DoorDash Schedule: Should You Worry About Scheduling Or Not?

DoorDash uses a bit of a hybrid system when it comes to the DoorDash schedule. You can always log into the Dasher app and click “Dash Now” if there’s room for more Dashers. That’ll allow you to Dash on-demand, whenever works with your schedule.

The other option is to schedule your Dash in advance. If you do this, you’ll reserve your Dash slot. When the time comes, you’ll be able to log in and start Dashing, even if you wouldn’t be able to Dash because there are too many Dashers on the road.

This puts us in a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, becoming a Dasher is great because of the flexibility – you can turn on the app and start Dashing whenever it works for you. On the other hand, if you have to schedule in advance to be able to work, you lose that flexibility and it starts to feel more like a job where you have set working hours.

So what should you do? Do you need to worry about the DoorDash schedule or not?

In this post, we’ll take a look at how the DoorDash schedule works and whether it’s something you need to think about when you’re doing DoorDash. The short answer is that, in some markets, it may very well matter. In other markets, you’ll never have to think about the schedule.

How Does The DoorDash Schedule Work?

You can find the DoorDash schedule in your Dasher app, in the bottom row where it says “Schedule.”

DoorDash lets you schedule up to a week in advance. There aren’t specific time slots. You can instead pick any start and ending time that you’d like (in 30-minute increments). For example, if you wanted to Dash from 4 pm to 9:30 pm, you would log into your Dasher app, go to the schedule, then select those times for the day that you want.

Once you’re scheduled, you’ll be able to log in and start Dashing during those assigned times. One thing to note is that while you don’t need to log into your Dash exactly at the assigned start time, you do have to log in eventually or else DoorDash will drop your schedule for that time. The grace period is generally 30 minutes, so you’ll need to log into your Dash within 30 minutes of the start time.

Another thing is that there isn’t really a penalty if you schedule yourself but don’t log into your Dash. I probably would try to avoid doing this too often, but if it happens, don’t sweat it. Also, you can log out of your scheduled Dash whenever you want, so don’t worry about the end time you set yourself with. If you want to stop Dashing, just log out.

Early Access Scheduling (i.e. Priority Scheduling)

DoorDash also has a system that gives priority access to the DoorDash schedule for Dashers that meet certain criteria. If you meet the following, you’ll get access to priority scheduling (more info is available here on the DoorDash website):

You qualify if you have a Customer Rating of at least 4.6, a Completion Rate of at least 95%, and have accepted and completed at least 5 deliveries on the DoorDash platform betwe12 am2am the previous Friday and 11:59 pm the previous Thursday; OR
You qualify if you have a Customer Rating of at least 4.6, a Completion Rate of at least 95%, and have accepted and completed at least 500 lifetime deliveries on the DoorDash platform.

If you meet these criteria, you’ll gain access to the schedule 6 days in advance starting at 3 pm each day. By contrast, if you don’t qualify for early access scheduling, you’ll only be able to access the DoorDash schedule 5 days in advance. It’s a 1-day difference, which might or might not matter for you depending on your market and where you live.

Qualifying for early access scheduling usually shouldn’t be too difficult for the most part except for maintaining the completion rate. Keeping a customer rating of 4.6 or higher is something you should be able to do as long as you provide solid customer service (i.e. picking up food on time, handling the food properly, etc). Meeting the delivery requirements shouldn’t be a problem either. Doing 500 lifetime deliveries isn’t very much. And completing 5 deliveries in a week also isn’t difficult.

The main issue is maintaining a completion rate of 95% or higher. While your completion rate does matter and you should ideally aim to complete every order you accept, there are reasons you might opt to cancel an order you accepted. If the wait is long or you’re multi-apping and receive better orders from another app, it can make sense to drop the DoorDash order in favor of another order. I usually aim to keep my completion rate at 90% or higher, but I don’t often stay above 95%.

Remember, your acceptance rate does not matter. But your completion rate does matter because if it drops below 80%, you risk deactivation. Keeping your acceptance rate above 95% so you can have access to priority scheduling can also make sense and isn’t too difficult so long as you’re strategic about the orders you accept.

DoorDash Schedule Vs. Dash Now

You might be wondering whether the DoorDash schedule matters or whether you can simply rely on the Dash Now feature, which lets you Dash whenever you want.

Whether you need to schedule in advance depends on your market. I’ve found that in most markets, scheduling in advance isn’t something you need to do. For instance, in my market, I never schedule myself in advance and I’ve found that, except in rare circumstances, I’m always able to click Dash Now and start working (I live in Minneapolis).

If you’re in a market where you can Dash whenever you want, I would ignore the DoorDash schedule and not even think about it. However, if you’re in one of the few markets that are saturated with Dashers, then you’ll probably have to schedule yourself in advance to be able to work.

In that situation, I recommend scheduling yourself for wide swaths of time. That way, you can cancel your Dash early if you want to do something else. Remember that DoorDash doesn’t appear to penalize you for scheduling yourself, but then canceling your Dash early.

Do You Get Better Orders If You Schedule Yourself In Advance?

This question is always subject to speculation, as the DoorDash algorithm is not public and no one really knows how orders are assigned. That being said, many people claim that DoorDash prioritizes Dashers that schedule in advance or that have Top Dasher status over those that choose the “Dash Now” option. This is often stated without any citation, so whether it’s true or not is unclear (if anyone has a source directly from DoorDash that says this, please let me know).

I’ve never had issues receiving consistent orders when I’m working during prime hours. The only exception is if there’s a large peak pay bonus in effect, which is when I find I receive few orders because so many Dashers are logged into the app.

In short, no one knows how the algorithm works and you’ll likely have to try things out to see if you notice any difference.

Final Thoughts

The DoorDash schedule is fairly straightforward. You can schedule yourself in advance up to 5 or 6 days in advance depending on if you’ve qualified for early access scheduling. This differs from Uber Eats, which doesn’t have advanced scheduling and allows any driver to log in whenever they want.

I’ve never had to schedule myself in advance and don’t plan to do so, but that might be specific to my market. That being said, I’ve done deliveries in other major cities and have never had an issue Dashing whenever I want.

Try things out and see what works best for you.

*If you’re getting an error message that says, “Dasher must be active to schedule Dashes,” then check out this post: Dasher Must Be Active To Schedule Dashes – What It Means And Why It Happens.

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.
Digital Federal Credit Union ($100) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
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 January 31, 2023. As long as you get your account opened before January 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
SoFi Money ($275) – 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 $250 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.
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.
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.
OnJuno ($60) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $10 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and make a deposit of $50 or more. You will also get 1000 JCOIN. The 1000 of JCOIN is cryptocurrency. At the time I'm writing this, it'll be worth about $50. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 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.
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.
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 $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
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.