Does your Uber Eats cancellation rate matter? It’s a question that seems to confuse people. For a long time, your Uber Eats cancellation rate did not matter at all. You could cancel orders as much as you wanted, so long as you didn’t cancel orders after picking up the food. In other words, if you canceled orders before you picked up the food, it didn’t matter.
For a long time, Uber Eats didn’t show you your cancellation rate. That’s not to say they weren’t tracking it, but if they did track it, it was only in the background and wasn’t provided to drivers.
Currently, however, Uber Eats does show you your cancellation rate, along with your acceptance rate, satisfaction rate, and on-time rate. You can find it in your Uber Driver app, under the profile section.
Uber Eats Cancellation Rate – How It Works
Your Uber Eats cancellation rate is calculated based on your last 100 delivery requests. To calculate your cancellation rate, Uber looks at the number of deliveries you’ve canceled over your last 100 accepted requests. For example, if you’ve canceled 20 orders out of your last 100 requests, that means your cancellation rate is 20%.
When you click on the cancellation rate in your Uber Driver app, Uber will take you to a screen where you can see exactly how your cancellation rate is calculated. In the below screenshot, you can see that in my last 100 deliveries, I’ve canceled 15 requests. This makes my cancellation rate 15%.
For a long time, Uber vaguely claimed that your cancellation rate mattered, although they didn’t provide any specifics about how high your cancellation rate could be before you risked deactivation. Instead, they simply provided a generic statement that canceling orders slows things down and forces customers to wait for their food. This was in stark contrast to an app like DoorDash, which makes clear that if your cancellation rate falls too low, you will be subject to deactivation.
Since I knew my Uber Eats cancellation rate didn’t matter, I often would cancel orders that didn’t make sense to me or where the wait turned out to be excessive. My cancellation rate would often be around 15-20%.
However, I’ll need to change my strategy soon because Uber Eats sent out emails saying that, at least in my market, Uber Eats will require you to maintain a cancellation rate of 20% or lower or risk deactivation.
Your Cancellation Rate Now Does Matter Depending On Where You Work
It appears that in some markets, your cancellation rate will now matter. I’m in Minneapolis and recently received an email saying that Uber will now require drivers to maintain a cancellation rate of 20% or lower. The email says that couriers will lose their ability to deliver if their cancellation rate “consistently” goes to 20% or higher.
The “consistently” language suggests that you’ll still be able to deliver if you hit 20% once in a while, but that if you’re always at 20% or more, you’ll get deactivated. However, it’s important to remember that Uber Eats calculates your cancellation rate based on your last 100 orders, so when you cancel an order, it takes a long time for that canceled order to fall off your record.
So, my advice now is to be careful about the orders you accept and try to avoid canceling orders as much as you can. 20% is still a pretty high cancellation rate, so you’ll still have plenty of options to cancel orders if you need to. Just be more strategic about the orders you accept so you can avoid being in that position in the first place.
If you have to cancel an order, also remember this. Never cancel an order after you’ve picked up the food and marked that you’re on the way to the customer.
The reason you don’t want to do this is that if you do, Uber Eats or the restaurant loses money. If you cancel an order after you’ve picked it up, you end up keeping the food and no one else can deliver the order. But if you cancel an order before you’ve picked it up, it’ll get sent to another driver who can complete the order.
In other words, no one is harmed if you cancel an order before you pick it up. But if you cancel after you’ve picked up the food, someone is losing money. I am certain that if you cancel orders after you’ve picked up the food, Uber Eats will eventually deactivate you.
Generally, your best bet, if you want to cancel an Uber Eats delivery, is to cancel it as soon as you know you don’t want to do it.
Why Would You Want To Cancel An Uber Eats Order?
There are a few reasons why you might want to cancel an order after you accept it. The most common is when you accidentally accept a delivery request. It’s easy to accidentally accept a delivery request, so when that happens, you’ll want to cancel the order if it’s not one you want to complete.
Another reason is if you arrive at the restaurant and find it’s a long wait for your food. Sometimes, it’s better to cut your losses and move on to a better order, rather than wait for an order to finish.
Finally, you might also cancel an order because it’s not going in an ideal direction. I multi-app regularly, which means I do deliveries from all three of the major delivery companies at the same time (DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub). If you’re multi-apping, you might get an order from Uber Eats, then realize that you have orders from DoorDash or Grubhub going in opposite directions. In those situations, it might make sense to cancel an Uber Eats order you already accepted so you can focus on other orders that work better for you.
Final Thoughts
Your Uber Eats cancellation rate used to not matter, but it appears that it will now matter for most people under the new Uber Eats policy. You’ll still be able to cancel orders, but if you have a cancellation rate of 20% or more, you’ll risk getting deactivated.
My advice is to be a bit more strategic about the orders you accept now so you can avoid canceling an order in the first place. Try to keep a buffer on your cancellation rate as well so you can give yourself the option to cancel orders if you need to. And if you’re going to cancel an order, try to do it as soon as possible. It’s better to give Uber Eats plenty of time to find a new driver, rather than holding onto an order for a while that you know you don’t want to complete.
