Millennials and Gen Z spend nearly half of their income on food delivery. This trend caught wind after the pandemic and is continuing to rise. We can’t blame them. Having food delivered to your doorstep is just that convenient.

Getting out of this habit is difficult, and most don’t even want to. Instead, many young people are finding new ways to save money when ordering food online. After researching and testing these methods myself, I have compiled six that actually work and will help you save as well.

Create multiple accounts

Most food delivery companies have various promotions and referral programs for new accounts. Grubhub, for example, has an outstanding referral program which I have had much success with. If you use a referral code from a friend, your first delivery will come with a neat discount for food. The discount won’t affect the delivery, but you can still save around 20% if you make a big first order.

DoorDash also offers $15 off for newly referred users. UberEats, another widely used platform, offers a promotion code for $15 Off your first order (at the time of writing). Most other platforms have similar promotions, and you can even combine them. The issue is that it only applies to first-time users.

Many users in online forums brag that they were able to bypass this restriction by creating multiple accounts. Not just on different platforms but on the same platform. Needless to say, this is against the terms and conditions of food delivery apps. However, they don’t have much power to enforce it.

If you have multiple payment cards or sign up for virtual cards, you can create a new account in a few minutes. All you need is just a new email address. I was able to save around 10% of my monthly expenses on food delivery with this method. Although, I must admit it is a hassle. Later, I simply decided to move on to other methods of saving.

Special deals and orders in bulk

Most of the time, when we order food delivery, we have some specific meal in mind. Unfortunately, our taste might not always align with what’s cheapest to eat in your area. Overcoming yourself and ordering only the best deals is one simple strategy to save money.

It takes some caution to actually save with it. Food delivery apps tend to play with prices and try to trick you into thinking that you are getting a deal when you are not. When food is discounted, the delivery might be increased in price, for example.

If you are fine with eating the same type of meal twice, a good idea is to order a bit more than you need now. This way, you will save on multiple deliveries and can benefit from a discount that won’t be available tomorrow. However, this will require you to store and prep food for later.

Prepare part of the food yourself

Drinks, side meals, and garnishes are known to have the biggest profit margins for restaurants. They often discount their main dishes and compensate with these items to profit. A neat trick to save money is to prepare part of the meal yourself.

For example, instead of ordering soda with your hamburger, you can simply have some drinks stacked up in your house for such an occasion. Similarly, buying fries, rice, or other side meals with delivery will also make you spend more. It’s better to cook side dishes yourself and order only the main course.

Gift cards

Almost all online services offer some sort of gift card, and food delivery platforms ar no exceptions. These are prepaid cards that will allow you to order food without spending any actual money. At the time of ordering, at least.

It’s a great way to budget how much you are spending for food delivery. After getting my salary, I simply purchase a gift card and add it to my Grubhub app. I have deleted my credit card from the platform, so I cannot spend more than that amount for this month.

Another huge advantage of using gift cards is that there are ways to acquire them without spending any actual money. Click here to learn more about how you can get gift cards for food delivery with surveys and bandwidth sharing.

These methods are quite different, but in most cases, free gift cards can be exchanged for a bit of your time or renting some performance of your devices. It sounds more complicated than it is, but it’s actually super easy to earn around $10 per month from such activities.

Cashback platforms

Cashback apps offer users a method of earning back a portion of the money they spend on purchases. Food delivery platforms also participate in such programs. It’s a great way to take back some of the money you spend, but there are a few nuances.

• Some cashback apps have monthly or annual fees that might lower the amount you save. You must calculate how much you spend to turn a profit.
• Cashback apps often encourage overspending. Receiving exclusive deals and promotions can make you lose control of your budget.
• Some cashback platforms return points or gift cards you can then spend on the same stores. Read the terms and consider whether you are actually saving in such cases.

That said, cashback platforms can be a great way to save money. You just have to be aware of their drawbacks and not forget to calculate how much you actually save. It’s also worth knowing that their offers depend on region. Rakuten and Ibotta have worked for me here in the US.

Conclusion

I hope these methods have expanded your knowledge of how to save when ordering food delivery. If you have heard about them already, let this be an assurance that they work. How easy they are depends on your habits. Find the methods that work best for you and practice them.

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