Uber Eats vs. DoorDash: Which is Better?

In many cases, premium travel cards like the The Platinum Card® from American Express offer valuable perks (airport lounge access, food delivery discounts, monthly rideshare credits, etc.) to help offset the hefty annual fees.

But especially after COVID-19 caused many once-jet-setters to put the brakes on air travel, credit cards started offering more non-travel related perks. After all, what's the good of the fresh, locally-sourced, organic salad bar at the Centurion Lounge when you haven't been in an airport in a year? Premium credit card issuers wised up — and found other ways to get you your organic salad.

Now, many dining-related credit cards offer perks including credits and discounts to delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats. But while all the credits may sound good on paper, how good are they? Many are relevant to some people but not others; maybe you drive to work instead of taking Uber, or DoorDash doesn't deliver to your area.

We looked at two of the most popular credit cards with dining perks to see how valuable these perks really are.

	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	The Platinum Card® from American Express
DashPass	12 months of free DashPass ($120/year).	-
DoorDash	-	-
Uber VIP Status/Uber Cash	-	Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats. Only applicable to U.S. Eats Orders and Rides.
Annual fee	$95.	$695.

The details: DoorDash vs. Uber Eats credits

DoorDash and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Although holders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card don't receive cash back credits for DoorDash, they still receive a complimentary one-year DashPass subscription. If DashPass exists in your area, now could be a good time to activate this benefit. When this benefit was announced, there was no increase to the card’s annual fee, so you’re receiving the DashPass benefit for free.

Uber Eats and The Platinum Card® from American Express

Holders of The Platinum Card® from American Express receive a monthly credit into their Uber account ($15 each month and $35 in December), which appear as Uber Cash. The Uber Cash credits total $200 each year and can be used to pay for Uber rides and Uber Eats orders. Terms apply.

This is a use-it-or-lose-it perk: If the Uber Cash isn’t used up each month, it will expire. Even if you don't take Uber for rides, the ability to use Uber Cash to pay for Uber Eats orders is extremely convenient. For the purposes of this test, we are assuming that the Uber Cash would be used for Uber Eats orders (not ride-sharing).

🤓Nerdy Tip

Restaurants have to pay a fee for using these apps. The best way to support restaurants, especially during COVID-19 times, is to order from them directly as this cuts out the middleman costs of food delivery platforms.

Our testing group

The Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel card with a high annual fee. It offers cash back credits for restaurant deliveries. To test how useful the DoorDash and Uber Eats benefits are (and more importantly which perk was more cost effective), we gathered a testing group of five people who each live in a different U.S. city:

Los Angeles.
Miami.
Oregon City, Oregon.
Seattle.
San Francisco.

To qualify, each participant had to meet the following criteria:

DoorDash and Uber Eats offer restaurant delivery to their addresses.
Must provide screenshots of a sample food delivery order from DoorDash and Uber Eats for the same restaurant on the same day.
Screenshots must show the itemized food order along with any additional taxes/fees added on.

Eligibility for this offer is limited. Enrollment is required in the Amex Offers section of your account before redeeming.

Example screenshot comparison

Below is an identical food order on DoorDash and Uber Eats from Kraken Crudo, a restaurant in Miami.

Although the subtotal of food items from both merchants is $19, the additional fees set DoorDash and Uber Eats apart. The DoorDash order of $24.47 reflects that DashPass has been activated (delivery and service fee are eliminated or reduced). Because of DashPass, the food order from DoorDash is $3.20 cheaper than from Uber Eats.

Without DashPass, the food total would have been $28.60 due to the $2.99 delivery fee and $2.09 service fee. In this case, Uber Eats is $0.93 cheaper than DoorDash.

This is the kind of comparison we used to test each of the food orders input by our testers.

Our results comparing Uber Eats vs. DoorDash

So what is better, Uber Eats or DoorDash?

After gathering the findings from each of the participants, we compiled their data and compared the total price of the food order with Uber Eats and DoorDash (with and without DashPass).

Our results demonstrated that using DoorDash with DashPass always resulted in a cheaper order total than with Uber Eats. This isn’t a huge surprise given that DashPass reduces service fees and eliminates DoorDash delivery fees.

Even without DashPass, though, two of the orders were cheaper on DoorDash. Sam's DoorDash order was $4.77 cheaper than with Uber Eats because Uber Eats had a $3.99 delivery fee, while DoorDash had a promotion for $0 delivery fees (and the Uber Eats service fee was higher). In Divya’s order, DoorDash was cheaper because it had a lower service fee.

During this test, we discovered that Uber Eats always charged a 15% service fee. DoorDash charged a 5% service fee when DashPass was used and an 11%-12% service fee without DashPass.

Uber Eats and DoorDash fees and credits with premium credit card

If you hold The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll likely end up paying more for your food given that Uber Eats charges a 15% service fee in addition to delivery fees. If you want to maximize your $15 monthly UberCash credit ($35 in December), look for restaurants that waive delivery fees so you can decrease the amount you’re paying for fees.

And better yet, order directly from restaurants once your credits have been used up, so your entire order amount supports the restaurants and their staff.

Frequently asked questions

Is DashPass worth it?

Our research showed that DashPass saved our testers an average of just over $5 per order compared to Uber Eats. That means activating the complimentary membership on your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card would certainly be worth it.

How can I use Uber Eats credit?

The monthly Uber credit on The Platinum Card® from American Express arrives as Uber Cash, which can be used for Uber rides or Uber Eats orders. You’ll get up to $15 a month and $35 in December, but these credits are use-it-or-lose-it; they don’t roll over each month.

What’s better: DoorDash vs. Uber Eats?

The difference in cost between these platforms often comes down to fees. If you’re utilizing a DashPass subscription from your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you’ll likely come out ahead with DoorDash. Otherwise, our research shows Uber Eats generally charges service fees of 15%, whild DoorDash fees are between 11%-12%.

Can I use Uber credits for Uber Eats?

Yes, you can use Uber Cash for Uber rides or for Uber Eats. That means you can use your monthly Uber Cash credit from The Platinum Card® from American Express for Uber Eats orders, making it a great pandemic-era perk.

Which cards come with food delivery credits?

Several credit cards have introduced updated benefits that include credits and memberships to food delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express. Other cards offer bonus points on dining, making them an especially good option if they’re already in your wallet.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for: