How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (2024)

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How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it Check out the products mentioned in this article: How Postmates works How to use Postmates Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech: How to use gift cards on Postmates and where to purchase them How to tip your delivery person on Postmates, and what to do if there's an issue with your order How to cancel a Postmates order, whether you've just ordered it or scheduled it in advance 'Can you pay cash for Uber Eats?': Yes, but not in the U.S. - here's how to pay for Uber Eats in all locations How to redeem an Uber gift card and use it to pay for your rides BEKIJK OOK: Het immigratiebeleid van Biden zorgt ervoor dat 500.000 mensen in de VS kunnen blijven Vaste leveringskosten energieleveranciers sinds 1 juli fors hoger: zo groot zijn de verschillen Stijging huizenprijzen jaagt potentiële kopers niet weg, maar vertrouwen op succes daalt wel Bekijk de geheime lounges waar de crew van dit nieuwe, uiterst luxe cruiseschip verblijft, als ze geen dienst hebben Amsterdam bouwt voor €300 miljoen fietsbrug over het IJ: maar op de verkeerde plek? Snel rijk worden en met pensioen als je nog geen 40 bent? Als je gewoon doorwerkt, leef je mogelijk langer Kan Threads blijven groeien zonder Instagram? Een jaar na de lancering zit het platform in een identiteitscrisis China claimt een solid state-batterij voor een fractie van de reguliere prijs te kunnen maken, waardoor het ineens interessant is voor elektrische auto’s Huizenprijs kan dit jaar 7% tot 9% stijgen, verwacht ING Fors meer nieuwbouw verkocht in eerste kwartaal van 2024: prijzen stijgen licht Biden belooft meer wapens voor luchtverdediging Oekraïne Partnerexperts Vacatures #techtalks: Hoe AI cybercriminelen steeds slimmer maakt Overheid en bedrijven betalen veel te hoge tarieven voor externe consultants en zzp’ers: dat kost miljarden Jumbo kampt weer met een aantal lege schappen vanwege moeizame onderhandelingen met leveranciers van A-merken Van radicaal-rechts naar fel links: wordt Jean-Luc Mélenchon de nieuwe premier van Frankrijk? Kamala Harris zal Trump niet verslaan als ze de plaats van Biden inneemt, zegt historicus die uitslag verkiezingen opvallend vaak goed voorspelt Lage hypotheekrente meenemen bij verhuizing: 5 dingen om op te letten Zo wil de Amerikaanse fabrikant van elektrische auto’s Lucid Motors Nederland overtuigen FAQs

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How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it

How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (1)

Foto: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Images

  • Postmates is a delivery app, like Uber Eats and GrubHub, that allows you to order food from your phone and have it delivered to your door.
  • Postmates was among the first apps of its kind, and they deliver more than just food.
  • If you’re a frequent Postmates customer and want to avoid delivery costs, you may want to consider signing up for Postmates Unlimited.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

In the past few years food delivery apps, like Uber Eats and GrubHub, have become the go-to when you don’t want to leave the house.

Gone are the days when you had to choose between pizza and your local Chinese place for takeout – now you can have just about any food imagined delivered to your doorstep within an hour.

Postmates was founded in San Francisco in 2011. The app was designed to be “a remote control for your city” that allowed you to have food and other services delivered to your door at will.

The idea itself actually predated the smartphone, but the company’s ability to put it in an app is what allowed it to survive and eventually be copied by dozens of others.

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How Postmates works

One of the cool things about Postmates, though, is that it isn't just for food delivery.

The idea behind Postmates was that you could have anything delivered - and it's slowly on the way to fulfilling that dream.

Besides takeout, you can also order delivery from certain grocery stores, pharmacies, and even electronics and liquor stores, depending on where you live and which nearby stores are available.

Now, it is worth noting that Postmates is a tad more expensive than other delivery apps. On top of a delivery charge that can run between $3.99 and $5.99, they also charge a 9% service fee.

There is also a small-cart fee of $1.99 if your order is below $12, or $10 if you're in Los Angeles.

However, there is a silver lining because if you use Postmates often enough, there is a cheaper alternative to paying the delivery fee every time.

Postmates Unlimited costs $9.99 a month and gives you unlimited free delivery from any partner companies or merchants, as long as your order is over $12.

Postmates Unlimited members also get extra benefits like exclusive offers, access to events and giveaways, and no delivery hikes on orders under $12, even during peak hours.

How to use Postmates

Using Postmates is about as simple as any other delivery app.

First, of course, you should download the app on your iPhone or Android and create an account, if you don't already have one.

To browse the options available closest to you, simply scroll in the main menu when you open the app. You can use the tabs at the top to select whether you'd like to order delivery or pickup.

You can also use the "Party" option, which rewards you with free delivery for ordering from businesses that are popular at that moment. These orders are timed and you only have a few minutes to secure your free delivery before the list is updated.

