7 Little-Known Perks of a DoorDash DashPass Subscription

I use the food-delivery service DoorDash five times a week, arguably three times too many. Thus, I'm very familiar with DoorDash's many member-only perks. Here's the inside scoop.

What is DashPass?

Doordash offers an optional $9.99/month DashPass subscription service. This includes:

• Free delivery from many stores. These include restaurants, grocery stores, and outlets.
• Reduced service fees.

Did I sign up? You better believe it. Doordash claims the subscription service pays for itself in two orders because it saves you $4-$5 per order. To be safe, I'd round that up to three orders. I order delivery five times per week, which adds up to about 20 orders per month.

Doordash saves me around $80-$100 per month in delivery fees, more than making up for the $9.99/month subscription. But most folks aren't nearly as delivery-happy. What about the average American shopper? Is the DashPass still worth it?

Let's dig into what DashPass offers and whether the subscription suits you. The devil lies in the details, in this case. From one food delivery fanatic to you, here are seven little-known perks of a DoorDash DashPass subscription.

1. 5% back on in-store pickup

Sometimes, I'm so close to a restaurant that I have no choice but to power off my laptop, hop in my car, and pick up the order in-person. It's cheaper than delivery. That said, Doordash makes it easy to order pick-up through the app. It'll even refund DashPass members 5% in store credit.

It's a nice-to-have perk, especially if the store is tough to contact via phone. But know that prices on DoorDash are typically higher than in-store -- which eats into that 5% DoorDash credit.

2. Cheaper package pick-up

My housemate is a reseller. She frequently delivers packages to UPS and occasionally asks me to help with drop-off, which takes me five minutes to schedule when I do it through DoorDash. The app lets users schedule package porch pick-up and drop-off to the post office, UPS, and FedEx. Doordash reduces the pickup fee for DashPass subscribers.

3. Exclusive promotions

DoorDash constantly has promotions running. Many of these are DashPass-member exclusives. I've found that convenience stores offer some of the biggest members-only discounts. Right now, Walgreens is offering DashPass members $10 back on $3; 7-Eleven offers 30% off, up to $10. Pretty standard stuff for DashPass subscribers. Every once in a while, I benefit from promos.

4. Priority support

DoorDash claims to offer priority customer support to DashPass subscribers. The one time I reached out about an order I never received, the company quickly refunded me in DoorDash credit. No complaints here. You can reach out to DoorDash support through the mobile app.

5. Caviar benefits

Little-known fact: DoorDash owns and operates Caviar, another delivery app. Caviar markets itself as a premium food-delivery service, partnering with top local restaurants: think quality over quantity. A DashPass subscription doubles as a Caviar subscription, a nifty two-for-one deal. I don't care about exclusivity -- I prefer broad access -- so I haven't used this perk.

6. DashPass for students

Students can get DashPass for cheap. DashPass for Students lets students enter their school information in the app, qualifying them for 50% off a standard subscription (I'm annoyed I didn't know this back in college). That's $4.99 per month for students. For the right reasons, that could be a steal of a deal.

7. Bonus DashPass subscription for Chase card members

DoorDash partners with Chase to give Chase card members special perks. That includes a free membership (up to one year) and cash back on DoorDash purchases.

I signed up for the DoorDash Rewards Mastercard® about a month ago. It offers a grab-bag of perks, but I only care about a few. Here are the ones that actually matter:

• 4% cash back on DoorDash orders
• $5 monthly store credit
• One year free DashPass subscription

As a heavy DoorDash user, I decided to make more money on what I was already doing (i.e., using DoorDash). Chase automatically tacked the free year of DashPass onto the end of my current DashPass subscription. Neat. So far, the switch to the Mastercard has been worth it.

Is a DoorDash DashPass subscription worth it?

DoorDash users who order delivery three or more times a month will probably save money by subscribing to DashPass. Delivery fees can be brutal, and DashPass smothers most of them.

Other than frequent DoorDash users, here's who might actually benefit from springing for a DoorDash subscription:

• Students. It's cheaper. A subscription pays for itself in about two orders.
• Frequent Caviar users. A subscription pays for itself in about three orders.
• Frequent shippers. Cut down on driving by scheduling cheap package pick-up.

Sure, I like DashPass, but I'll be the first to tell you that it isn't for everyone. If you rarely order through the app -- say, no more than once a month -- don't bother. Save your money and stick it in an emergency fund or a high-yield savings account, which will benefit you long-term.

Consider your shopping habits. It's often cheaper to drive to restaurants, grocery stores, and the post office than to order delivery. And DoorDash isn't the only delivery service offering hidden perks -- Amazon Prime members get a free one-year GrubHub membership. Shop around!