How cash works at Bolt Food
Cash orders pay you instantly — but only if you handle them correctly. This guide covers the 3 numbers on your screen, the 2 order flows, and the 1 rule that keeps you out of trouble.
Why cash matters
Cash gives you something a card payment can't: instant earnings.
The cash advantage: when a customer pays in cash, the money is in your hand right away. You can spend it immediately, or use it to pay the restaurant on your next cash-pickup order — closing the loop without ever visiting a bank.
The three numbers on your screen
The header shows three tabs. They look alike but mean very different things.
Balance — what you've earned. Bolt pays this to your bank account every week.
Debt — cash you owe Bolt, because you collected it from a customer.
Cash — how much physical cash you currently have on you.
Remember: your Balance never goes down because of a cash order. The customer's cash sits in Debt until you either pay the restaurant for another cash pickup or transfer it to Bolt by bank.
A worked example
You start the day with €30 on your Balance. The next order is a €15 cash drop-off, with a €3 courier fee.
Before the delivery — Balance: €30.00 · Debt: €0.00 · Cash: €0.00
After delivering the €15 cash order — Balance: €33.00 · Debt: €15.00 · Cash: €15.00
Your fee (€3) was added to your Balance. The €15 you collected from the customer became Debt, and the same €15 is now in your pocket as Cash.
Cash pickup vs. cash drop-off
Every cash order falls into one of these two buckets. Get the flow right, and the rest takes care of itself.
Cash pickup — YOU pay the restaurant
How you'll know: a yellow banner over the map ("Amount to be paid: 25 €") and a checkbox on the order screen.
Accept the order as normal.
Get to the restaurant.
Pay the restaurant in cash, using cash you've collected from earlier orders.
Tap Pay for order. The box becomes Confirm payment.
Ask the restaurant staff to confirm on their tablet.
Once payment is confirmed (Payment confirmed), tick Pick up the order and start delivery.
NB. You can't start delivery until the restaurant confirms.
Cash drop-off — customer pays YOU
How you'll know: a yellow block on the map and a checkbox on the order screen.
Arrive at the customer, tap Arrived.
Tick Collect from client.
Receive the cash first, in your hand.
Enter either the exact order amount or €0.00 — these are the only two values the app accepts.
Double-confirm the amount.
Tick Deliver order — and only now hand over the food.
Cash first, then confirm, then hand over — always in that order.
Change & tips
The app accepts only in the "Received from client" field — and that changes how change and tips work.
The golden rule — exact order amount, or €0.00. The only two valid entries are the exact order amount or €0.00. There is no in-between. Tips are yours, but they never go in the app — and partial payments are no longer accepted.
Customer pays the exact amount? Enter the exact order value, and complete the delivery.
Customer wants to tip? Accept the tip, thank them, but enter only the exact order amount.
Customer can't pay the exact amount? Enter €0.00 and dispose of the order — do not hand it over.
Customers know change isn't guaranteed — it's clearly stated in their app.
When things go wrong
Real scenarios you'll eventually hit. Here's how to handle each one — including the new exact-amount-or-€0.00 rule.
Tap the red triangle → I can't pay → enter the cash you do have → Confirm. The pickup switches to cashless, and your Cash value adjusts. Don't try to skip the order or pay out of pocket.
As of this week, the app accepts only two values in the "Received from client" field: the exact order amount, or €0.00. There is no partial-payment option any more. If the customer can't pay the exact amount — even by a single cent — enter €0.00 and dispose of the order.
Politely suggest they check the app for the exact amount. If they still can't pay it, enter €0.00, do not hand over the order, and dispose of it safely. Contact Customer Support if you need a record of what happened.
Bolt Market orders are not returned to the store. If you have to enter €0.00 on a Bolt Market cash order, still hand the order to the customer — these orders do not get returned.
Try to reach them up to 3 times within 10 minutes. If no response, contact Customer Support and enter €0.00 as the received amount. Dispose of the order safely; never leave a cash order at the door.
The amount you type and confirm is final. Only Customer Support can adjust it after the fact. So: count the cash carefully, then confirm.