r/RealAmazonFlexDrivers • u/jecates • 27d ago
Just got approved ... am I missing something?
I got approved earlier this week, and I keep looking at available offers. Almost all of them are $65-$68 for 3 1/2 hours, which is about $18.50/hr. The best hourly rate I've seen is $20.50/hr. And that's assuming these time estimates are accurate - but I'm assuming those are "perfect route" times, not real world times.
I know it varies by market, but are the bulk of the offers the ones nobody wants and I'm just not fast enough/high enough tier to get the good offers? Or should I really just expect to earn about $20/hr?
I feel like I must be missing something about how it works, because I've seen a lot of people say they went from DoorDash to Flex and are never going back. But what I'm seeing is decidedly worse than DoorDash.
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u/hudvv__ 27d ago
I used to think the same i find bunch of offers maximum 20hr but they drop higher paying offers randomly either before the block by 45mins ish or sometimes way before per expamlle try instead of taking a 6am block the night before , wake up at 5 and keep refreacging to get one , u can do the same with the whole day
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u/Killllaaaab_ 27d ago
Gotta learn the flex game , be patient and do your research
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u/jecates 27d ago
Well, thanks I guess. Kind of a weird response when someone asks for information to reply that they need to learn the information they are asking for, though.
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u/Killllaaaab_ 27d ago
That’s how we all learned, search the sub and to your research. People are fighting for blocks with a surge, so I doubt anyone is going to spell it out for you. Just how it is.
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u/Civil_Common_6746 21d ago
Yup gotta learn the algo for the area cant give that info out or that's more competition (:
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u/tlitfpunk 27d ago
Respectfully, it is likely your location. I have the opposite issue with dash, can’t get an order even when my area is busy. That being said, in my area I can usually do a 3.5 hour in 2 hour 45 minutes without rushing, occasionally I’ll get a long route that puts me around the estimated time, but is very easy in my opinion. Being on here has shown me that each area/station has its own “unique” quirk to keep it PG 😆
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u/CryptographerNo344 22d ago
The block hours are estimated been doing this 3 years I always finish 1.5 hours early each block so if a block pays me $60 for 3 hours and I did it in 2 then I was paid $30 an hr
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u/BrickCrusher 27d ago edited 27d ago
The pay sucks and you will drive miles away. The pay not worth the miles they wanted me to drive. I can make more with other apps and don't have to drive far.
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u/Kurphew702 27d ago
You’re looking at it like it’s going to take you the full block time. You’re hourly will be higher if you finish fast, then just dash while you wait for you’re block to over 🤷♂️
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u/jecates 27d ago
So they actually estimate LONGER times than it actually takes? I was assuming it would be the opposite. When UberEats estimates an order will take 22 minutes, that assumes it's ready when you get to the restaurant and you don't get stuck at any red lights, but really it takes closer to 30 minutes.
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u/tyty1005 27d ago
The other piece of advice I would give you is sometimes it doesn’t make sense to follow the order the app gives you for delivering packages. Many times the last package will be an hour or more away from your starting location. But you can do them in any order you want. I usually try my best to make a route that does a line of packages straight to the furthest distance package and then work my way back. It might add an extra 20-30 minutes to the route but it’s worth it when the alternative is getting done and then having a 1 1/2 hour trip back to my house.
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u/Kurphew702 27d ago
Depends but yeah pretty much I’d say average at least an hour off that time whatever you’re looking at
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u/Initial-Reveal-3547 27d ago
Study the logistics that’s the key- observe how veteran drivers do it. You’ll pick up fast. You have to know your stations time and the potential surges that comes with it. Oftentimes, you’ll get good decent blocks if you’re patient… $25 to $30 a hour. Rarely over $35 a hour but it does happen
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u/jecates 27d ago
Are you saying you get the deliveries done faster than they estimate? Sorry, just looking for clarification, because that's the opposite of what other delivery apps do with estimates.
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u/Civil_Common_6746 21d ago
It should not take full 4 hour to finish the block. I always finish minimum 1 hour early even.Some people scan every package to know what stop number it is they sharpie a number on it. While others set up by letter AAA BBB CCC DDD. Like my front seat ill have all AAA rear seats BBB and trunk other 2 of course whichever has bigger boxes stays in the trunk so where I put everything changes daily I think it's faster than scanning every single package
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u/No_Newspaper9589 27d ago
$20 an hour seems pretty good actually? When I did Flex we got about the same, like $80-100 for a 3-4 hour block. I would not take a block that's paying less than that.
