Delivery side hustles are a great way to earn a little extra money; they can simply keep you busy on quiet afternoons or weekends, or even if you are between jobs. Delivery gigs get you out in the open air, choosing your own commute, meeting people and getting to know your neighborhood.
When it comes to selecting a delivery job as a side hustle, there has never been more choice. People can now get anything and everything delivered to their doors, be it restaurant food, groceries, laundry or even medicine. Therefore, knowing where and how to start a side hustle can be challenging.
This article covers the best delivery side hustle ideas to earn extra income.
1. Amazon Flex
Average earnings: $20–$25/hour
Amazon Flex is the delivery service that powers Amazon Prime, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Restaurant Delivery. The app is geared toward efficiency and volume. Drivers are paid more for larger orders and more time worked; a lot regard Flex as a full-time job. The minimum block you can work is three hours, so you need a little more time than standard gig delivery jobs. The app pays twice a week, not once.
To work for Amazon Flex, you need at least a four-door vehicle or larger, have auto insurance, a driver’s license, and be at least 21 years old.
2. Bite Squad
Average earnings: $15–$20/hour
Bite Squad is a reasonably newer app on our list. It’s a restaurant delivery service currently available in 14 states. Drivers need to schedule blocks of time to work with Bite Squad.
Bite Squad is a good side hustle option, as its drivers get paid a guaranteed hourly rate for lunch and dinner pickup orders, which offers peace of mind.
To work with Bite Squad, you need to be 18 years of age or older, have a clean driving record and insurance, own a smartphone, and pass their background checks.
3. Delivery.com
Average earnings: $17/hour
Delivery.com was launched in 1995 and has evolved in recent years to support delivery drivers who are looking for a side hustle.
Drivers typically deliver groceries, alcohol and even laundry. The website was launched in New York City and currently is available across 20,000 stores in over 2,400 cities. Drivers need to select their preferred working time so the website can ensure enough availability across all times of the week.
To work for Delivery.com, you will need to be over 18, have a valid driver’s license and insurance, pass a background check, and own a smartphone.
4. Dolly
Average earnings: $50/hour for Helpers and $35/hour for Hands
Dolly is all about delivering or moving larger items. With Dolly, you can side hustle as a Dolly Helper or Dolly Hand.
Dolly Helpers use their truck or van to help customers transport or deliver goods, whereas Hands just help customers move items with no transporting or delivering. Because of the intense manual labor, both roles pay very well.
To work with Dolly, you will need your own van plus the relevant insurance and licenses (for Helpers), pass background checks, and be able to lift at least 75lbs.
5. DoorDash
Average earnings: $15/hour
DoorDash is the largest food delivery platform in the US. It’s got an unparalleled reach, with over 65% of the market share and serving over 75 million people. The service is most famous for delivering food, but also services grocery stores and drugstores. It also offers a 0% delivery fee.
To become a Dasher, as DoorDash drivers are called, you need access to a vehicle, be over 18 years old, have car insurance and a valid driver’s license. You can work however many hours you want, with rates of pay being higher during peak times. The company is trialing a guaranteed hourly rate scheme, too.
6. Eaze
Average earnings: $18–$25/hour
With Eaze, you can get paid to deliver cannabis and CBD products. Due to legislative considerations, the app is currently only available in California and Michigan. The reach and the market might be a little narrow, but Eaze has some of the best hourly rates on our list.
To enjoy side hustles with Eaze, you need to be over 21, have a valid driving license and insurance, pass their background checks, and own a vehicle that’s a 2005 model or newer. Background checks are substantial, and it takes some time before drivers are approved.
7. Favor
Average earnings: $10/hour
Favor is a Texas-based restaurant and grocery delivery app, serving the major cities in the Lone Star state. It’s recently branched into dry cleaning, over-the-counter medication, and pet store deliveries too. This variety means that delivering with Favor can be exciting. With Favor, you can pick up ad hoc side hustles, but you will get minimum hourly pay if you sign up for scheduled shifts.
To deliver with Favor, you need to be over 18, have access to a car or bicycle, pass their background check, and have valid insurance.
8. goPuff
Average earnings: $19/hour
goPuff is a grocery delivery app where drivers deliver household items as well as foodstuffs and everything in between. The app is currently only present in select cities, but it’s expanding fast.
