Postmates Review 2024: Tried & Tested by a Pro

Overview

Postmates delivers orders from your favorite local restaurant or store. It's available throughout the US with a huge variety of restaurants and grocery chains for each location. Even small towns (like the one I happen to live in) have got Postmates delivering for them. I was curious to see how well Postmates would perform.

The most convenient Postmates feature is scheduling an order up to 1 week in advance. For busy individuals who don't have the time or energy to cook or run errands, Postmates can be a lifesaver.

Whether you're a busy professional, a parent with a full schedule, or just someone looking for convenience, this Postmates review will help you decide if the service is worth trying out.

What’s on the Postmates Menu

Postmates is a delivery service with menus from local restaurants and shops integrated into its platform. Since Uber bought Postmates in 2020, it combined UberEats partnerships and courier fleets with Postmates’. So, when you order from Postmates, you’re essentially ordering from UberEats.

You’ll see other platform integrations as well, like Uber Cash. You can even use your Uber login to sign up or log in with Postmates.

Postmates Restaurant Variety

Postmates restaurant variety changes depending on your zip code. I’m in the lovely land of Kona, Hawaii, on the west coast of the Big Island. Kona has a population of 23,000, and the Big Island has a population of 200,000. You can drive around the island in 9.5 hours, so the population is spread out into small towns.

Kona is 1 of the bigger cities on the island, but it’s still a small town and a bit behind on integrating popular tech apps. It’s a classic small town in the sense that local businesses like to stay as local as possible, so I was curious to see what options I would have for Postmates delivery.

When I typed in my zip code I could see all the restaurants and shops I could order from in Kona. Postmates also separated the menu into categories like “Featured on Postmates”, “Popular Near you”, “Only Available Here”, and “National Brands”. These categories change depending on zip code.

If you know what you’d like to order, you can type that in the search bar. You can also sort the menu options by several filters, including price range, max delivery fee, and dietary options that also change depending on what’s available in your zip code.

I noticed many fast food restaurants on the list. These included Genki Sushi, Daichii Ramen, and Rainbow Cafe. Seafood and Japanese food are popular here, so I wasn’t surprised to see Genki Sushi and Daichii Ramen on the list. Japanese cuisine has a huge influence on local cuisine, so you’ll find plenty of excellent sushi and bento spots like these around town.

I chose to order from the old reliable – Outback Steakhouse. It’s one of the few restaurants Postmates delivers from in my town, and it happens to be one of the fancier sit-down spots. I was hoping to order from The Fish Hopper, which sells fresh local seafood and uses locally sourced veggies for its meals, but (very sadly) it was unavailable when I wanted to schedule my delivery. 

I was happy to see the complete menu for Outback listed on Postmates website and app. I could even see customization options for each meal. I was able to choose how my steak would be cooked, what kind of sauce I wanted on the side and plenty of customization options for my complementary sides. I was able to choose from 10 dressings for my side salad and could also opt to remove cheese, croutons, onions, or tomatoes.

I decided to schedule a meal fit for 2 for an evening when I knew I would have my nephew over. He’s a 3.5 year-old, non-picky eater who received the steak-and-veggie-lover genes. I figured the Bone-In 18oz Ribeye with a side of Over-the-Top-Brussels Sprouts would be great for us and scheduled my order for 7:30 to 8 pm.

Postmates updates opening and closing hours for each vendor, so I recommend selecting your delivery time before you view restaurant and merchant options. Doing so will accurately narrow down which options are available. If you've been shopping for a while, selected your products, are ready to check out, and find that the delivery time you need to schedule isn't available – you're out of luck!

You'll have far more restaurant options for those of you in bigger cities. I played around with entering zip codes in bigger cities like San Francisco and New York City and saw hundreds, if not thousands of restaurant options to order from.

Grocery and Shopping Options

Postmates stands out among its competitors due to its grocery delivery option. If you run a busy home office and don't have time to run out and grab paper and ink for your printer – you can order it from Office Depot and a Postmates courier will pick it up and deliver it to your door.

