The Absolute Best DoorDash Tips from Reddit (from the experts)

New to DoorDash? 

Been Dashing for a while and looking to level up your strategy? 

If you’re already a frequent Reddit user, you're only a few clicks away from some of the best DD advice around. It can be overwhelming to scour through the DD-verse on Reddit, so we’ve done the hard work for you. 

We’ve put together some of our favorite tips from Reddit, along with some extra advice to help you keep more of your hard-earned cash. 

📖 Learn from your fellow DoorDashers on Reddit.  

There is a lot of knowledge on r/doordash. 

For instance, user fluhx has a great list of tips, including pro tips like this:

Don’t deliver to high schools. It’s a waste of time as the customer is most likely a student that probably won’t be available to come get the order when you arrive.

New Dasher? Check out this great list by user Scoddri. The list has a lot of gems like:

Don’t be shy at the restaurant. The merchants WANT this food out the door as fast as possible. They want their customer to get their food hot and fresh. Don’t be afraid to approach the counter and dodge the walk-ins line. *NOTE:* If there is a pickups line, wait in that line.

That’s only tip #3 out of 15; be sure to read the complete list. 

🚘 Take care of your car.

As a Dasher, it’s important to proactively take care of your car. 

It’s essential to keep a car maintenance log and adhere to a servicing schedule, like one based on how many miles are driven.

As long as you keep track of your mileage and stay up to date on a regular car maintenance schedule, you’ll know what to ask of your mechanic and can avoid many of the problems that arise from vehicle neglect. 

And as Scoddri says in their list of tips:

DO THE MATH! Keep track of how much money you are making vs spending. This also means keep track of money you *need to be setting aside for vehicle maintenance.* If you do this, you can calculate your wage and other things that can tell you if this is even worth doing or if you should pursue other employment.

Don’t forget to set aside money for vehicle maintenance! You’ll be glad you did when it’s time to take your car in for repair.

‍

👂 Stock up on podcasts. 

Your go-to Spotify playlist or radio station might get old after a few hours. 

Check out this thread for some podcast recommendations. And here is another thread with even more podcast options.

Some Dashers stick to comedy podcasts to keep their mood high. Others favor terrifying true-crime podcasts like Doctor Death to keep their attention. 

Self-improvement fans like to listen to audiobooks or self-help podcasts, like the work of Dave Ramsey. 

Our two cents? It’s good to have a few options at the ready, so you can match your mood.

📲 Use a mileage tracker. 

Tracking your mileage (and expenses!) is the key to saving on taxes—a.k.a. having more money in your pocket. 

Self-employed individuals can deduct their non-commuting business mileage. This includes miles that you drive to your first delivery pickup, between deliveries, and back home at the end of the day. 

We might be a bit biased, but we love what cheezymadman has to say about the money-saving benefits of using an app to keep track of mileage: 

I’ve been using everlance. And yes, it’s a big tax write-off. 58 cents per mile. I dashed full-time for most of last year and I only paid $400 in taxes after the write-offs.

Excellent work, Cheezy! 

Everlance has partnered with DoorDash to help Dashers like you track their mileage and expenses. This helps Dashers keep more of your hard-earned cash. In fact, Dashers save $2,200 a year with Everlance. Learn more about our partnership here.

Remember: as an independent contractor, there are lots of business deductions you’re entitled to take! Taking those deductions reduces how much you owe on your taxes and increases how much money you will keep.

Looking for more tax info? Check out our Top Deductions for DoorDash and our Guide to Quarterly Taxes. 

💪 Remember why you’re doing this. 

Having a purpose will help keep the challenging moments in perspective.

Because of COVID, user whatmodern lost all of their photography clients in 2020 and found themselves with $12,000 in debt. They’ve since been working as a Dasher and, as of April 12, 2021, they paid off all their debt. Congrats, whatmodern! 

Another user, DreamTheaterGuy, commented that he works DD on the side to help pay off his debt even faster: 

This is what DD is really good for. If you are like me, and you work full time elsewhere, you can pick up some DD shifts, and pay the debt off much faster.

Pro tip: write your purpose on a post-it and put it on your dashboard. That way, you’ll never lose sight of your goal.

🔑 Ask for help! 

The DoorDash Reddit is full of power Dashers who are eager to pass on their hard-earned advice. 

If you have a question, need some help, or are just looking to connect with fellow Dashers, don’t hesitate to post! 

🤣 Remember to shake it off: 

Yes, being a Dasher means dealing with the occasional demanding customer or messed up order. 

If it feels tough, don’t forget to turn to your fellow Dashers for a good laugh. The Doordash Reddit is full of spot-on memes:

We hope you found some helpful advice in some of our favorite DD tips from Reddit. If you’re ready for more, there are tons on the r/DoorDash subreddit.

Happy Dashing!