Food delivery promo codes: the fine print that sets your real saving

A delivery promo code looks simple: a few dollars off, or a percentage off your order. What you actually save depends on everything else on the receipt. Fees, minimums, memberships and eligibility rules can shrink a good-looking code, or make it cost more than it saves. This guide covers how Uber Eats and DoorDash describe their own rules, as of November 2026.

What a code takes off, and what it leaves

On DoorDash, the offer terms say discounts apply to the order subtotal only, meaning the price of the food. Fees, taxes and the tip can still be charged on top. Even a $0 or $1 delivery fee offer leaves the other fees, taxes and tip in place.

Both apps list several fees that a code usually doesn't touch. DoorDash's fee page names these for US customers:

• Delivery fee: set per order, and it varies by store.
• Service fee: in markets with DoorDash's updated fees it varies with things like distance and order size; in some places, including California, Chicago, New York City and Seattle, it is 15% of the subtotal for most orders.
• Small order fee: may apply when the subtotal is below a set amount.
• Long distance, regulatory response and weather impact fees in some cases, plus an optional express delivery fee.

Uber Eats' help page lists a similar set:

• Delivery fee: depends on the store, your location and demand.
• Service fee: charged when a courier delivers through Uber, and it varies with the size of your basket.
• Small order fee: added when the subtotal is under a minimum. Uber notes you can avoid it by adding items.
• Add-ons in some cases: a long range fee for stores farther away, a priority delivery fee, and a marketplace fee when the store delivers itself.

One code per order

Uber's help center is direct about this: "You may only use one promo per order." You add a code under Promotions in your account, then pick it in the cart before you place the order. Restaurant promos that were added to your account automatically are applied before any other promo, which can mean the one you meant to use isn't the one that gets applied. Check the cart before you tap Place order.

DoorDash's terms say offers can't be combined unless an offer says otherwise, and each offer is limited to one per person unless stated. A code with no end date doesn't last forever either: one sent by mail or email expires 30 days after it was sent, and one published elsewhere expires 30 days after it was last shown.

New-customer codes

The biggest codes are often for first orders only. DoorDash's terms explain how it decides: you are not treated as a new customer if DoorDash has a record of your name, email, phone number or card from an earlier account or order, active or not. A new email address alone won't make you new. For Uber Eats, read the eligibility line in the promo's own details in the app before you build a cart around it.

Memberships: Uber One and DashPass

Both apps sell a membership that removes the delivery fee on eligible orders. It can be worth more than a one-time code if you order often, but it has its own conditions.

• Uber One: listed at $9.99 a month on Uber's US page. It gives a $0 delivery fee and up to 10% off on orders over the store's minimum subtotal, at stores marked with the Uber One icon, plus a discounted service fee at participating stores. Fees and taxes don't count toward the minimum. It renews automatically, and eligible first-time members can get a 4-week free trial.
• DashPass: DoorDash's help page describes $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders from stores with the DashPass icon. Benefits apply only once your order reaches the store's minimum, which is $10 in some areas such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Phoenix, and checkout shows how much more you need. It renews automatically, and the free trial is only for people who haven't tried DashPass before.

If you have a membership and a code, try the cart both ways. On an eligible order the membership already removes the delivery fee, so a free delivery code adds nothing, while a code off the subtotal may still help.

Do the math before you order

1. Build the cart you actually want and note the subtotal.
2. Read the code's terms: the minimum, whether it is for new customers only, and when it ends.
3. Look at every fee line, not just the delivery fee. Watch for a small order fee if your cart is light.
4. Apply the code and compare the final total, including tax and tip, with the total before it.
5. If you have a membership, check that the store shows its icon and that your cart meets the store's minimum.
6. If the code needs you to add items to reach a minimum, decide whether you would have bought them anyway.

Browse current deals from members