DoorDash Acceptance Rate - And Why It Doesn't Matter

One of the more confusing questions some Dashers have about DoorDash is whether the DoorDash acceptance rate matters.

DoorDash keeps track of several metrics for each Dasher. These include your customer ratings, your acceptance rate, your completion rate, and your on-time and early delivery rate. Customer ratings undoubtedly matter (DoorDash specifically states that if your customer rating gets too low, you risk deactivation). Completion rate also matters. DoorDash also says you can be deactivated if your completion rate gets too low.

Acceptance rate is another matter, however. The fact is, your acceptance rate DOES NOT matter. Your acceptance rate can be as low as you want and you do not risk deactivation. The only thing it would matter for is if you want Top Dasher status (which I don’t think is worth going for).

In this post, we’ll go over what the DoorDash acceptance rate is and why it does not matter.

What Is The DoorDash Acceptance Rate?

DoorDash tracks several metrics in the Dasher app, one of which is your acceptance rate. The acceptance rate is the number of orders you accepted out of your last 100 delivery requests. So, if you have a 50% acceptance rate, that would mean you accepted 50 out of your last 100 delivery requests.

Note that your acceptance rate is different from your completion rate. The completion rate refers to the number of delivery requests you accepted that you complete. That means you received a delivery request, you accepted, then ultimately you did not complete the order because you canceled it or something else stopped you from completing it.

It’s important to keep the distinction between these two metrics in mind. That’s because completion rate does matter. But your DoorDash acceptance rate DOES NOT matter.

Your DoorDash Acceptance Rate Does Not Matter

I hope I’ve made it clear. Your DoorDash acceptance rate does not matter. DoorDash also makes this very clear in its Dasher policies.

Indeed, on their website, they have this chart that tells you the minimum requirements for each metric.

As you can see, DoorDash explicitly states that there is no minimum acceptance rate required. This makes logical sense too. Dashers are independent contractors, which means they have the right to accept or reject any delivery requests sent their way. DoorDash has to do this because if they didn’t, they risk having too much control over Dashers and having Dashers classified as employees. They do not want to do this, so that’s why there’s no minimum acceptance rate required and why Dashers are free to accept or reject any delivery requests sent to them.

In contrast, DoorDash can make completion rate matter because once you’ve accepted an order, you have essentially agreed to complete the order. If you don’t complete it, it’s similar to a breach of contract, since you accepted the order, then decided not to do it.

The only time acceptance rate does matter is if you are trying to get Top Dasher status. To qualify for Top Dasher status, you need to maintain high customer ratings (4.7 or higher) and a high completion rate (95% or higher). You also have to maintain an acceptance rate of 70% or higher.

The reason why I don’t think Top Dasher status is worth getting is because of this acceptance rate requirement. If you’re accepting 70% of orders, you’re likely accepting orders that are not worth doing or are not profitable for you. When you’re a Dasher, you’re basically a small business. You need to act like one and only accept orders that make sense for you.

That being said, there could be times when Top Dasher status is necessary. If you’re in a market where the benefits of Top Dasher status make sense (specifically if you’re in a market where you can’t dash unless you schedule yourself in advance), then maybe you need to maintain a high acceptance rate.

But for the vast majority of people, Top Dasher status won’t be worth it, which means the DoorDash acceptance rate does not matter.

DoorDash Priority Orders

There is one wrinkle that was recently introduced with DoorDash, although it’s unclear how it impacts your orders and ability to earn money with DoorDash.

DoorDash recently introduced a pilot program that gives eligible Dashers priority access to higher-paying orders. DoorDash says that these orders all pay $2 or more per mile. To get priority access to these orders, you need to have a customer rating of at least 4.5 and an acceptance rate of 50% or higher.

DoorDash specifically says that “[i]f there are multiple Dashers nearby who can take on one of these offers, we will break the tie in favor of prioritized Dashers like you.”

I rarely have my acceptance rate above 50%, so I don’t usually qualify for priority orders.

doordash priority orders — My acceptance rate can sometimes get close to 50%, but not often.

Whether this matters or not is unclear. Personally, I don’t look at orders based on how much they pay per mile, but rather look at the based on how fast I can complete them. Even low-paying orders can be worthwhile if I can complete them fast enough. Since I do DoorDash on a bike, I think this likely won’t impact me too much and I still won’t be aiming to improve my acceptance rate.

DoorDash has more info about the program here.

Final Thoughts

My DoorDash acceptance rate typically hovers around 20-30%. At times, I’ve had my acceptance rate fall into the single digits and have never had any issues with my Dasher account.

I do this because I’m picky with my orders. I only want to accept orders that are profitable and make sense to me. As a result, if I see an order that I don’t think is worth doing, I’ll reject it and wait for another one.

I recommend you do the same too and don’t worry about your DoorDash acceptance rate.

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:

GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022. As long as you get your account opened before October 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
SoFi Money ($350) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $300 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
Fifth Third Bank ($250) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
OnJuno ($100) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $250 or more. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements. Even better, the bonus posts immediately after you meet the requirements. If you can meet the direct deposit requirements, OnJuno is an easy bank bonus that’s worth snagging. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
Varo ($50) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $50 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
Spiral ($50) – Spiral is a fintech bank that's currently offering new customers a $50 signup bonus after opening a free checking account with them. The Spiral referral bonus is especially good because it's a free checking account and doesn't require a direct deposit to earn the bonus. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Spiral Bank bonus.
One Finance ($50) – One Finance is a fintech bank that’s currently offering a $50 signup bonus if you open an account using a One Finance referral link and have a direct deposit of $250 or more. This is a completely free bank account with no minimum balance requirement, so if you can meet the requirements, it’s worth doing. Check out my One Finance referral bonus guide here.
Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
Upgrade Bank. Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Note that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022.
Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.