How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (2)

Foto: Use the tabs to navigate nearby stores and restaurants — use the party tab to get free delivery on popular restaurants. Source: Melanie Weir/Business Insider

If you're looking for something specific, use the search bar in the top-right corner of the app. You can tap one of the suggestions, like "Sushi" or "Thai." You can also enter the name of a specific restaurant or item to get more specific.

How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (3)

Foto: Use the search bar for specific queries. Source: Melanie Weir/Business Insider

To access your account info and see your recent orders and available promos, or to get support or join Postmates Unlimited, tap the account icon in the top-left corner.

How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (4)

Foto: Tap the account icon to see your recent orders and other account info. Source: Melanie Weir/Business Insider

If you want to change the specifics of your account, like contact info, addresses, and payment, tap the settings button in the top-left corner of your account menu.

How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (5)

Foto: Tap the settings button in your account menu to change account specifics. Source: Melanie Weir/Business Insider

The other thing you need to know about Postmates is that they often run promos, both for free delivery and discounts or free trials of their unlimited service, so be on the lookout for those.

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How to use the Postmates delivery app, and what you can order through it (2024)

FAQs

What can you order using the Postmates app? ›

Order your food from any menu and add it to your basket with a few taps. Or schedule your food order in advance for a courier to pick it up later. Your choice! From your local favourite grocery store and liquor shops to the big beauty brands.

How does Postmates delivery work? ›

Postmates is an on-demand food and goods delivery service that allows consumers to order any food or personal item they want, including groceries and restaurant meals. The goods will be delivered to the client's home in less than an hour.

Is Postmates cheaper than DoorDash? ›

The extra costs are highest on Postmates, where higher prices, service fees, and a tip for the worker delivering the food increased the cost of orders by 105% on average. DoorDash was the second-highest at 95%, while Grubhub came in third at 93%. Uber Eats had the lowest markup — but it was still 80%.

What's the difference between Uber Eats and Postmates? ›

Our definitive list of best delivery apps to work for has all of the best options for 2024. Now that Uber Eats owns Postmates, there is no difference. Orders that come through the Postmates app are now delivered by Uber Eats drivers. This change began taking place shortly after Uber Eats purchased Postmates in 2024.

What is special about Postmates? ›

Postmates is an on-demand delivery app which offers two alternatives to the users. Delivery and Pickup. Using it, users can order anything from the city to get it all delivered to their doorsteps. The other option is pick-up.

Can I get Juul pods delivered on Postmates? ›

Now the company's policy is not to deliver cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, vapes, pipes, or other smoking-related products.

Do I tip Postmates driver? ›

The Bottom Line. While Postmates does not require you to tip its delivery drivers, it's almost always a good idea to leave your driver a tip. In fact, this etiquette could be applied to most services in the growing gig economy.

Is delivering for Postmates worth it? ›

At the end of the day, Postmates is a way to earn approximately $12 to $16 per hour delivering food, groceries, and other everyday essentials to people in your city.

Do you pay before or after on Postmates? ›

The Postmates service fee is a variable service fee that is added on to every order. Before checking out, you'll be able to review the service fee prior to completing your order. This fee goes directly to Postmates and pays for their operating and marketing costs.

What's the cheapest delivery app? ›

DoorDash is the cheapest service for small orders

For all three orders under $20, DoorDash had the cheapest total cost, sometimes by a significant margin. In total, DoorDash was nearly $10 cheaper than Grubhub and about $6 cheaper than Uber Eats.

Why are prices different on Postmates? ›

Postmates has begun charging customers in California a fee to pay for driver benefits, making it the latest gig company to hike prices in the state in response to the passage of Proposition 22, which kept drivers independent contractors instead of employees.

What is the cheapest delivery company? ›

USPS Priority Mail is generally the cheapest shipping service for 2-3 day shipping. FedEx, UPS, and other courier companies offer delivery services with similar lead time expectations, but USPS offers the lowest rates.

Do people still use Postmates? ›

Postmates had 9.3 million monthly active users in 2021, a slight increase on the 8.8 million in 2020.

Is Postmates owned by Uber? ›

Postmates Inc. is a food delivery service, founded in 2011, and acquired by Uber in 2020.

What does postmate mean? ›

adjective. of or designating the period after mating.

Can Uber Eats gift cards be used for Postmates? ›

Q: Can this be used for Postmates since Uber owns them? Yes.

Is Postmates good to deliver for? ›

Is Postmates Worth Working For? Who Should Deliver? If you want a flexible, straightforward side hustle idea to make extra cash, delivering for Postmates is worth it. This is especially true if you can work as a bike courier and avoid putting mileage on your vehicle and paying for gas.

Do Postmates and Uber work together? ›

Postmates integration overview

We're better together. We are thrilled to announce that Postmates and Uber have teamed up to bring Postmates DaaS and Uber Direct partners delivery-as-a-service supported by Uber's global technology.

How many restaurants does Postmates have? ›

As one of America's most used online delivery services, Postmates has long dominated the industry and has been a crowd favorite on Deliverect. Postmates currently serves more than 600,000 restaurants, retailers, grocery stores (c-stores), and shops within The United States.

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