You can even schedule to have new office equipment delivered, like swivel chairs, drawers, lamps, and desks. If you're on vacation, packed minimally, and have a beach day coming up – you can have snacks, drinks, inflatable toys, paper plates and utensils, ice, and an insulated bag all delivered in one go from Safeway.

Scheduling a weekly delivery of groceries from Safeway is a super convenient option especially if you're a busy individual juggling multiple responsibilities. Safeway is a national chain and the best organic produce source in town. Saving a trip to the store is a much-welcome convenience!

For those of you in bigger cities – you’ll have far more merchant and grocery options. For example, NYC has Gristedes, D’Agostino, and Duane Reade available; and San Francisco has Andronico’s, Bush Market, and Marina Supermarket, among national grocery chains.

Unbagging

Unbagging my Outback order was a breeze. Stapled to the outside of the bag was a receipt showing each item in the order. This conveniently let me double-check I was correctly charged and that everything I ordered was in the bag. Check and check.

Each item was neatly separated into its own container and there were zero leaks or spills in the bag. Considering almost all containers were paper and there were ventilation holes in the top of the steak container – I’m glad no steak juice or dressing escaped! I give some credit to the delivery person for not shaking the bag around or letting it fall off a car seat in transit.

I found the containers in my order to be about 50% recyclable, 50% compostable, and/or partially reusable. I decided to save some steak and bread leftovers in the plastic container the steak came in, which was the most reusable piece of the bunch.

Otherwise, I could recycle the paper bag, butter and dressing containers and compost the salad and brussels sprouts containers. The utensils were post-consumer created and biodegradable.

Eating with Postmates

My order included an 18oz bone-in ribeye steak with 2 sides – fresh steamed seasonal veggies, and a house salad. I also ordered a side of "Over-the-Top" brussels sprouts, since simply I love brussels sprouts, and it's a new addition to the Outback menu. I was also surprised to see a roll of complimentary pumpernickel bread in the bag!

Not ideally, all the food was about room temperature by the time it arrived, and I did have to reheat the steak and veggies and toast the bread for my nephew. I don't order delivery often, but I didn't expect room temp food when the restaurant is only a 10-minute drive away. However, the steak was excellent and cooked just like I wanted – medium and oh-so-tender.

Now I’m a veggie lover and I was a bit disappointed with the veggies. One of my order sides was seasonal steamed veggies. I can’t say steamed broccoli is seasonal at the time of this writing, nor did our steamed broccoli seem seasoned in any way. I decided to dip my broccoli in our extra butter for a bit of flavor.

Now I was excited for the brussels sprouts, which were cooked perfectly and had great flavor! However, they were pretty oily, and I dabbed them with a paper towel before I plated them for us.

Postmates has each menu item option completely integrated into its online platform. This is very convenient and great for those of you who have dietary restrictions and would rather leave out a sauce, dressing, or topping. Keep in mind that this will be different for each restaurant and maybe even each zip code for that restaurant.

On Outback's menu, you can customize your entree and your sides. For steaks, you can customize the level at which it's cooked, what sauce you'd like, and 2 complimentary sides. 

My nephew eats anything and everything, so we had no concerns for him, but I eat gluten-free and could leave croutons from the side salad, and I also chose the salad dressing from 10 dressings.

Overall, the food is what you'd expect from Outback – perfectly cooked steak (their specialty) and okay sides. Apparently, I'm a pickier eater than my nephew, who enjoyed everything and especially gave the sprouts 2 little thumbs up.

Shortlist of My Favorite Restaurants and Merchants

The Fish Hopper 

As I mentioned above, seafood is popular here, and Fish Hopper is 1 of the most popular seafood spots in town. You’ll find locally caught fish like yellowfin ahi or mahi mahi, and locally sourced produce used in many dishes.

