If someone told me I was going to be a Top Dasher a year ago, I would have laughed and said, “yeah right”. As an experienced driver and multi-apper, meaning I work on more than one delivery gig app at a time, I did not see the value. I would ask myself how could this possibly make me more money.
Fast forward to today, I am now a DoorDash Top Dasher–making more money on a single gig app than I did working across multiple apps. Now before we jump into it, you may be wondering what is a DoorDash Top Dasher.
The Top Dasher Program allows DoorDash to recognize and ward their best Dashers based on a few key metrics. Qualifying Dashers receive special perks to acknowledge their ability to go above and beyond for their customers.
Benefits of Becoming a DoorDash Top Dasher
“Dash Now” Anytime
The biggest benefit is being able to “Dash Now” anytime. This means that you can hit one button and start working anywhere on your own schedule regardless of whether or not it is busy!
Whereas as a regular Dasher, you must schedule your hours depending on your location. Whenever it does get busy in the area and more Dashers are needed, your zone will turn pink and you can hit “Dash Now” to start working—though in many areas, pink zones don’t exist and scheduling is paramount to working the platform.
VIP Dasher Support
If you need help with anything that comes up while dashing, like troubles with your orders or customers, you will get VIP priority when contacting DoorDash support. This will come in handy to smooth out any bumps on the road, especially when you’re trying to make an earning!
Delivery Priority
Many dashers have argued that Top Dashers receive orders more frequently during slow periods of time and Top Dashers see the best orders first as a priority dasher. While it’s not directly tied to the title of being a Top Dasher, it’s because of the high customer rating and acceptance rate they have already achieved.
Top Dashers automatically qualify for the new pilot program that gives eligible Dashers priority access to higher paying orders when they have a customer rating of at least 4.5 and an acceptance rate at or above 50%. Now, let’s talk about the requirements for becoming a Top Dasher!
Top Dasher Requirements 2022
If it all sounds great to you, now you are probably wondering how to become a Top Dasher! To qualify to be a DoorDash Top Dasher for the next month, these are Top Dasher requirements you will need to reach before 11:59 PM on the last day of the current month:
- Customer service rating of at least 4.7
- Acceptance rate of at least 70%
- Completion rate of at least 95%
- At least 100 completed deliveries in the last month
- At least 200 lifetime deliveries
You might think, “this doesn’t look so bad.” As an independent contractor, you have the right to decline any order you are not willing to take. You are your own boss and business. However, on the road to becoming a top dasher, you are required to take every order to achieve the minimum acceptance rate of 70%.
In my case, I shot for a 100% acceptance rate in my first month. Go big or go home as they say! This was the hardest part of becoming a Top Dasher. I had to take no-tip orders and high-mile orders with low pay. I had to do grocery delivery and go to neighborhoods I usually stay away from. I had to take some of the worst orders I’ve ever seen.
I had to change my mindset that there is no such thing as a bad order.
Why 100%? I wanted to see if I received priority orders and high-paying orders with a higher acceptance rate and rating. What I can say? Numbers don’t lie. My weekly earnings, which I used to need 5 apps to accomplish, are now done by one single app–DoorDash.
Why Did I Become a Top Dasher?
As an influencer in the gig economy, I could not talk or give an opinion about the Top Dasher program—good or bad— unless I actually became one myself. It was a personal journey for me to see if I could actually accomplish something I didn’t think was possible.
Was it hard? Absolutely, but for me and my audience, it was worth it in the end.
I live and work within a very busy market and the DoorDash Top Dasher program has been a positive experience. I’ve been making money consistently and I’m seeing more orders now than I have ever seen–even during the slowest times in my area! I’ve also noticed that I’m seeing bigger peak pay in my area compared to being a regular Dasher.
My Strategy for Becoming a Top Dasher
How to be a top dasher? I kept my strategy simple. I took every order DoorDash gave me for the last 5-7 days of the month. Every time a DoorDash order came in, I took it. I still multi-apped on the side with Grubhub and UberEats so I didn’t lose out on my earnings for the week.
However, if I went outside of my zone, I would pause DoorDash until I got back to my area. I also didn’t take DoorDash orders after 8 PM to avoid getting sent after hours to neighborhoods I wasn’t comfortable delivering to. For safety, this was one of the most important strategies I had.
The Biggest Misconceptions about the Top Dasher Program
“I won’t get any bad orders!”
Unfortunately, you will still see those orders you just don’t want to take. They will always exist on the platform–and pretty much every gig platform! There will always be both good and bad orders, but in my experience, the good always outweighed the bad.
“I can’t decline orders!”
Yes, you can! You can decline and pick any order you want to. Once you receive the email saying you’re a Top Dasher, you can accept only the orders that are right for you. However, if you do choose to keep your Top Dasher status for the following month, remember that you will need to work your way back towards archiving the minimum 70% acceptance rate before the cut-off time.
Overall, I am proud of myself for trying something I’ve never tried before. I went into this program thinking I would hate it and that it would never work. Now, I’m a Top Dasher knowing what I could produce for myself in my market.
If you are thinking of partaking in the Top Dasher program, keep a couple of things in mind. Not every market is the same or successful with the program. I encourage drivers to try it at least once. As a driver, do what’s best for you and what will make you more money!
Kim Schwarz AKA Kim’ssidemoneyplans has been working in the Gig Economy since 2019. She runs multiple apps including food and grocery delivery with over 10K deliveries on all platforms combined. Kim is a full-time mom, gig worker, and has her own YouTube channel. Her YouTube channel was established in 2020 to inspire other drivers to go out, have fun, and make money! Her Motto is “kindness is always free” and lives by it every day. Based out of New Jersey, Kim is an expert on Gig Apps and hopes to help others achieve their goals.
