Uber Eats Sign Up Bonus in Australia and NZ: How Much Can We Get in 2023

As the market leader in the Australian food delivery industry, Uber certainly has the most delivery drivers compared to similar platforms. Since the presence of the service in 2016 Uber Eats has provided thousands of work opportunities across the nation. Accenture firm reported that in 2020 Uber Eats had around 59,000 delivery drivers, an eightfold increase from 2016.

However, it seems that Uber still needs additional delivery drivers on the road, as we can see that they are still opening registrations for new drivers. Even now Uber is still offering a sign up bonus for new drivers in select cities. The requirements are quite simple, drivers only need to complete several deliveries (usually 30 trips) before the due date.

There are several reasons why Uber is still recruiting drivers, the very first is the significant increase in delivery requests during the pandemic where Australians are spending 210% more on food delivery as dining at restaurants no longer becomes an option. The second is the very strict competition in this industry with the emergence of new players such as Doordash.

The last is the status of the delivery driver as an independent contractor where they can determine for themselves when they want to work. For that reason, Uber recruits as many new drivers as possible to avoid a shortage of on-the-road delivery drivers that can happen at any time.

The lack of delivery drivers greatly impacts the sustainability of on-demand food delivery services such as Uber Eats. No drivers mean that no one picks up customer orders at the restaurant/grocery store and delivers them on time. This will certainly affect the consumer’s experience when using this service.

What is Uber Eats Driver sign up bonus?

Sign up bonus is a form of promotion from Uber to their new delivery drivers who have signed up and successfully activated to become Uber Eats drivers. This promotion is designed to lure more drivers to deliver with their platform.

Every new driver has the opportunity to get a bonus without the need to enter an invite code because it’s different from the driver referral reward program where the new driver must enter an invite code from another driver.

To be eligible for this sign up bonus, the registration process must comply with the promotion’s terms and conditions such as the registration timeline, qualified cities and minimum delivery. We will explain this in another section.

As we already know, as a side hustle job, many people only do this work at certain times, such as when they finish their full-time job. Every delivery person can also determine for themselves when and where they will work and even they can quit this job whenever they want.

The flexible working hour is one of the reasons why Uber sometimes is experiencing a shortage of drivers on the road. This will make Uber Eats consumers have to wait much longer to get their orders. So, in the on-demand delivery business, the availability of couriers is crucial. And to avoid this condition, the company must keep registration open for new delivery people.

Driver sign up bonus in Australia and NZ

Some newly registered delivery drivers are eligible for this promotion. They only need to register on their official website or driver app, complete all the requirements and get activated. But they have to make sure that they sign up during the promotion period and choose one of the eligible cities as their place to work in the future.

But you need to remember that this driver’s sign up bonus promotion often changes as per Uber’s marketing strategy. This often takes place after the promotion period comes to an end.

Some changes that may occur such as how much bonus will be given, how much delivery must be made, in which city this promotion will take place, and several other things.

The following are the current details about the Uber Eats driver sign up bonus that we found:

AUSTRALIA

Previously, Uber offers an extra $300 including GST when new Uber Eats delivery drivers sign up and complete 30 deliveries within 20 days of completing the signing up form. Once the driver completes the 30th delivery, they will receive $300 in their account within two weeks.

Updated sign up offer in January – March 2023

The promotion has been updated recently and is only valid in Sydney only. The number of eligible cities reduced significantly compared to the previous period, at that time this offer was valid in up to 20 cities across the country.

Most of the eligible cities are located in areas where Uber Eats is quite busy, so completing the 30 deliveries target is not that hard, but the number of deliveries does not include cancelled orders.

NEW ZEALAND
Based on the information we have, Uber has decided to stop the sign up bonus for delivery drivers in New Zealand. It will take effect in the first quarter of 2022 for an undetermined deadline. There is no information yet on when the company will reactivate this kind of promotion in the area.

In the previous period, this offer was valid in six cities in the country such as Queenstown, Dunedin, Wellington, New Plymouth, Napier-Hastings and Palmerston North.

However, there is still a possibility that the company will reactivate the sign up bonus offer in NZ in the future. This can happen when Uber thinks that the number of active delivery drivers is not enough to fulfil the consumers’ orders.

The terms and conditions that we mentioned above can change at any time according to Uber’s marketing strategy. However, we will try to update any information we provide here.

How much is the bonus?

Eligible delivery drivers in Australia will get a $300 sign up bonus (decreased from $500 in the previous period) which will be processed to the driver’s account the following week.

The amount of bonus offered is fairly high for some drivers because it is almost like the average weekly income of drivers in the country. So, don’t be surprised if many new delivery people are interested in becoming Uber Eats drivers, especially during this promotion.

The following is a screenshot of a driver who successfully completed 30 deliveries in the previous promotion period.

Qualified for Sign up Bonus

Currently, no other on-demand delivery company dares to provide new drivers with the same incentives that Uber offers. Because as a market leader and with increasingly fierce competition, companies must do various ways so that the market share of their services does not decrease.

This promotion also targets existing delivery drivers who work with other platforms such as Menulog, Deliveroo or Doordash to deliver with Uber Eats. Drivers don’t need to leave their previous platforms because they can online with multiple delivery apps at the same time.

