Uber Postmates is a food delivery service that Uber acquired in late 2020. The platform specializes in the delivery of restaurant-prepared meals, groceries, essentials, and more.
About Uber Postmates
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Before Postmates’ acquisition by Uber, the platform was competing with other food ordering and delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Grubhub. The company considers the transition to Uber Postmates as an opportunity to offer the consumers more choice and convenience.
How much does Postmates cost?
To request delivery via Postmates, you need to pay the following charges/ fees in addition to the cost of the meal or groceries that you are ordering:
- A delivery charge that varies depending on the distance of the outlet you are ordering your meal from (anywhere between $3.99 and $5.99)
- A 9% service fee
- Also, if your basket value runs less than $12, a small-cart fee of $1.99 is charged
In all, Postmates is a little more expensive due to additional charges such as a delivery fee in comparison to its competitors. To tackle the same, customers can use Postmates Unlimited.
What is Postmates Unlimited?
As ordering from the platform can be a tad bit more expensive due to additional delivery charges, Postmates Unlimited enables the users to avoid the delivery fee. It is a subscription program that costs $9.99 per month. The perks of the membership include:
- Unlimited free deliveries from and partner merchant if your order value qualifies the minimum requirement
- Exclusive access to events and giveaways
- Early updates on upcoming offers
- No delivery hikes on cart values under $12
Is the Postmates app the same as Uber Eats?
No, Uber’s Postmates and Uber Eats are separate applications and the company has no intention of merging the two anytime soon. Even though Postmates and Uber Eats cater to a similar target group, Uber did not merge the two apps to protect the loyal consumer base established by Postmates over the years.
Moreover, unlike Uber Eats which caters to delivery of food and takeouts only, Postmates offers more than delivery of food. You can request deliveries over Postmates from grocery stores, pharmacies, and even liquor stores. So, the San Francisco-headquartered company plans on strengthening the service offerings via a combined merchant and delivery network.
What can I order from Uber Postmates?
You can place an order for the following on Postmates and get it delivered to your doorstep from a local restaurant or merchant partner:
- Restaurant-prepared food
- Takeout
- Groceries
- Essentials such as over-the-counter medicines or prescription drugs
- Orders from certain electronics stores
- Liquor
You can place your order on the website or over the mobile application. The platform comes with a “Schedule for later” feature as well to help you plan your chores in advance.
Where is Postmates delivery service available?
Unlike Uber Eats which has expanded to several countries across the globe, Postmates is operational in the U.S. only. Nonetheless, the service is available in over 3,000 cities in the USA. Some of the cities where the platform is currently functional are:
- Denver
- Las Vegas
- Seattle
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Miami
- Los Angeles
- Boston
- New York City
- Austin
- Philadelphia
- Minneapolis – St. Paul
- Tampa Bay
- Washington D.C.
- San Diego
- Atlanta
- Baltimore-Maryland
- Palm Springs
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Chicago