Locally caught yellowfin ahi is one of my favorite foods to eat – period. There’s a certain freshness and sweet flavor to the fish here that’s hard to find, and it frequents The Fish Hopper menu.

Rainbow Cafe

Rainbow Cafe is a family-owned Chinese and local food restaurant that’s been around for at least 30 years, and still often has a line out the door during lunch. It's 1 of the few restaurants that stayed standing through COVID, and was a favorite of mine during high school.

You’ll find classic Chinese fast food dishes like chow mein, won ton soup, shrimp fried rice, orange chicken, and beef broccoli. What’s made Rainbow Cafe so popular is its affordable pricing, that it offers a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, and that it offers local favorites. It’s a Kona-style diner that opens and closes early, like the rest of Kona.

Popular local dishes on the menu include Kalua pork, Loco Moco, spam fried rice, chicken katsu, pork lumpia, and mac salad.

Safeway

Gotta hand it to the Safeway here – it has an excellent selection of organic veggies and fruits that's unbeatable by other shops here.

Prices

The biggest downsides of Postmates are all its fees and its lack of transparency about fee prices before you order. When searching for fee prices, I couldn't find any absolute prices and could barely find estimates for each fee. I dug around and asked questions each time I was connected to a customer service agent, but didn't have much luck.

These fees and tips can add more than 50% markup or more on your order's final total, making Postmates' delivery service questionably convenient. All fees are added right before you submit your order, so always double-check your order total before finalizing payment.

Postmates Unlimited subscription is $9.99 per month (or $8.33 per month if you pay $99.99 for the year). You may find this convenient if you plan on ordering several times per month. Delivery fees can be upwards of $9.99 or more. That means if you order twice per month from a place that normally requires a $9.99 delivery fee – your membership is worth it.

Membership benefits include 5% off participating restaurants and merchants when you order $15 or $30. You'll also have access to "exclusive deals", but there's no definition of what that means and no example on the website that denotes how beneficial this is relative to the membership fee.

Otherwise, prices vary by and within each restaurant and shop.

What's great about this service is you can try Postmates Unlimited for free for 1 month. You'll automatically be charged for your subscription if you don't cancel 48 hours before your 1st scheduled payment.

When I ordered my meal, I used the free trial. This worked great for me because I could test and see that Postmates isn't the best service for my city. I might benefit more from prepared meal delivery services that ship to Hawaii, like Trifecta or Fresh N Lean.

You can check out our full review of Trifecta and full review of Fresh N Lean for more information.

Delivery

Postmates offers delivery, pickup, and dine-in ordering, with each availability varying depending on your zip code. For example, dine-in isn't available in Kona, and ordering for pickup is more commonly available among merchant options than delivery.

You can schedule Postmates delivery from a few hours to 1 week in advance. This is very convenient if you have a large order of food that you know will take time, or need food to arrive at a specific place and time.

Scheduling incurs no extra fees, but you’ll be charged a Delivery Adjustment Fee if you change order details after your order is confirmed. For example, you'll be charged a Delivery Adjustment Fee if you change your address while the restaurant or store is already assembling your order. Otherwise, schedule away!

Once a Postmates Delivery Person receives your order, you'll see their name, picture, and delivery method in the app. This helps you know who'll be dropping off your order. In Kona, the most popular method of transportation is a car, which my delivery person used. However, you'll see other delivery methods in different cities, like scooters, motorcycles, or bicycles.

You can order multiple items from the same merchant, but you can’t order from multiple merchants at the same time from the same account. Once an order is complete on your account, you can order from a different merchant. And please note – each order incurs a delivery fee.

Plus, some zip codes offer priority delivery for an extra $2.99. These zip codes are typically in large metropolitan areas where there’s a larger fleet of couriers.

First Postmates Delivery Attempt

Delivery was a bit rocky since my first order attempt was canceled. I first scheduled my order around 4 pm in the afternoon to have it arrive between 7:30 to 8 pm, the ideal time for my nephew to eat, fall asleep, and be picked up by his parents.

