Amazon Flex Review: How Much Do Amazon Drivers Make?

Courier jobs like driving for food delivery apps are effective ways to earn extra cash. But did you know you can also make money as an Amazon Flex driver?

By delivering packages for the e-commerce giant, you can make money on your own schedule and diversify your delivery side hustle options.

If you want to learn how to make money delivering orders, our Amazon Flex review covers everything you need to know.

What is Amazon Flex?

Amazon Flex is the on-demand delivery network the company uses to deliver packages.

The platform began in 2015 and has since expanded to every U.S. state, Canada, and parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

How Does the Service Work?

Like other gigs that let you make money driving, Amazon Flex drivers are not employees. Instead, they are independent contractors.

As a driver, you collect packages from Amazon warehouses and deliver them to customers. You choose the shifts you work.

Ultimately, driving for Amazon Flex is a flexible, reliable side gig with competitive pay and lenient requirements.

Does Amazon Flex Pay Well?

Amazon delivery driver pay is $18 to $25 per hour on average, according to Amazon. However, several factors influence your earnings, including:

• Your location
• Customer demand
• How fast you complete deliveries
• Potential tips

You see how much money a delivery block guarantees when creating your schedule. Amazon always pays at least $15 to $19 per scheduled hour.

Compensation fares well in comparison to other delivery apps in the market. Additionally, this makes working as a driver one of the better $20 an hour jobs that don’t require a degree.

Pay can vary based on your location and current order demand. For example, Amazon might boost rates during high demand times.

Blocks where customers can tip, like Amazon Fresh deliveries, show an estimated tip amount as well. You keep 100 percent of your tips.

Delivering packages efficiently is what matters most for earning a high hourly wage. It’s also worth noting that customer tips aren’t common unless you’re delivering groceries.

This is one significant difference between Amazon Flex and most food delivery jobs.

Additionally, the fact that Amazon guarantees $15 to $19 per scheduled hour is different from most delivery gigs where hourly pay is more volatile.

Here is how pay from Amazon Flex compares to other popular on-demand delivery services.

Where is Amazon Flex Available?

Courier jobs like Uber Eats and DoorDash are almost always hiring. In contrast, becoming an Amazon Flex driver isn’t as accessible.

Amazon doesn’t consistently hire in every state or city. To begin your application, check the Amazon Flex locations page to see if positions are available in your area.

If your area isn’t hiring, download the Amazon Flex app and create an account. The company will then notify you when it needs drivers in your area.

Requirements

When it comes to how to drive for Amazon, there are several requirements you must meet. These include:

• Having a driver’s license and car insurance
• Being 21 or older
• Having a mid-sized or larger vehicle
• Owning a smartphone that can run the Amazon Flex driver app, which means iPhone 6s or newer or Android 6.0 or higher

The type of Amazon packages you can deliver depends on your vehicle.

If you deliver Prime Now orders, you can use any type of car. However, if you deliver Amazon.com orders, you’ll need a four-door, mid-sized or larger vehicle, like a van, SUV, or truck with a covered bed.

Smaller vehicles don’t qualify to deliver Amazon.com orders. Additionally, you can’t deliver via bike, motorcycles, or scooters like you can with DoorDash and Uber Eats.

How to Register as a Delivery Driver

If you want to make money completing deliveries for Amazon Flex, the registration process only takes three steps.

1. Download the App

Start by downloading the Amazon Flex driver app for Android or iOS to begin your application. Then, you sign up for Flex with your Amazon account or create a new account with your email address.

2. Register

After you sign up, you finish completing your driver account. This involves:

• Entering your delivery preferences, like the areas you want to drive in
• Adding tax and payment information
• Choosing the Amazon warehouse you want to pick up packages from

3. Agree to a Background Check

Amazon also runs a background check on Flex drivers. Specifically, the company checks for major criminal violations within the last seven years and your driving record for major driving violations.

Once your account is approved, you’re ready to make money driving for Amazon Flex.

How to Start Working

Some delivery driver jobs let you work whenever you want just by going online. Amazon Flex is different and requires you to schedule shifts to start working.

Shifts are called blocks. You can view upcoming delivery blocks and the type of delivery involved within the app.

Blocks also display expected earnings and total delivery time.

Different delivery categories generally have different block lengths:

• Amazon.com: Three to six hours
• Prime Now & Amazon Fresh: Two to four hours
• Store Orders: Two to four hours
• Instant Offers: Deliveries normally take 15 to 45 minutes

You get a confirmation message in the app when you select a block. There’s also a calendar section that highlights upcoming delivery days.

You can cancel blocks 45 minutes before they start. Canceling a scheduled delivery shift with less notice counts as a missed block, and several missed blocks can result in deactivation from Amazon Flex.

What Does a Shift Look Like?

As an Amazon Flex driver, there are four types of deliveries you can complete:

• Amazon.com: Deliver Amazon orders to customers
• Prime Now & Amazon Fresh: Pick up groceries and everyday essentials from delivery stations and deliver them to customers
• Store Orders: Deliver packages for Amazon from local stores to customers
• Instant Offers: Only available in certain areas with delivery pickup points near your current location

Your shift will look a little different depending on the type of delivery you complete.

For example, Amazon.com orders begin at an Amazon delivery station. You use the Flex app to navigate to your starting location.

From there, an Amazon employee scans an arrival code from your driver app.

