage of Doordash Driver Promotions and Incentives

DoorDash offers promotions and incentives to encourage Dashers to hustle and complete additional orders. Challenges are one example, and DoorDash will give you an extra cash bonus for completing the challenge. Below is an example of a DoorDash bonus:

6. Deliver on Your Way Home

This is one of the best tips we’ve received from DoorDash drivers who regularly make on the higher end of pay. The idea is that when you’ve finished dashing for the day, look for one final delivery that takes you in the direction of your home. This isn’t possible all the time, but when it is, you’re essentially getting paid to drive home. It's a win-win!

7. Work During Peak Hours

The busiest times on DoorDash are called peak hours, and it’s when DoorDash offers its Peak Pay promotion. The in-app map lights up with a +$ amount to show you the additional dollar amount DoorDash is adding to each delivery. You can see what the app looks like when Peak Pay is available in multiple areas at the same time.

Veteran Dashers will tell you that driving during these periods is one of the best ways to make extra money.

8. Be Strategic With the Orders You Accept

DoorDash drivers choose which orders they want to accept and decline, and you can be picky and only accept the orders that make the most sense for you. That means you can choose the highest-paying orders, ones that take you in the direction you want to go, ones from restaurants you’re familiar with, and so on.

9. Always Deliver Excellent Customer Service

This is a no-brainer, but it’s still worth saying: good customer service is key. With DoorDashing, solid customer service means saying “Have a good day,” being communicative with customers, thinking about things like cutlery and sauces, checking to see if the orders are correct, and more.

Quality customer service is one of the best ways to increase your tips, and that helps you make more money throughout the week.

10. Fit Deliveries in Whenever You Can

The reality is that if you want to learn how to make $500 a week with DoorDash, it will require some hustle. Pick up a delivery on your way home from work, after you drop your kids off at school, when you have an extra hour on the weekend, and so on. You've got to make yourself available!

11. Track Your Income

The benefit of tracking your income while dashing is that you’ll notice patterns and learn which areas and times pay the most. Time is money when DoorDashing, and you’ll figure out how to best optimize your time delivering when you track your income.

The Final Word: Is It Really Possible to Make $500 A Day With DoorDash?

DoorDash is an incredibly flexible side job, and this article explained strategies of high-earning DoorDash drivers. The tips in this article are used by veteran drivers who have even discovered how to make the most with DoorDash.

The bottom line is to hustle and follow the money. Go after promotions, guaranteed earnings incentives, and bonuses. You need to make your customers happy, and pay attention to busy areas and Peak Pay.