How To Cancel A DoorDash Order

There are two situations where you might need to know how to cancel a DoorDash order. The first scenario is if you placed an order as a customer, then realized you needed to cancel your order (maybe you made a mistake or don’t want your order).

The second scenario is if you’re working as a DoorDash Dasher. There are situations where you accepted an order, then realized it’s not worth completing. In that situation, you may want to cancel the order.

This post will go through both scenarios and walk you through how to cancel a DoorDash order.

How To Cancel A DoorDash Order As A Customer

There are a lot of reasons why you might need to cancel your DoorDash order after you’ve placed it. The most common reason is you made a mistake when you placed your order. Maybe you put the wrong address. Or you forgot an item. Or you simply realized after you placed the order that you don’t want it. It’s also possible that the delivery time is too long and you don’t want to wait.

Whether or not you can get a refund or partial refund on your order depends on how fast you cancel your order. The general rule is this – if you’re going to cancel your DoorDash order, cancel it as soon as you can. If you wait too long, you’re not going to be able to get a refund.

This makes logical sense. Once you place your order, it goes to the restaurant and they start preparing your food. If you cancel immediately, it’s possible the restaurant never started your order. No harm, no foul. But if you wait too long, the restaurant might have started preparing your order already. If DoorDash were to let you cancel orders whenever you wanted, either DoorDash would lose money or the restaurant would lose money. That’s not good (or fair) for either of them.

Because DoorDash sends the order to the restaurant immediately, you usually only have a few seconds to cancel your order after placing it and still receive a full refund. I wouldn’t wait more than 30 seconds at most (and even that might be pushing it).

To cancel your order, you’ll want to go to your Orders page in the DoorDash app. You can then click your order, then click the help button at the top of the screen. From there, you’ll see a button that tells you if you can cancel your order and shows you how much of a refund – if any – you’ll receive.

Getting A Refund From DoorDash

There are four types of refunds you can receive from DoorDash if you cancel an order (and assuming you canceled it fast enough to get a refund). These include the following:

Full Refund. If you cancel your order fast enough, DoorDash can give you a full refund. This is returned to the card that you used to pay for your order.
Partial Refund. If you waited a bit too long, DoorDash may offer you a partial refund. In this case, you’ll receive some money back. Your refund will be issued to the same payment method you used to place your order.
DoorDash Credit. In some situations, DoorDash may offer you a credit that can be used towards a future purchase. This credit remains in your account and you can use it on the next order you place.
Re-Delivery. If there was an issue with your order and you still want the order, DoorDash can have it delivered to you again. When this happens, DoorDash will send your order to the restaurant again, it’ll be prepared again, and a driver will pick up your order and deliver it to you. This happens most often if the restaurant forgot an item and you really want it.

A few other things to note. If you received your order but an item is missing, you can request that DoorDash refund you for just those missing items. This is usually the easiest thing to do, rather than trying to get the missing item delivered again.

If there’s a big issue with your order that isn’t your fault, you should be able to get a full refund from DoorDash. This includes situations where your order is never delivered. It might also include if your food arrives heavily damaged.

If your food arrives very late, most of the time, DoorDash won’t give you a refund but will offer you a credit towards a future order.

How To Cancel A DoorDash Order As A Dasher

When you’re working as a Dasher, you might also find yourself wanting or needing to cancel an order. The typical reasons why you might want to cancel an order if you’re a Dasher include the following:

There’s a long wait.
You accidentally accepted the order.
You have a personal emergency.

Remember, if you’re working as a Dasher, time is money (you’re getting paid for the tasks you complete, not the time you are working). As a result, you can find yourself in a situation where you need to cancel an order and cut your losses because you’re going to lose money if you try to complete the order.

To cancel an order, click the help button at the top right corner of the app. The button should look like a question mark.

From there, you’ll get to the help screen, which will give you a few options. To cancel the order, click “Can’t do this order.”

You’ll then be brought to a screen that asks you why you want to cancel your order. You can pick any reason you want – it doesn’t matter.

If you are going to cancel an order, try to do it before you actually pick up the order. If you cancel an order after you picked up the order, you’ll technically get to keep the food for yourself, but I can’t imagine DoorDash likes that. You probably also put yourself at a higher risk of deactivation if you cancel orders after picking up the food (by contrast, if you cancel an order before you pick it up, it’ll get sent to another Dasher who can then complete the delivery).

Another pro-tip. Don’t cancel orders because you can’t find the customer. If you can’t find the customer or there’s an issue with the delivery, contact customer service so they can help you. You’ll find an option to chat with customer service in the help menu.

Finally, this is the most important thing you need to know when it comes to canceling orders as a Dasher. While your acceptance rate does not matter, DoorDash makes it clear that if your completion rate falls below 80%, you are subject to deactivation. Your completion rate is the number of deliveries you completed of the last 100 deliveries you accepted. I try to keep my completion rate around 90%, which I think gives me a good cushion so I can cancel orders when needed, without risking deactivation.

Final Thoughts

There are two good rules to know if you are going to cancel a DoorDash order. If you’re a customer and you need to cancel your order, do it as fast as possible – ideally within a few seconds. Don’t wait too long or you might not get a refund or you’ll only get a partial refund.

If you’re a Dasher, cancel orders strategically. If the order will take too long to complete or something else makes the order not worth doing, just cancel it and move on to the next one. But remember that your completion rate matters, so try to be smart about which orders you cancel so you can keep your completion rate high.

If you need more information about how to get in touch with DoorDash customer service, you can also check out this post: DoorDash Headquarters Address, Phone Numbers, and Emails.

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.
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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.