How long until I receive it?

This delivery driver sign up promotion is a limited-time offer. This means that to be eligible for this promotion they must complete the entire registration process and complete the required deliveries within that period of time.

Eligibility period

Generally, this promotion has a time period of up to two months. For example, the sign up bonus is valid from 1 July to 31 August. If the sign up process and the required deliveries are made outside of these dates, the driver is ineligible for the bonus.

Bonus schemes like this will greatly benefit those who register early since they have a lot of time to complete the required actions. On the other hand, it’s not beneficial for those who just signed up near the end of the promotion period.

The good news is, in September 2022 Uber changed the promotion scheme by removing the promotion deadline. They replaced it with a 20-day time limit, meaning they had to complete all required actions within 20 days of completing the signing-up form. Fair enough for those who are often late in getting information about this promotion.

How long until I get activated?

The eligibility period we described earlier includes the time it takes to complete onboarding and become activated.

So this includes the time you need to complete every requirement, such as uploading a driver’s licence, vehicle registration, background check and other requirements which can be read in our guide on how to become an Uber Eats delivery driver.

The requirements are quite easy and maybe you already have them initially. However, there is one condition that requires quite a bit of time, namely a background check. The time required to complete the background check may vary due to individual circumstances. Read more in our other posts about background check.

According to several drivers, the Uber Eats activation process in Australia is fairly fast, it only takes a few days if you have completed all the requirements. If it’s longer, it might come from a background check that takes up to two weeks.

How long does it take to complete the required deliveries?

To be eligible for this promotion, a driver must complete certain deliveries within the specified time. Currently, in Australia Uber requires delivery drivers to complete 30 deliveries. This number may increase or decrease according to company policy, previously they required only 20 deliveries.

How long will it take for drivers to complete 30 deliveries? Depending on the time and location where you are going online, some of the Uber Eats drivers we met said they can easily complete 2 – 4 deliveries in an hour on average.

If we take the example of 3 deliveries per hour and you work for 5 hours each day, then you will successfully complete the required delivery in just 2 days (15 deliveries per day).

I didn’t get my sign up bonus?

If you are one of the drivers who registered during this offer and managed to complete 30 deliveries with Uber Eats in an eligible city. Then you should be qualified for the promised sign up bonus.

But what if you don’t get any information from Uber after successfully completing the required delivery? The following are some tips that you can do to claim the Uber Eats sign up bonus or just to confirm with the company about your eligibility for the bonus.

• Read the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) of the offer carefully. The offer’s T&Cs are sometimes updated without you realizing it, so be sure to look into the most current details about it. For example, the last sign up offer states that every new driver’s bonus payment will be made at the end of the promotion period.
• Make sure you receive an email confirmation regarding this promotion after you sign-up and get activated. If you don’t get the email, you can re-read the terms and conditions. Because there is a possibility that you are ineligible for this offer.
• Contact Uber Support via message or email. Let them know if you have completed the offer and ask them to confirm whether you are eligible for the bonus or not.
• Make sure you haven’t signed up with Uber before (even if you didn’t complete it). To avoid this problem, use a new email (and a new mobile number?). Because registration and activation must be done within the specified time. As an example, last year you tried to register but did not intend to continue it, you might not be eligible for the bonus when you use the same account credentials (from last year), since the account was created before the offer period took place.

Easy driver requirements

To be able to become a delivery driver on the Uber Eats platform is the same as other similar companies. You only need to upload a copy of a few personal documents, quite simple, especially if you are already registered as a driver with other apps in Australia. The following are the required documents:

1. National Identity Card, it can be a Passport/Citizenship/Birth Certificate/Immicard.
2. Pass a background check by NCC, additional VEVO checks are required for temporary residents or temporary visa holders.
3. Australian Business Number (ABN)
4. Pass the Bicycle Test or Safe Delivering Education
5. Vehicle registration (rego) and vehicle insurance (NZ only). These two documents are not required for those who work with a bicycle including an electric bike.
6. Driver licence for drivers who want to make use of a motorized vehicle for work. Unlike other platforms like Doordash which allow provisional driver licence, Uber requires an unrestricted or full licence. Overseas licence holders are welcome.

After completing all the required docs, the driver only needs to wait 3 working days to get activated. But sometimes the process does not run smoothly. Most of the activation delays are due to the background check process. Find out more about the police check process by NCC in Australia.

Uber currently seems to be struggling right now, fulfilling soaring high delivery requests from its customers due to the lack of drivers in some areas in busy cities. This is the reason why they are still recruiting and even giving sign up bonuses to new delivery drivers on the Uber Eats platform.

Maybe some people think that too many drivers can reduce the chance for drivers to get orders which will ultimately have an impact on their daily income. However, this assumption is sometimes not always accurate since there is no guarantee that all these drivers can be online at the same time, due to the fact that most workers only use Uber Eats to earn supplemental income.

Moreover, this side hustle has helped many individuals in Australia who have difficulty accessing traditional work, especially temporary residents with visa restrictions, limited skills or experience, and limited English fluency. Becoming a gig driver is one solution to be able to financially support themselves during the pandemic where many people have lost their jobs.