What’s convenient about the Postmates app and website is that you can track your order as it's confirmed, prepared, and on its way. You can watch on the website or through the app. You’ll also receive push notifications at different stages of delivery.

You can also type instructions for the delivery person, which is helpful if you live in a house or apartment that requires a few extra steps to find the front door or enter the building.

I appreciated this user experience since I received push notification updates about each stage of delivery. I received a notification at 6:29 pm that my order will arrive during the time frame I requested, and at 6:45 when Outback started preparing my order. I thought - great! Everything is running smoothly.

However, my order was canceled at the last minute. Right at 7:56 pm, when I was expecting a notification that my order was ready and at least on the way, I received a push notification that read “Unfortunately, your order from Outback Steakhouse could not be delivered”.

I found this very inconvenient given that I had scheduled my order 3.5 to 4 hours in advance, knowing I would have a hungry nephew. I immediately reached out to customer service and was met with a very helpful customer service agent called Keith.

Reaching out to customer service was very easy. You’ll see a Get Help button on the order. You’ll have to answer a few questions about your issue, then offered a Chat with Us button. From there you’ll be connected with a customer service agent.

Keith stated that I wouldn’t be charged for my order and immediately offered $15 Uber Cash for the inconvenience. Uber Cash is part of Postmates integration with Uber, and is like having a gift card in your account that can be applied to any of your future orders.

I asked if ordering again would be a good idea since I was counting on that meal for me and my nephew. Keith asked me to wait a few minutes so he could call the restaurant and find out what the order issue was, and whether ordering again would be a good idea. So helpful!

Keith found that the delivery person inexplicably canceled and that it wouldn’t be wise to re-order at this time. Outback was still open for another 15 minutes and I could order again, but it was already 8:15. I decided not to risk ordering again and cooked dinner for me and my nephew. We decided we could try again the next day for lunch.

Postmates’ delivery policy states that it’ll notify you if there aren’t enough delivery people available in your area. This wasn’t the case for me. I didn’t see any signals when I was ordering that there weren’t enough Postmates delivery people in my area. In fact, I received timely push notifications signaling my delivery would arrive during the scheduled time frame.

Second Postmates Delivery Attempt

This time, ordering and delivery was easier. I scheduled the same order to arrive between 11:30 am to 12 pm. While it arrived at 12:13 pm – 13 minutes late and my food was room temperature at most, I was relieved that it arrived and that I had plenty of food to prevent another disappointing occasion with my nephew.

Kona is relatively slow-paced and I typically expect services to take 2x longer than normal, so I wasn’t surprised my order arrived a bit later than expected.

True to my Postmates customer service agents’ word, my $15 Uber Cash was available for my order. In fact, it automatically applied to the order subtotal. If you prefer saving your Uber Cash for a later date, you can deselect Uber Cash when you specify your method of payment.

On the app and website, I was able to track the delivery person through her whole route from Outback to my front door. This was comforting as I could see that my order wasn’t only confirmed – it was en-route, with updated time estimates of when the order would arrive.

I also saw that I could message my delivery person for my en-route order should there be any issue with finding my door. Convenient! Fortunately, my door is easy to find and I didn’t have to contact my delivery person. I saw her drive up to the house, set my order on the doormat, and confirm on her phone the order was delivered.

How Postmates Works

Signing up with Postmates takes a few minutes, but it’s fairly simple. You can complete the entire sign-up process via the app or the website.

Keep in mind, the website doesn’t seem super compatible with all browsers (especially Chrome), so you might want to try it in whatever other browser with which you’re familiar if issues arise with Chrome.

Below is the how to order from Postmates through the website. The app is actually a bit easier but walks you through the same information. To use the app, you’re required to have an iOS or Android mobile device and to download the app.

How to Sign Up

1. Create your Postmates account by entering an email or phone number you want to associate with your account. You can use your Uber login if you already have an Uber or Uber Eats account.

