DoorDash won’t let you tip NYC drivers without the app

Last week, I placed a big dinner order for myself and several friends through DoorDash. There was no way to add a tip when I placed my order, but I wasn’t too worried — DoorDash assured me I’d be able to tip after the order was placed or delivered.

It was the first time I had used the service since last November, and since then, DoorDash made some big changes: in protest of a New York City law guaranteeing a minimum wage for delivery drivers, the platform removed the ability to add a tip when you place an order. Now, in New York City, customers like myself who want to continue tipping must do so after their order is placed.

It wasn’t until I went back to add a tip to that dinner order that I realized just how difficult DoorDash has made the process, even after initial payment. On the DoorDash website on the web, I scoured my receipt and past order pages for a way to add gratuity. I looked through my confirmation email for an “add a tip” option. Nothing.

The only way I was able to add a tip was by messaging DoorDash support through a chat and asking for a tip to be added manually. Annoyed, I asked why there was no option after payment to add on gratuity to the person hand-delivering food to me and got a vague answer about how DoorDash was doing systems updates. The chat was then abruptly ended.

A test by another Verge reporter found similar hurdles to tipping. On the DoorDash app, the “add tip” option is near the top when viewing a past order. But on the web, the option is nowhere to be found. I don’t have the DoorDash app and don’t want it but would like to have an easy way to add a tip for my drivers.

DoorDash has a sprawling presence even beyond its own app: some restaurants use the company’s infrastructure on their own sites to process orders. It’s not always obvious that DoorDash is involved, but delivery drivers could miss out on tips if there are hurdles to add gratuity. Take the online ordering page for Han Dynasty, a restaurant in Brooklyn that uses DoorDash. There’s no option to tip at checkout; there’s also no mention of the ability to add a tip after the fact.

DoorDash didn’t immediately respond to my questions about whether this is a bug or a feature.

DoorDash’s move to bump tipping after ordering is the company’s way of throwing a tantrum over a new $17.96 minimum hourly pay rate for delivery drivers. In announcing the change in how tips are given, DoorDash called New York City’s law “ill-conceived” and “extreme.” Delivery workers previously earned about $7.09 an hour, despite doing a dangerous and often thankless job.

“We know tips are still an important way for consumers to show Dashers their appreciation, so consumers will still be able to tip after checkout and for up to 30 days after they order,” the company wrote in its announcement about the tipping changes. And yes, true, there’s still a way to add a tip to your DoorDash order — the company will just make you jump through hoops to do so.