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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.
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For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
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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.
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- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 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.
I am at 11% cancellation rate, mostly because I accept “Stop N Shop” orders and discover they have oversized items (I am on a scooter). I called to have those removed as they are not my fault. They know I’m on a ‘Bicycle’ and should not have asked me to do them. Uber says to call back in 30 days as they cannot see my activity right now LOL. They just want to pass the problem onto someone else. Now I feel I get less offers to deliver. I also have to decline many because of the extreme distances. I had to do two add-on type orders (with no map offered!!!!) just to get something to do at lunch time. I feel that my cancel rate is affecting my opportunities.
My uber eats acceptance rate is 24% right now, when that was about 37%,i thought my acceptance rate is low, i am select order:low price,some restarunt have argued, some area not easy park,etc. i speculate most person will have higher acceptance rate than me,from my observe some chinese guy or other race/country guy’s delivery+earn money,some chinese guy told me or i have read some online info from chinese guy that they earn about $300 per day from doing dasher or other delivery app job,and they may drive over 3000 mile per month. i thought you may accept as much order as you can to earn more money. however, right now i found your acceptance rate is 13%, which is even less than mine right now, i am some surprise,oh,someone else donot accept as much order as they can.maybe you are white or black guy, more causual to earn money than some chinese guy. i am sensible and think of your low acceptance rate,compare.
You said the cancellation rate does not matter,you did many years,it around 20%, i donot agree, even guess you in purposely to misleading others,may be your account is a deactive account already,but you screenshot the rate to mislead others, trap others. i talk with uber eats support many times, they told me that too many cancel affect cancellation rate ,will result in deactive. So i guess there might be some cancellation rate value cause the deactive.
i have read from google the satisfaction rate below 75% will result in deactive or not receive order,i asked this with uber eats support,repplied this is correct. But for my own experience, my satisfaction rate has dropped to 73% one day, and the same day then up to 75%, it doesnot deactive. i guess the reason maybe: 1.drop to 73% and up to 75% happen in the same day, the time between is not too long.the system may need some time to reaction, but it havenot time to reaction when 73% then the rate up to 75%. 2.maybe for the date close to christmas day,uber eats needs more driver,then the standard is not so strict. 3.the rate depend on diffrent account is diffrent,my account’s satisfaction rate may can below 75%.
Although i donot know how many cancellation rate will cause deaction, but it does matter,and sounds very important,from i get from uber eats support. maybe someone else’s cancellation rate come to 22%,the account deactive, will you take responsible ?
if i follow you,i will be controlled by your mind, i donot trust you, i even guess your rate may be cause deactive.
You said donot cancel the picked order, because cancel the picked order will make restarunt loose money,the customer delay time,and will result in driver’s account deactive. i donot agree either, that sounds like your guess, do you asked uber eats? although i know some restarunt suspicious driver will cancel order after pick up but not click on confirm pick up, maybe they use some way to cheat the food, and a lot of restarunt require me to confirm pick up order then can pick the food , i am very very hate that, that is like the restarunt control me, force me to confirm, i told them many times, i pick food,i confirm pick,i deliver, that’s all by my own decision,not forced by others, sometimes this will cause arguement. it seems somerestarunts donot trust driver,but i think i can use my account to earn over $1000(this is general talking,earn this amount need some time,and maybe there happen something cause deactive,but not achieve $1000,but anyway,i want express i can use the account earn more money than the food value ),why some restarunt would assume me will use the cheat way to get that maybe only $10?and the taste maybe bad.i know the rent for a dasher account is around $50-$100/week,i rent several dasher accounts before,that time i donot have ssn,althrough i violate their company rule,but i donot cheat,i told them many many time about rent and buy acount,even when talked to their supervisor, my rented and bought dasher account both deactive, i can violate the rule,but i am honest.but talk back, i am honest, i donot use this kind of cheat way to get the food.
Refer to your opinion that donot cancel the picked order,i think :1.if there exist some reason to cancel ,then just cancel, maybe send back the food,uber eats may not deactive account 2.even no reason,but just want to cancel, cancel it, do what i want, why been controlled by the benifit? that is stupid to be control by anytging,but right now i canot always refuse the benefit, such as earn the basic money for food and gasoline, i sometimes feel pressure,but i still to do.
before i canot read my cancellation rate, today i asked some questions, one of them relate to my cancellation rate, the support told me make some change in my account,and after some hours can see the cancellation rate,also need to login off and login in. i tried about 20 min after that conversation end,can see my cancellation rate is 1%,it said 1 cancel ,98 or 97 finish. this rate surprise me, before i thought the rate is the similar like satisfation rate,acceptance rate,which is calculate from deduct, as:totally 100%,if happen 1,then deduct some rate from that,but cancellation rate is calculate by reverse way, which is start from 0%,if happen 1,then the rate will increase(not always, maybe some situation will diffrent)
its strange, i remember i cancelled about 3-4 orders,and among them there are 2 orders combined together,guess caculate as 2 cancellation.