2. Enter your zip code and delivery time. I recommend setting your scheduled delivery time before you browse merchants, as that will change what merchants are available. You can browse Postmates’ menu of merchants by “All”, “Restaurants”, “Grocery”, or “Alcohol”. Categories vary depending on what’s available in your zip code.

3. Select whether you want delivery, pick-up, or dine-in. Selecting how you want to receive your order will change what’s available, as the availability of each method of receiving your order changes depending on your zip code.

4. Choose your restaurant or merchant and meal or product. Different merchants have different delivery minimums, so ensure you meet the minimum. Otherwise, you might be charged a higher Service Fee percentage and a Small Cart Fee.

5. Customize your order. Enter all details that’ll ensure you receive what you want when you want, and how you want your meal or products. Restaurants typically have meal customization options, and grocery stores will have a required quantity and product weight you might need to specify.

6. Review your delivery information, unless you’re ordering for pickup or dine-in. Double-check your address to ensure you’ll receive your delivery at the right location.

7. Enter your billing information. You can use credit card, debit card, PayPal, Google Pay, or a GiftCard (aka Uber Cash). Double check your payment details and remember to deselect Uber Cash if you want to wait to apply the amount to a future order. Otherwise, Uber Cash will automatically apply.

8. Review your subtotal and fees so that you aren’t surprised by your order total. Postmates has several fees that you might not be aware of, and that aren’t applied until just before you confirm your order.

9. Place your order. Once you place your order, you can track it through the app and choose to receive push notifications to ensure you’re updated as soon as possible.

Managing Your Subscription

Managing your Postmates subscription is a bit confusing through the mobile app or website, and I recommend managing your subscription through the mobile app since the user experience and information flow are much easier to follow than on the website.

When using the website, you’ll see the URL and user interface switch between Postmates and Uber. But don’t be concerned – since Uber acquired Postmates, they’re the exact same service. So you’re still navigating the same account, order details, etc. regardless of whether you’re on an Uber or Postmates page.

However, I recommend using the mobile app to avoid any of this confusion. Plus, you can manage all orders and account details through the mobile app. Once you log in to the app, you’ll see buttons to manage your meal favorites, wallet (methods of payment), and orders under the Account tab.

Within the Account page you must click Help, which is where you can manage subscription details. Under Help you’ll see buttons for Help with an Order, Accounts and Payments, Membership and Loyalty, and Delivery and pickup basics. Each button will take you to an extended FAQ with How To’s on adjusting any account settings.

I find this clicking through several pages a bit convoluted for basic subscription management. However, instructions for each How To are simple and clear, and the FAQs are super extensive and searchable. You’ll have just about all the information you need for successfully managing your past and ongoing orders, subscription details, and finding basic subscription information.

Fortunately, you can manage your account details and delete your account and subscription through the app, and without contacting customer service.

Customer Service

Postmates customer service includes 24/7 live customer service chat and extensive and easily searchable FAQs. There’s also an iOS- and Android-compatible mobile app through which I recommend managing your orders from beginning to end.

Customer service is helpful when you have an ongoing order. My experience with my order that was canceled last minute was great. I was able to easily contact a customer service agent and received a gift card for the inconveniently canceled order. When you’re in contact with a live agent regarding an ongoing order, you speak with them regarding issues with your order.

Live customer support can't answer questions that aren't about current orders. When I chatted live with a customer support agent, I wanted to ask about fees and what to expect in a certain zip code. The agent didn't know and "passed" me to customer support via email, then quickly ended the chat.

I received an email from customer support under Support Messages in the Help page of the app, but it was about an entirely different topic than I was asking customer support about.

Customer service can deal with issues like order cancellation, your order never arrived, your order is taking too long, your order went to the wrong address, etc.

And, Postmates doesn’t make contacting a live agent straightforward since there’s no Customer Support page or immediate contact information for live chat anywhere on the website. I had to trial-and-error my way through the FAQs to find a series of click-throughs that led me to a Chat with Us button and connected me with a live agent.

