How to make more money as a food delivery courier

Food delivery has become increasingly popular for individuals seeking flexible ways to earn money.

With Bolt Food, courier partners can earn on their own schedule, enjoying the benefits of flexibility, a simple onboarding process, and excellent earning potential.

However, you can adopt some simple strategies to maximise your earnings even more.

In this article, we’ll provide recommendations to help you make more money and make the most of food delivery as a courier.

Take advantage of dynamic pricing

While your delivery earnings depend on the distance travelled, there are times when the demand for delivery surges, allowing you to increase your earnings significantly.

At Bolt Food, we implement surge pricing during these high-demand periods to motivate and reward our couriers for their efforts.

By understanding when surge pricing is more likely to occur, you can strategically plan your delivery shifts to maximise your earning potential.

Here are some situations when surge pricing has historically been most common:

Lunch Hours

People often order food during lunch. i.e. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (depending on local habits).

This is an excellent time to deliver since there is often a high demand for deliveries, which can result in higher prices.

By taking advantage of the lunchtime surge, you can make more deliveries and increase your overall earnings.

Late Night/Dinner Rush

As the workday ends and people return home, the demand for food delivery tends to rise again. This usually occurs from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. (depending on local habits).

This is when people usually prefer to have their meals delivered to their door.

You can benefit from surge pricing and capitalise on the increased order volume by being available during the dinner rush.

Bad weather conditions

When the weather takes a turn for the worse, people often opt for the convenience of food delivery over leaving their homes and going outside.

For example, rainy days can significantly boost the number of orders, leading to surge pricing.

Keeping an eye on the forecast and being available during such weather can be profitable for earning extra income as a Bolt Food courier partner.

While bad weather can bring in more orders, it also brings challenges and potential risks.

Please prioritise your safety and well-being and take necessary precautions in bad weather conditions.

Read our blog post about food delivery courier safety to maximise earning opportunities while staying protected.

Choose location wisely

When maximising your earnings, choosing your delivery location wisely can make a significant difference.

While areas with a higher concentration of restaurants are more likely to receive order requests, it’s also essential to consider the popularity of specific restaurants in your city.

Figuring out which restaurants are the most popular in your city and strategically locating yourself nearby can significantly increase your chances of receiving order requests.

• Take some time to research and identify the most popular restaurants in your city.
• Look for those that consistently receive high ratings and have a large customer base,
• Identify the areas with high restaurant concentration (these can serve as prime locations for maximising your earning potential).
• Open the Bolt Food eater app to discover restaurants that offer promotions, e.g. free delivery, menu discounts, etc. (these restaurants may also be experiencing a high volume of orders due to promotions).

It’s essential to keep a finger on the pulse of the restaurant scene in your city to increase your chances of receiving more order requests and, ultimately, earning more.

Optimise efficiency with multiple drop-off orders

Bolt Food helps you take advantage of multiple drop-off orders, also known as batched deliveries.

These orders involve simultaneously delivering to different customers, optimising your time and increasing your earnings.

Multiple drop-off is possible in the following ways: 

• Same pickup location, several client drop-offs — you’ll collect orders from a single provider and then deliver them to multiple customers.
• Several pickup locations, several client drop-offs — with this option, you’ll collect orders from different providers (conveniently aligned with your delivery route) and deliver them to various customers.

Multiple drop-off orders are designed to help you earn more in less time.

By avoiding unnecessary back-and-forth trips, you’ll increase your earning potential while maintaining efficiency.

Refer friends and family

Another way to boost your earnings with Bolt Food is through our referral program.

In select countries, we offer a referral bonus for signing up your friends to Bolt Food using your unique referral code.

Here’s how it works:

1. Invite — encourage excellent couriers like you to sign up for Bolt Food by sharing your unique referral code or sending an invitation. You’ll find your referral code in your Bolt Courier app.
2. Earn — receive a reward once your referred courier completes a certain number of deliveries.

The more people sign up with your referral code, the more money you’ll get. Please note that the required number of deliveries and referral reward amount varies by city.

Currently, the program is available in the Baltic states, Slovakia and Portugal. We’re actively working on expanding the program to more countries.

If it’s not yet available in your area, don’t worry — stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated on any new developments.

Aim for more tips

We’ve got some excellent news for you – our partner couriers keep 100% of the tips they receive!

There are two ways you can receive tips with Bolt Food:

1. Cash tips — some customers may tip you in cash when you deliver their order. 
2. In-app tips — customers also have the option to pre-tip you through the app. This means they put their tip amount before the delivery. However, it’s important to note that customers can retract the tip if dissatisfied with the delivery.

Focus on providing the best service possible to maximise your chances of receiving and keeping tips. Here are a few suggestions to help you accomplish that:

• Pack the food in your delivery bag properly to ensure it stays intact and presentable throughout the journey.
• Aim to deliver efficiently whenever possible. While factors like road conditions and weather can impact delivery time, aiming for efficiency is crucial for customer satisfaction. However, always prioritise safety during your deliveries.
• If it’s not a contactless delivery and you can interact with the customer, greet them with a warm smile and wish them a tasty meal.

Following these tips can enhance customer satisfaction and increase your chances of earning tips. Remember, delivering food and excellent service is the key to making more money as a delivery driver.

Earn more with Bolt Food! 

Our team constantly explores new solutions and opportunities to help you increase your earnings and achieve greater success.

We appreciate your dedication and hard work and are always here to support you.

Now it’s time to implement these strategies on your next deliveries and start earning more!