Gone are the days when buying food meant going all the way to the store. The modern world runs on technology, and services like Postmates bring food, drinks, and groceries right to your doorstep.
However, Postmates has a different payment method, unlike other food delivery apps.
Users are often concerned with many questions, including if Postmates accepts cash, what payment methods are then accepted or declined by Postmates, and if there is really a way to pay with cash using Postmates?
Read on to the following guide to find all the answers!
Does Postmates Accept Cash?
Postmates was initially founded in 2011 as a food delivery service and soon became popular among foodies.
Users can order food, beverages, and monthly groceries at any time of the day from the Postmates website or mobile app.
However, note that Postmates orders are prepaid, which means you have to pay for the food upfront beforehand.
Furthermore, your order will not be placed if you do not pay for it, as advanced payment is the only supported payment mode by Postmates.
Such a payment method differs from other delivery services, which support both cash and online billing. However, for Postmates, cash is not an acceptable option to pay for your goods. You can only order food by paying prepaid, and the delivery man will then deliver the items to your address.
Why Do Postmates Not Accept Cash?
Since the day it was founded, Postmates has been introduced as a cashless delivery system where payments are secured through online billing.
There has been much controversy about why Postmates doesn’t allow cash, and the most acceptable thought is merchant safety.
Undoubtedly, online shopping has made life easy. A customer places an order, and the goods are delivered within a few days. The buyer also pays the delivery man in cash for the ordered items.
This trio (seller, delivery man, buyer) is convenient and faster. However, like other systems, online delivery has its pros and cons. Often the merchants have to bear the loss when customers do not pick up the call or refuse to pay at the last moment.
It takes time to process the order. Especially when it comes to food, the items delivered should be fresh. In such a scenario, if the order is not properly delivered, the risks of food getting spoiled or expired bring loss to the seller.
Furthermore, the merchant has to pay the delivery company as well. If the ratio of canceled or refused orders is high, the profit earned from online delivery would be nulled.
Considering all the factors, Postmates has only one payment mode – prepaid. It also explains its popularity, as sellers have more security at Postmates than other delivery services.
Similarly, because the payment is made in advance, customers are also served greater benefits. Postmates make sure the delivered goods are high-quality, and payment refunds are secure and quick in case of customer dissatisfaction.
What is Postmates Cash?
Contrary to the popular myth, Postmates Cash does not refer to the availability of cash as a payment method. The service only accepts secure online billing, and Postmates Cash is the platform’s digital wallet through which customers can pay, and sellers can receive transactions.
To use Postmates Cash, the user has first to make an account. The platform also offers general credits when your order fulfills particular criteria as a part of Postmates Customer Support.
Furthermore, you can choose to buy gift cards or pay for your order at the checkout. Postmates Cash is similar to Uber Cash, where you fill your Uber wallet using credit/debit cards and then use the money in your virtual wallet to buy goods.
For ordering food, Postmates Cash is the only verifiable, secure wallet supported by Postmates. It is also a safe method for merchants to keep track of all the orders and to carry out all kinds of transactions.
Also, since Uber acquired the platform in 2020, Uber users get a further benefit from using Postmates. If you use Uber Wallet to pay for the rides, you can access Postmates Cash and pay for your rides using the virtual wallet instead of your Uber Wallet.
Similarly, you can receive payments through Postmates Cash in your Uber Wallet as an Uber driver. This way, you can keep your transactions in one place without worrying about losing them.
Payment Methods Not Accepted By Postmates
Because Postmates cares about its prestige and users’ money, it has timely narrowed down its accepted payment methods to a few options.
The good thing is that you can place an order using Postmates Cash. However, it surprises many users that some of the most popular payment methods are not accepted by Postmates. A few of them are as follows:
- Google Pay
- EBT: EBT stands for Electronic Benefit Transfer and is used by members of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to shop for food items with SNAP funds. However, Postmates members cannot avail of EBT to make food purchases with EBT.
- Paypal
- Cash App: A popular payment method in the USA and UK, but unsupported by Postmates.
- Prepaid Cards
- Visa Cards
- Debit Cards
To say, Postmates follows a strict strategy in how money is circulated between vendors and buyers, and the most reliable and familiar way to make money transfers on it is using Postmates Cash.
Payment Methods Accepted By Postmates
As stated earlier, Postmates Cash is the most recommended payment method supported by Postmates. However, users can also pay for food, beverages, or grocery items using Apple Pay.
Unlike Google Pay or other payment modes declared unsupported by Postmates, Apple Pay is considered a reliable virtual wallet.
It is easy to link your Apple Wallet with Postmates and make purchases. Make sure your Apple Watch and your Apple Pay account are linked, then add your Apple Wallet to Postmates.
A verification method will be followed to ensure your Apple Pay account is safe to be linked with Postmates. After that, you can pay for your order using Apple Pay on the Postmates website/app.
Bottom Line
Postmates is a popular food delivery service you can use to order food and drinks. The platform also offers grocery items and is open to shopping all days of the week.
However, when wondering if Postmates accepts cash, many users are surprised that it is a cashless system. No cash-on-delivery service is supported on Postmates, and all the orders are paid beforehand.
Such a strict rule is followed to ensure merchant’s rights by eliminating the concept of refused or canceled orders at the last moment.
Furthermore, Postmates uses its own payment transfer method – Postmates Cash. It is like the platform’s personal virtual wallet, which buyers and vendors use to make money transactions.
Lastly, Postmates also support Apple Pay as a reliable payment method. However, users must first pass verification before their Apple Wallet is accepted by Postmates.