Speaking with a live customer service agent seems to be the last line of support when you can’t find a resolution for your issue with the Help section in the mobile app. If you need assistance with ordering or have questions before scheduling a delivery – you’re on your own with the FAQs.

The best way to get support is by working your way through the Get Help section, linked at the bottom of the homepage. This will take you to the extended and easily navigable FAQ section. There are plenty of How-To’s like How to Delete My Account, How to Change my Password, How to Change my Address, and more.

How Postmates Compares to Other Delivery Services

Postmates vs. Factor

Factor is a microwave-ready meal delivery subscription service. Meals are made and delivered fresh – never frozen. Plus, registered dietitians design and approve all of Factor's microwave-ready meals, ensuring each recipe has a healthy balance of macronutrients.

Factor aims to provide super healthy meals with its Chef’s Choice, Keto, Calorie Smart, Vegan & Veggie, and Protein Plus plans. These meals are great for people who want to save time and eat freshly cooked whole foods. You can even order enough extras to build your own meals, like salmon, herb chicken salad and green beans.

With prices starting at $10.49 you’ll definitely beat all those one-time meal delivery fees.

Postmates vs. Blue Apron

Postmates vs. Grubhub

Postmates is most similar to Grubhub, as Grubhub is also a third-party delivery service. However, Grubhub is mainly focused on food delivery and doesn’t offer the same grocery and merchant options as Postmates. You can still find convenience stores and a local supermarket or 2, but Postmates’ grocery delivery options far exceed Grubhub’s.

Neither company discloses fee tables so that you can estimate your cost ahead of time, but you can see all fees before you finalize and pay for your order. Minimum orders change depending on the restaurant. You can start a Grubhub+ subscription with a one-month free trial, after which you’ll automatically be charged $9.99 per month. This is the same subscription fee as Postmates!

The Bottom Line: Is Postmates Worth It?

Postmates can be worth it if you live in a metropolitan city with plenty of restaurant options and a delivery fleet to match. Scheduling an order to arrive at a specific time and place is super convenient. You can even place bulk orders in advance for an office or group meal, and order from a local convenience, grocery or liquor store to save you several trips around town.

However, this service isn’t for budget shoppers or families on a budget, as fees for each order can significantly increase meal prices. It’s also not super reliable in smaller towns where courier infrastructure isn’t as developed as it might be in bigger cities.

FAQ

Is Postmates reliable?

Postmates is reliable and works especially well in large metropolitan cities. Should there be an issue with your order, like it takes too long, it never arrived, or arrived incorrectly, you can immediately contact customer service to rectify the issue.

Can Postmates see your tip?

The Postmates delivery person can see your tip 24 hours after the delivery. They won’t see the tip before they deliver your order.

Are Postmates and UberEats the same?

Yes. Uber bought Postmates and combined it with UberEats delivery services. You’re ordering delivery from the same delivery person fleet whether you order through the Postmates or UberEats platforms.

Where’s my Postmates order?

You can track your Postmates delivery on the website or app. To track your delivery on the website you can log in, click on the menu icon in the upper lefthand corner, and click on Orders. You’ll see a list of your past and active order that you want to track. Click Track Order to see the progress of your order.

To track your delivery through the app you can log in, tap Account then tap Orders. You’ll see a list of your past and active order that you want to track. Click Track Order to see the progress of your order.

Why is Postmates better than DoorDash?

Postmates is better if you want to order during busy times since it offers the “Priority Delivery” option, and better discounts on delivery fees for Postmates Unlimited subscribers. Otherwise, Postmates and DoorDash are very similar in terms of pricing and service coverage.

How does Postmates work for drivers?

You can sign up to deliver for Postmates via the Postmates or Uber website since they share delivery person fleets. Postmates delivery persons make federal minimum wage plus tips from each delivery. Tips are 100% given to drivers. Delivery persons must provide their mode of transportation and provide Postmates with vehicle details.