Top 6 Food Delivery Apps that Accept Cash (Near Me!)

There are plenty of reasons you may want to use cash, rather than a card, including:

You don’t have a bank account

There are 7.1 million Americans that do not have a bank account. If you are one of the millions of people in the country who don’t have a bank account, then you won’t have a debit card or credit card, meaning you’ll need to use cash to pay for stuff.

You just don’t have a credit card

Even if you do have a bank account, it doesn’t mean that you will have a credit card. Plenty of people don’t have a credit card. Some people have bad credit or no credit history, so they can’t qualify for a credit card.

Other people just don’t want one because they don’t want to risk getting into debt and having to pay the high interest rates that can come along with credit cards.

You’re using cash to budget

It can be easier to keep track of your spending when you use cash rather than a credit card, which is why many people use cash to budget.

For example, the envelope budgeting system uses cash only and is a great method for saving money. So, if you are using cash to budget and to help you live more frugally, then you won’t want to use a credit or debit card to pay for food delivery orders.

You like using cash as a payment method

Perhaps you just want to use cash? After all, it’s still a popular form of payment with cash accounting for 26% of all transactions.

A lot of people still want to use cash rather than cards, but, it can seem hard to find places that actually accept cash as a payment method.

Why Don’t All Food Delivery Apps Take Cash?

Many delivery services don’t take cash. There are a few reasons for this…

Double mileage for the delivery driver

When you pay using cash, the driver has to take the cash from you and drive back to hand it over to the restaurant. This results in double mileage, which takes more time, and gas, so it can be more inconvenient and costly for the driver.

The restaurant can’t guarantee that you’ll pay

When you choose cash as your payment option, there’s no guarantee to the restaurant that the customer will pay. To reduce the risk, most restaurants opt to take card payments online where payment is automatically processed.

It can be beneficial to you and the restaurant

Paying with a card can offer more security for you because you don’t have to worry about losing cash. Also, it can be more efficient for the restaurant, as the payment is processed right away. Plus, the driver doesn’t have to worry about carrying a bunch of cash around with them and potentially having it stolen or lost.

Many drivers and restaurants want to avoid all of the hassles that can come along with cash payments, which is why it can be tough to find food delivery apps that take cash.

Thankfully, there are some delivery services out there that accept cash as a payment method, and I’ll cover these below.

What Food Delivery App Takes Cash?

While many delivery companies only take payment via debit or credit card, some will take cash.

Here are some food delivery apps that take cash…

1. Uber Eats

Uber Eats is one of the most popular food delivery companies around. In 2020, Uber Eats gross bookings surpassed $30 billion. Uber Eats controls 20% of the global food delivery market!

Available in more than 6,000 cities across 45 countries, it’s likely that the service is available in your area.

Uber Eats, depending on your country or city, allows you to add lots of different payment methods, including cash, as well as credit cards or a PayPal account.

2. Postmates

With Postmates (review), you can order delivery or pickup from more than 600,000 restaurants, retailers, grocers, and more.

So, you can get food from local restaurants, groceries, alcohol, and more delivered to your home! Postmates, which was founded in 2011, was acquired by Uber in 2020, so, like Uber Eats, Postmates also takes cash.

Depending on your country and city, you can add payment methods, such as cash, a PayPal account, or credit cards to your account. When your order is delivered, your selected payment method is charged. Aside from adding a payment method by scanning a card or manually entering card info, you can add an alternative payment type, which can, depending on your city and country, be cash.

3. Grubhub

Grubhub is a another really popular delivery app that features more than 320,000 restaurant partners in more than 4,000 U.S. cities.

Grubhub Inc. had over 31 million active diners in 2020, up by 8.8 million over the previous year.

With Grubhub, you can order food from restaurants near you. It accepts cash as a payment option, along with Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal, eGift cards, and credit cards.

Grubhub only accepts cash if the restaurant you’re ordering from accepts cash orders. So, you will get the option at checkout to pay with cash if the restaurant on Grubhub accepts cash.

4. Seamless

Seamless is a food delivery company that you can use to order food for delivery or takeout.

Seamless is a subsidiary of Grubhub, Inc. Like Grubhub, Seamless also accepts cash as a payment option, as well as Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal, eGift cards, and credit cards.

5. Delivery.com

Delivery.com is another delivery company that takes cash. With it, you can get deliveries from local restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores, and laundromats near you. You can order online for delivery or takeout.

After your first order, you will be able to use cash to pay for deliveries. You cannot, however, use cash to pay for laundry orders. Payment methods accepted by Delivery.com include all major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa Checkout, Masterpass, and PayPal.

6. DoorDash

DoorDash (review) is the leading food delivery company in the US market, surpassing incumbent Grubhub and global leader Uber Eats.

DoorDash was responsible for 45 percent of all food delivery orders in 2020, holding a double-digit advantage over everyone else.

With DoorDash, you can get food delivery and takeout from local restaurants.

Sometimes customers are able to pay in cash for their orders upon delivery.

DoorDash accepts cash as a payment option if the DoorDash merchant and the delivery driver accept cash.

Not all merchants accept cash.

Your delivery must meet a $7 minimum order amount for you to be able to pay in cash.

Drivers will need to have enough change on hand for you if you choose to pay with cash. They actually can’t take orders without being able to give you change. It’s a good idea to have smaller bills or exact change ready so that the driver has enough cash to give you change.

Closing Thoughts

As you can see, when it comes to paying for food delivery, there are many apps that accept cash. You just have to pick one that fits best with your needs. And thankfully, many popular food delivery apps are available in most cities. So finding a food delivery app that takes cash near you isn’t that hard.