Is DashPass worth it? The math for how often you order
DashPass is $9.99 a month as of this writing, or $96 a year. DoorDash's pitch is "$0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on orders over $12". Whether that's a good deal depends on one number, how often you order, and you can work it out from your own receipts in a minute.
What DashPass actually removes
Three things move on a DashPass order:
- The delivery fee goes to $0 on orders of $12 or more from DashPass restaurants. This is a flat line, so the saving is the same on a small order and a big one.
- The service fee is lower for members. It's a percentage of the subtotal, so this saving grows with the order.
- Pickup orders earn a small credit back.
The service-fee reduction is the part nobody mentions. On a large order it can be a meaningful share of the saving. On a $15 order it's close to nothing.
The break-even
Open your last few DoorDash receipts and find the delivery fee line. Delivery fees depend on distance, city and time of day, so use your own number rather than anyone else's. Then divide $9.99 by it.
For most people the delivery fee is a few dollars, which puts the break-even at roughly two to three delivery orders a month. The service-fee reduction pulls it a little earlier if your orders are big. Two things push it later: orders under $12 don't qualify, and not every restaurant is in DashPass, so only count orders that would actually get the waiver.
- Three or more qualifying orders a month: DashPass pays for itself with room to spare.
- One or two a month: you're probably paying DoorDash for the privilege. Skip it, or get it free (below).
- Mostly pickup: the pickup credit alone doesn't justify it.
Ways to not pay for it
- Some Chase cards include DashPass. Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and several Freedom cards have included it for a year or more. Activate from the card's benefits page, not in the DoorDash app. Terms change, so check the card's page.
- The free trial if you've never had one. Cancel from Account, Manage DashPass, before it renews.
- Students pay a reduced rate with a .edu email, which moves the break-even to about one order a month.
- The annual plan is $96, which works out to $8 a month, if you're sure you'll keep it.
What DashPass doesn't do
It doesn't change menu prices, which on DoorDash are often above the restaurant's own. It doesn't remove the service fee entirely. It doesn't cover orders under $12. And it doesn't stack with a "$0 delivery" promo, because there's no fee left to remove.
On promo codes generally: as of this writing there's no public DoorDash code that works on an existing account. DoorDash attaches a new-account offer at signup that varies by city, and that's the one real discount for someone who's never ordered. I keep the DoorDash page current on whether that's changed.
The short answer
If you order delivery more than twice a month, get DashPass, and get it free through a Chase card if you have one. If you order less than that, don't, and use the existing-user deals instead.