I’ve been driving for a few weeks with the Fleet app (Postmates). I wanted to do a detailed review on the pros and cons of the app for anyone considering signing up.
Postmates Review
In this article I will answer the question “is postmates good”? And “how much can I make with Postmates?”.
First, I want to talk a little bit about why I started driving for Postmates. I was let go from my job (a story for another time) in July. I immediately applied for Uber and Lyft. I really wanted to drive for Uber because my dad has been driving for almost a year with them. I see how nice it is to be able to drive whenever you want.
Sadly, I was not approved to drive for either of them. Their background checks are pretty strict. I have 3 tickets in the past 3 years. Which disqualifies me. So, I looked for an alternative. A friend of mine told me about Postmates (known as Fleet for drivers). They approved me right away and sent my Postmates carrying bag, and the pre-paid Visa card that is used to pay for orders that are not pre-paid.
My first deliver I got was from Dunkin’ Donuts. It was an order for 2 drinks – a black tea and some fancy iced coffee drink with a bunch of add-ons. It was not pre-paid so I had to use the Postmates Visa card. I was a little nervous, honestly. Thankfully, I got it right and the delivery location was just up the road, so the customer was standing outside when I pulled up and they gave me a $2 cash tip.
Let’s get down to it. Let’s talk about the good and the bad.
The Bad
- The navigation on the app is very poor. It doesn’t show you the direction you’re facing. It just shows a little black car facing to the right. So to find the “hotspot” – which is the red honeycomb area on the map that represents a busy area – can be difficult. You have to zoom all the way in to see if you are headed towards the red-zone or not.
- In some areas – including where I live (FL) – orders aren’t frequent due to it being a new food delivery service. People around here don’t know about Postmates yet.
- Their base pay is lower than the industry average. Base pay is the guaranteed amount you will be paid for making a pickup.
My biggest issue with Postmates is that some orders are not pre-ordered. Meaning, I have to go into the restaurant, place the customer’s order, wait for it in some cases, pay for it using the Postmates card, then take a snapshot of the receipt and upload it to the app/order.
Most of the orders – I’d say around 80% – are pre-ordered and pre-paid, the rest are not. Unfortunately, you can’t see if they are pre-paid or not before accepting the order.
You may wonder, “what’s the big deal?”. Which, for the most part it isn’t a huge problem. But I have gotten BIG orders before that I had to order and wait for. I’m not talking about Taco Bell either, but rather actual restaurants like ‘Bonefish Grill’ or ‘Carrabba’s’.
Tip for non pre-paid large orders: For the large orders that are not pre-paid, try to call ahead or order online. That way it’s getting made while you drive to the location. This increases the speed and chances of a larger tip.
The Good
- They allow almost anyone to drive for them. Which is great for someone like myself with past tickets. I was denied for Uber but approved for Postmates.
- You can drive with someone else’s car. Don’t have your own car? No problem.
- They have a “blitz” feature, which is a time when the demand is higher than usual. All deliveries get a higher base price. I have not caught a blitz time, yet.
- About 90% of customers tip. The tips vary, but I average around $4 per delivery. Keep in mind that tips don’t show up right away. Normally, the following day the tips will be added to your balance.
- When the orders are pre-paid they are normally ready right when you arrive at the restaurant. Those are the easiest. Very easy money!
- They pay you for having to wait for a pickup. Not much, but it’s at least something. I believe it varies on the base fee.
- Normally, the delivery locations are not very far from the pickup spots. The farthest I’ve had to go is 15 minutes away.
The conclusion
I know it may look like the bad outweighs the good, but for someone like myself who doesn’t qualify for Uber or Lyft, it’s very nice to have an option to do some deliveries for extra cash.
Also, it may be busier in your area or even have a higher base pay per delivery. So I definitely recommend giving Postmates a try.
If you sign up using my referral code, you’ll be guaranteed at least $475 (varies for location) for your first 55 deliveries! I will also get a referral bonus.
My referral code: FL-a9k7rr or this link.
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