Once inside the delivery station, you go to a check-in point to pick up the packages you’re delivering. You scan each package with your driver app as you load your vehicle.

After loading, you use the app to navigate to each dropoff location.

There are nuances with other delivery types. For example, you sometimes collect Prime Now packages at a waiting area, like a parking lot, instead of a delivery station.

Amazon Fresh orders involve delivering groceries, making this side gig similar to jobs like Instacart.

When completing a delivery, you scan each package again with the Flex app. You also select the dropoff type from a list of options, which includes:

• Front door
• Rear door
• With a receptionist
• With a household member
• In another safe location

Front-door delivery is most common, and you take a photo with the Amazon Flex app when you drop off the package. If you leave a package with a receptionist or household member, you record their name in the app instead.

Once you complete your first delivery, you use the app to navigate to the next delivery on your list until you’ve completed every delivery.

You should complete deliveries within your block time since Amazon calculates shift lengths based on how many packages you’re delivering.

If you exceed your block time, you can request a pay adjustment by contacting driver support to get paid for your additional hours.

Keep in mind that Amazon doesn’t usually adjust pay. Regardless, it’s worth asking if you experience delays that are beyond your control, like long wait times at Amazon’s delivery station.

Additionally, if you encounter a problem on the road or don’t know how to complete a delivery, contact driver support through the Flex app instead of abandoning the delivery.

Thankfully, the app streamlines the process by letting you know where to pick up packages and where each dropoff point is. This helps you avoid running into issues.

How Often Does Amazon Pay?

Amazon Flex pays drivers every Tuesday and Friday through direct deposit.

Typically, earnings take one day to arrive in your bank account. If you need money fast, this payment schedule is an advantage of driving for Amazon Flex.

Pros and Cons

Like any gig economy job, there are several advantages and disadvantages to working for Amazon Flex.

Pros

• Earn at least $15 to $19 per scheduled hour
• Multiple delivery options
• Available in several countries
• Fast payment processing

Cons

• Job availability varies greatly between cities
• Can’t deliver via bike, scooter, or motorbike
• Getting tips is rare
• Can’t start working whenever you want

You can boost your monthly income with Amazon Flex, and the guaranteed hourly rate is a significant plus. However, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to replace your day job with this side hustle, so keep this earning limitation in mind.

Top Alternatives

Amazon Flex is one of the best-paying driving apps to make money. Unfortunately, it isn’t available in every city.

Even if the service is offered in your city, it’s worth testing different jobs like Amazon Flex to see what job pays the most in your area.

Here are some of the top alternatives to Amazon Flex if you are looking for a side hustle.

DoorDash

DoorDash is the leading food delivery app in North America and is available in over 7,000 cities. As a DoorDash driver, you deliver fast food and restaurant orders to customer’s doors.

If you are 18 years of age or older, you can deliver for DoorDash. Overall, the company has more lenient requirements than Amazon Flex and is the best delivery option if you’re on a bike or scooter.

*Related: If you’re looking for other food delivery jobs, read our guide on driver apps like DoorDash to find additional earning opportunities.

DoorDash driver pay varies on numerous factors. However, you can also earn tips which you typically don’t when driving for Amazon Flex.

Instacart Shopper

Instacart is a grocery delivery service that operates in over 5,500 cities in North America.

Similar to Amazon Flex, Instacart Shoppers are independent contractors who deliver grocery orders to customers. However, unlike Amazon Flex, you can work anytime you want just by going online.

Additionally, you can become an Instacart Shopper at 18 like DoorDash, so it’s a better job for college students.

Instacart Shoppers earn approximately $11 to $25 per hour, so the earning potential is higher than Amazon Flex.

Uber Eats

Uber Eats is similar to DoorDash. When you drive with Uber Eats you deliver food from local restaurants to customers. 

The app is available in over 6,000 cities worldwide and has similar requirements to DoorDash.

As long as you’re at least 19 years old and can meet the automobile requirements you can deliver with Uber Eats. They even allow you to deliver via bike in some locations.

Pay is up to $15 an hour. But, some cities allow for a per minute or mile rate which can help with earnings. It’s possible to earn tips.

If you want to increase earning opportunities, you can also drive with Uber Driver. This lets you take riders to chosen destinations.

*As of 7/18/22, Uber is migrating to a combined Driver & Delivery program that will allow a user to select how they want to earn with Uber, i.e., driving, delivering, or both! This consolidated program will be named Uber “One Earner.” Under this new model, whether a user lands on a Driver or a Delivery page, they’ll have the option to self-select which type of earning opportunity they want.

Bottom Line

When most people think of Amazon, they likely think of ways to save money and perks like Amazon Prime.

However, working for the company has immense side hustle potential, and Amazon Flex is a perfect example.

It’s one of the rare gig jobs that promises a stable hourly wage.Even if Amazon isn’t hiring in your city, you can sign up for alerts to know when opportunities are available.

Plus, you can combine working for Amazon Flex with other delivery jobs, like DoorDash and Instacart. This ensures you’ll have enough work to make plenty of extra cash.

What do you look for in a side hustle?

*Earning more on certain types of orders (ex. alcohol): Earn more per order as compared to restaurant orders. Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries you accept and complete, time of day, location, and any costs. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from tips, peak pay, and other incentives.

*Get paid instantly (DasherDirect): Subject to approval

*Cash out daily (Fast Pay): Fees apply

*Start Dashing today: Subject to background check and availability

*Dash anytime: Subject to availability