Can you DoorDash without a Red Card? The simple answer is, yes you can DoorDash without a Red Card (DoorDash even makes this clear in their official documentation) However, while you don’t need a Red Card to Dash, it’s highly recommended to get one because it’ll open up more delivery opportunities. Plus, there’s no real downside to at least getting the DoorDash Red Card.
With that being said, in this post, we’ll look at how doing DoorDash without the Red Card works and go over everything you need to know about it.
DoorDash Without Red Card
To begin, it’s probably helpful to recap what the DoorDash Red Card is. I’ve written an in-depth post about the DoorDash Red Card, so check that post out if you want more information.
In short, the DoorDash Red Card is a prepaid debit card that DoorDash sends to Dashers to pay for orders that are not already paid for by DoorDash. Most restaurants on DoorDash are prepaid, so you won’t need the Red Card the vast majority of the time, but there are a handful of restaurants where you’ll need to pay for the order yourself. These are generally fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores (in my area, the most common places where I need to use the Red Card are Raising Canes, Target, and Walgreens).
Importantly, DoorDash does not require you to accept Red Card orders. DoorDash will always tell you in advance if an order requires using the Red Card, so if you don’t want to use the Red Card, you can always decline those types of orders. It’s important to be strategic about which Red Card orders you accept because of the added time it takes to pay for the order.
DoorDash states in their documentation that you can Dash without having received the DoorDash Red Card, so you should be able to Dash without a Red Card. Specifically, DoorDash states the following:
Can I dash without a Red Card and a hot bag?
Yes! As you get started, we’ll only offer deliveries that you can complete without a Red Card and hot bag. Once you complete your first dash, we’ll send you an email and text message letting you know that a Red Card and hot bag are on the way.
(Source: DoorDash FAQ)
That being said, I do want to share my experience with having an expired Red Card. A few years ago, I had a situation where my Red Card expired and the Dasher app wouldn’t let me log in until I activated a new Red Card. I had to request a new Red Card and couldn’t log into my Dasher account until I received my new Red Card and activated it. This was a pain because it took about a week for my Red Card to arrive, so I couldn’t Dash for a week.
Perhaps DoorDash differentiates between current Dashers with expired Red Cards and new Dashers that haven’t received their Red Card yet. All I know is that when my Red Card expired, I was unable to log into the app until I activated a new one. So, your mileage may vary on this part. From my research, it sounds like most people can Dash without an active Red Card, although it’s unclear if those are people who never activated a Red Card, or like me, had a Red Card that expired.
Activating The DoorDash Red Card
Getting the Red Card and activating it isn’t difficult. When you sign up for DoorDash, you’ll receive a DoorDash activation kit, which contains a DoorDash delivery bag and the DoorDash Red Card. This is automatically sent to you when you sign up to be a Dasher.
You might be eager to get started earning money with DoorDash, which is probably why a lot of people ask if there is any way to start dashing without the Red Card. You should be able to start Dashing immediately and DoorDash will just avoid sending you orders that require a Red Card.
Once you get the Red Card, I recommend activating it. Activating the Red Card only takes a few seconds and it’ll give you access to more types of DoorDash orders. Simply log into your Dasher app, then follow the directions in the app to activate your card. Once it’s been activated, you’ll be able to start Dashing. Check out this post from the DoorDash website if you need directions on how to activate your Red Card.
Also, if you lose your Red Card and need a new one, you can order one for free from the DoorDash website, at this link. It can be helpful to order a few extra Red Cards and store them away. That way, if you lose one, you’ll have a backup that’s ready to go.
You Don’t Have To Use The Red Card If You Don’t Want To
It’s important to remember that while you may have the Red Card, you don’t need to use it if you don’t want to.
Any order that needs the Red Card will be clearly marked in the app. Red Card orders aren’t inherently bad, but they do usually take more time, so it’s important to consider whether the payment is good enough to make it worth your time.
I will accept Red Card orders if I know the restaurant won’t be busy or if the order is small enough that I can shop and complete it quickly. Large shopping orders from grocery stores or convenience stores are usually automatic declines for me.
If you do get an order that requires the Red Card but you don’t have your Red Card with you, you can also pay for the order yourself with your own money and then get a reimbursement from DoorDash. However, I highly recommend not doing this, as you don’t want to rely on DoorDash reimbursing you for a customer’s order that you paid for with your own money.
Final Thoughts
The DoorDash Red Card is something you don’t need to start Dashing, but is worth getting to give yourself more delivery requests. It’ll usually take a few business days to arrive and you can activate it within your Dasher app in a few seconds.
If you are just getting started with DoorDash and find you aren’t able to start Dashing yet, wait for your activation kit to arrive and then activate your card. If you lose the card and need a new one, quickly order one from the DoorDash website and activate it as soon as you get it. And consider getting extra Red Cards and storing them for future use in case you lose your current card.
Hope that information helps!
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – 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 Ebike – 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.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R 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 ($100) – 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 $100 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 just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares 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 shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- 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.
- SoFi Money ($325) – 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.
- Upgrade ($300) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $300 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $300 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – 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.
- 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.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($200) – 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.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- 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.
- 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.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 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.
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.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- 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 $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. 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.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Lol Do Not Get Red Card. The orders are almost never worth it and your acceptance rate will plummet. It’s an absolute crap hole. About 55 percent of my red cards are no tip, 40 percent low tip and 5 percent, 4 percent eh, I’ll take the hit and 1 percent worth it. This is not taking into account the businesses that don’t label the items label, update the location of the item, or plain removed the aisle the item is in.
I started dashing about mid-May. Despite being told I would have a red card and hot bag sent after my first dash, I’ve never received them. A month later now, I have about 150 deliveries now (I was slow to get started and only dash a couple of days a week) but I’ve never had trouble logging in to the dasher app or had an order that required the red card. FB groups indicate many people never receive the welcome kit with the bag and card.
I’ve debated about requesting one so I could do shopping orders, but just haven’t yet.
Not sure if anything has changed, but I started dashing 3.5 months ago, never activated my red card and have not been locked out. Fingers crossed.
Sweet. Thanks for the datapoint. I went by my own experience and maybe you’re right – maybe things have changed.
Any reason you don’t activate your Red Card? Like why not?
As for me I was scrolling the app and seen something about the red card. So I looked it up and that brought me here. I’ve been dashing a month, no card bag or kit. So I don’t know about him. But I didn’t even know about the red card until today.