Drivers don’t go to stores to pick items for their customers. Instead, they collect from one of goPuff’s 200 warehouses. Orders and working time need to be scheduled in advance. Drivers are also guaranteed minimum hourly pay.
To deliver with goPuff, you need to be over 21, have access to a vehicle, hold a valid driver’s license, have a smartphone, and pass a background check.
9. GrubHub
Average earnings: $15–$20/hour
One of the oldest food delivery services out there, GrubHub was launched in 2004 and it is now present in over 4,000 US cities and close to a quarter of a million restaurants. The app prides itself on transparency; before you accept orders, a detailed breakdown of earnings is displayed. Drivers are encouraged to schedule shifts in advance.
To be a driver for GrubHub, you need to be at least 19 years old (21 years old in Chicago and Las Vegas), hold a valid driver’s license and insurance, and have a cell phone with a data plan.
10. Instacart
Average earnings: $10–$20/hour
Instacart is a nationwide grocery delivery service that launched in 2012. The company offers two options for people to work with them: being a full-service shopper, where you accept orders, pick up groceries from the store and then deliver them, and in-store shoppers, where you simply pack groceries for other delivery people to collect. Instacart allows delivery drivers to schedule their hours in advance, too.
To be eligible to work with Instacart, you need to be at least 18 years old, have access to a car with insurance, be eligible to work in the US, and be able to lift at least 50lbs.
11. Roadie
Average earnings: $12–$20/hour
Roadie is a package delivery app that is owned by UPS. The app offers a lot of flexibility for its drivers, who can combine jobs into one longer route, set their own hours, and inform them of earnings before jobs are accepted. Bonuses can be earned if the driver has specified skills such as heavy lifting or local knowledge.
To drive for Roadie, you will need to be over 18 and have a valid US driving license.
12. Saucey
Average earnings: $10/hour
Saucey specializes in alcohol delivery and is available nationwide but currently in select cities only. You can pick and choose your hours and pick up short notice orders, but you are paid more if you schedule working time in advance. You are expected to check ID for every order and will typically only be delivering in the evening.
Because you are handling alcohol, driving for Saucey has typically stricter requirements. You need to be over 21, and have a 2007 model car or newer, a clean driving record and access to a smartphone.
13. Shipt
Average earnings: $15–$21/hour
Shipt was founded in 2014 and became part of Target three years later. It’s a great side hustle, as it allows its drivers to accept more than one order at once, therefore allowing you more opportunities to earn. It also recently stopped being a members-only shopping service, meaning that usage has significantly increased.
To work with Shipt, you need access to a vehicle that is a 1997 model or newer, have a valid driver’s license, be over 18, be able to lift over 40 lbs, and possess cooler bags.
14. UberEats
Average earnings: $15–$25/hour
One of the biggest names in the gig economy, Uber’s delivery platform mostly focuses on food and drink but also works with grocery stores too. The platform is available nationwide. UberEats offers drivers a lot of flexibility in terms of how they work and earn. It offers an instant pay option and surge pricing, meaning that you can earn more when there is high demand.
Drivers need to meet minimum age requirements (these vary in each state), have at least one year of licensed driving experience, and have access to a vehicle, although some states allow people to collect orders on foot.
15. Walmart Spark
Average earnings: $15–$20/hour
Walmart Spark is a new service launched by Walmart where delivery drivers will collect goods at their Supercenters and deliver them to customers. Earnings will depend on how many items you are delivering and how far you have to travel. There is also plenty of scope to earn bonuses, for example, for the speed of delivery, the number of jobs completed in a week, and referring other drivers.
To drive for Walmart Spark, you need to be over 18, have car insurance and a valid driving license, and pass Walmart’s background checks.
Final thoughts
As we have seen, you can earn a bit of extra cash from many different delivery side hustles. Whereas they have some similarities, such as offering part-time or flexible work, enabling you to focus on other priorities like your family or a main job, they are also all quite different, in terms of how the side gig is structured, when you can work and what you are paid. You can also promote yourself on social media too, for more orders.
When selecting a delivery job side hustle, it’s important that you read the prerequisites of each one carefully and choose your company based on what it can offer you personally. Fitting your side hustle around your main job is important, as is allowing yourself relaxation time. When you find the balance though, there are few better ways to meet people and earn some good money at the same time!
Got a question or another suggestion? Let us know in the comments section below.