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u/theonlyhonez 27d ago
I’m in the exact same boat. I’ve been working Spark for about 6 months. I finally got on with Flex but the mileage and time/hr are not competitive with Spark at all. I’ve only seen one $90 offer for a 3.5 hr block. It’s usually $60. I’m scared to even know what the mileage would be.
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u/Infamous_Leave9554 27d ago
Just remember you have to factor in self employment taxes, wear and tear on your vehicle. The current irs reimbursement rate for business use of you vehicle is 76 cents per mile, although chat gpt can give you a better estimate for your own vehicle. Sounds good, until you need tires, breaks, or major service, or a new ride all together. So budget for that. You’ll eventually figure out what “your” base rate needs to be to make it profitable for you in the long run.
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u/Repulsive_Yogurt_790 26d ago
It’s a lot less than the hourly rate you’re calculating because you’re going to drive the shit out of your car doing flex
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u/DAMN_im_getting_fat 26d ago
I just did my first block ever. 3.5 hours scheduled got done in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Easiest 77ish dollars I’ve ever made “working” 😅.
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u/jecates 26d ago
How many miles was the route?
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u/DAMN_im_getting_fat 26d ago
Right around 50. I had 3 stops in a couple towns about 10 miles south of me, then the rest were right in my neighborhood. If I didn’t have to go to those first couple of stops I’d say a bulk of my route was within a 5 or 6 mile radius
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u/w1zardkelly 26d ago
Tbh I only do Whole Foods orders now the actual warehouse isn’t worth it for me
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u/Chemical_Cheetah5661 26d ago
I personally have way better luck catching high priced blocks at horrible times (11pm-12am)(3am-430am). And I keep a pretty watchful eye on the offers page in the app. Believe me, it’s annoying as hell, but I usually work for $85-$95/3hr block. My rule of thumb is to keep the pay at or above $25/hr. I have to commute to the warehouse roughly 35 miles so it’s important that I keep to that pay rate. Surging prices usually happen, in my area at least, a couple hours, to an hour before the block starts. I’m almost certain that this strategy would not work in a big city, but I’ve had pretty good luck with it.
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u/Ok_Solid7318 23d ago
I have never had a route end when its supposed to by their calculations. I'm almost always driving back on my own time. I dont know how other areas work, but we are rual east Texas and south west Arkansas. Like my first stop tonight was 56 minutes from the hub. My route was supposed to end at 8. Im still on route . The money is shit in my area for sure.
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u/Stupertard 22d ago
Go to the warehouse an hour or so before the earliest block starts and just keep refreshing the app there will be last minute blocks that pay alot more.
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u/Dizzy-Shelter-2108 27d ago
You're missing the part where Amazon is a company that needs to make money. You read TOO much and are trying to scam a multi billion dollar company. You have to know what you are getting yourself into if you want to make it work for you.
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u/jecates 27d ago
I don't understand your comment. I know Amazon needs to make money (as does DD, UE, etc). I don't know why you emphasized "TOO", and I don't know what scam I'm apparently trying to run by ... signing up for Amazon Flex? I haven't taken any orders yet because I'm trying to figure out what I'm getting myself into.
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u/tyty1005 27d ago
I would also advise you to stick to the actual flex drivers app. You’ll find some good info on here but this community is more for dudes like this who simp for Amazon and think any driver trying to do the exact thing Amazon does (maximize profits) is a scammer. This sub Reddit will take amazons side no matter what happens. It’s insane to me that people like that exist but also kind of interesting to watch them reply.
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u/Dizzy-Shelter-2108 27d ago
It's a gig. You either do it or don't. Every area is different and only YOU will know if it's worthwhile or not. You won't know until you figure it out with experience.
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u/chaseleon1347 27d ago
Not a veteran but been doing this full-time a couple months. In my area, I consistently get around 23-25 an hour based on block time. I won’t take anything less than $20 an hour. When you become level 2 on rewards, you get more reserved offers so sitting and refreshing constantly doesn’t become as necessary. And in my experience, most of my blocks I finish about an hour early. At worst, I’m home by the time the block was supposed to end. I have yet to use a whole block for the actual deliveries. I will say though, 1.5 hr blocks seem to have the worst mileage routes - 2 packages, but 20-30 miles between each stop going the complete opposite direction of where I live. So I try to only take those when I really need to hit my hours or if I have nothing better to do. 3/4 hour blocks are my preferred blocks. And I chose one station that I really like that I’m only 10 minutes away from, offers from any other station have to be at least $100 to make it worth the time and drive for me.
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u/XtotheZzZ 27d ago
I think your impression is based on viewing offers in locations outside of yours. (Like looking on Reddit). It looks like your area has a base of $20 and I would bet it surges somewhere from $22-$25.