What: Drivers deliver packages for Amazon, paying a minimum of $15/hour
Expected pay: $15 to $25/hour
Where: Major U.S. cities
Requirements: Must be 21 or older, have a valid driver’s license and auto insurance, own mid-size sedan or larger car or truck with an enclosed bed, Smartphone, Pass a background check
Review:
PROS:
- Allows you to earn more than minimum wage, usually even after accounting for gas and wear and tear on your car
- The online retailer “contributes” between $15 and $19 to driver pay for each hour the driver works
- Drivers get 100% of their tips
- Amazon pays drivers twice a week
CONS:
- Some of the pay expectations are built around tips, which the site estimates based on average tips paid for similar blocks of business
- Each block contains a set number of deliveries that Amazon believes can be completed within the time frame, but you don’t get paid extra if it takes you longer than expected
- No guarantee of how many hours you get
How It Works:
Drivers choose to accept or ignore time “blocks.” For instance, the company may offer a 2-hour block, paying between $36-$50. The minimum you can earn if you take this block is $36. However, if you receive tips, you’ll earn more.
Some drivers complain they receive delivery blocks that are an hour or more from the warehouse — or require delivering via a toll road. Additional gas or costs, beyond what the company calculates, do not get reimbursed. If some of the packages in your block cannot be delivered, you have to bring them back to the warehouse. If the warehouse is out of your way, there is no extra reimbursement, and you do not get paid for additional travel time.
What Users Say:
The app makes 3 – 4 hour delivery blocks available. If there are any delivery blocks available, you pick up the packages a local warehouse, where a warehouse worker places 3 – 4 hours worth of packages in front of you. You scan them and put them in your vehicle. The app will open a gps to your first delivery location. Most of the deliveries will be in the same area. They pay direct deposit in 2-3 business days.”
“This is NOT a reliable source of income. I was using this in between jobs. I had 100% reliability rating and worked hard every day 2 -4 hour blocks a day (40 hrs per week). All of a sudden, I stopped getting blocks everyday. Then I would get maybe 1 here or there. So I went from being able to support my family to fearing the bills coming up!
“A while back someone posted “why do you hate apartments so much?”… today was the answer to that question. I had 11 packages in one complex. The buildings are not well labeled so good luck finding the apartments. I got 7 delivered up and down 3 flights of stairs and took the rest to the leasing office where a worker berated me about being a “liar” for not attempting delivery first.
