With just a few taps on your phone, you can request DoorDash to deliver your favorite food from any restaurant. This convenience means that you don’t need to leave your house to satisfy that sushi, burger, or pizza craving. But can you use gift cards on DoorDash?
Yes, you can use a gift card to pay for your DoorDash order. However, it can only be a DoorDash, standard Visa, MasterCard, or Amex gift card. That’s because DoorDash doesn’t accept restaurant-specific gift cards (or any other gift cards, for that matter, apart from the aforementioned ones).
Therefore, if you are thinking of getting a gift card for use with DoorDash – whether for yourself or someone else – your best bet is to obtain the official DoorDash gift card.
Do DoorDash gift cards pay for food?
You can use a DoorDash gift card to pay for food and/or everything else in your delivery order. This includes the delivery fee, service fee, and even a tip for the delivery Dasher.
Because of this all-around use, a DoorDash gift card can come in handy when you need to stack some cards. For example, you can use your debit or credit card to pay for the food itself and then put the tip on the DoorDash gift card.
How can you use gift cards on DoorDash?
A DoorDash gift card works just like any other gift card. To use it, you simply redeem the card for a DoorDash service. As mentioned, you can use the gift card for a variety of things, including payment for food, delivery fees, service fees, and tips.
Of course, first, you need to have the DoorDash gift card before you can redeem and use it. Like other gift cards, you can get them as a present from a friend, family, or even colleague. Alternatively, you can opt to buy one for yourself.
Where can you buy a DoorDash gift card? You can get a DoorDash gift card from the official DoorDash website or app. As another option, you may also buy it from online retail stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.
To buy the official DoorDash gift card, follow the following steps:
- Open the DoorDash website or app.
- Sign into your account and click on the hamburger icon.
- Select “Gift Card” and then head over to the “Buy Gift Card” section.
- Customize the gift card if necessary.
- Choose a delivery method for receiving the gift card. This can either be via mail or email. If you are buying for someone else, you will need to provide their email or mailing address.
- Pick a payment method that you prefer. DoorDash supports a variety of payment options, including debit cards, credit cards, online payments like PayPal, and mobile money services like Venmo.
- Receive the gift card. After filling in all the information and completing the payment, DoorDash will send the gift card either to the provided email or by mail. Needless to say, using email is a lot faster.
How do I redeem a DoorDash gift card?
If someone has given you a DoorDash gift card, or perhaps you’ve acquired one for yourself, you can redeem in a few quick steps. Doing so will add the card’s value to your account. Here’s how to redeem a DoorDash gift card:
- Sign in to your DoorDash account either on a website or mobile app
- On the web, click on the hamburger icon located at the top left. If you are using the app, tap on your account’s icon at the top left.
- Select “Gift Card”.
- In the box indicated “Redeem Gift Card”, enter the code of your DoorDash gift card.
- Click or tap “Redeem Gift Card”. This will add the value of the gift card to your account.
Why is DoorDash declining my gift card?
There are several reasons why DoorDash may decline a gift card. The most common is that you have entered the wrong code.
Of course, this is easy to fix. Simply retype the code, making sure that it’s totally accurate.
Besides that, DoorDash also warns that you will get an error message if you try to redeem gift card codes as promo codes. Therefore, make sure that you are using a gift card and not a promo code.
DoorDash can also decline your gift card if it’s not eligible. As mentioned, you can only use official DoorDash gift cards as well as standard Visa, MasterCard, and Amex gift cards. Any other will almost certainly decline.
Finally, your gift card may already be used. It’s not uncommon for fraudsters to steal gift cards and their codes, either physically or through online hacking.
If you are unquestionably sure that none of the above is true, the problem can be down to the DoorDash system. In which case sign out of your account, then sign in and try again.
If that doesn’t work either, sign out and uninstall the app (or clear browser data if you are using the web). Turn off your phone for at least three minutes then reinstall the app and try again.
In case the problem persists, you can reach DoorDash on their customer service number at 1 (855) 431-0459.
Do DoorDash gift cards expire?
One of the best things about DoorDash gift cards is that they do not expire. For this reason, you can buy and keep them for as long as you want.
However, as already mentioned, gift cards are susceptible to theft and fraud. DoorDash gift cards are no exception. And the longer you keep it, the higher the risk of your code getting in the wrong hands. But you can redeem the gift card and hold its value in your DoorDash account until you are ready to use it.
Can you use restaurant gift cards on DoorDash?
Unfortunately, DoorDash doesn’t allow using restaurant-specific gift cards to order food delivery. If you have a gift card for a particular restaurant, you will have to go there physically and pick up your meal. Or if they have their own in-house delivery service, then you can take advantage of that.
The reason why DoorDash and other third-party food delivery services don’t accept restaurant gift cards is that they have no affiliation with any particular restaurant. As such, they maintain their own payment systems, independent of partnering restaurants.
Consequently, DoorDash and similar companies have no way of accessing and processing restaurant gift cards. But as mentioned, you can always turn to a DoorDash gift card. If not, DoorDash accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Amex gift cards.
How do you add a Visa gift card to DoorDash?
DoorDash allows customers to use Visa gift cards when paying for orders. The process is more or less the same as when using a generic Visa card.
Start by making sure that the card has sufficient funds. From there, place your DoorDash order and enter the gift card’s code and PIN at checkout.
Note that this is a general procedure and may vary depending on the specific Visa gift card that you have. But you should still be able to use your gift card with DoorDash, regardless of who the merchant is. If you are finding it hard to add your gift card, you may contact the card issuer for assistance.
Can you transfer DoorDash credits to your bank account?
Sadly, DoorDash credits are designed to remain as such – credits. The company doesn’t allow users to redeem them for cash or cash equivalents, which means you can’t transfer them to your bank account.
In fact, you are not allowed to trade, exchange, sell or auction your Doordash credits. But what you can do is redeem them for food orders. They are also not applicable to alcoholic drinks; just foods and soft drinks.
How do you get a free meal from DoorDash?
Many people may not know this, but there are a few ways to get a free meal on DoorDash. Here are the main ones:
Get a free DoorDash gift card
This is probably the most straightforward method. There are several promotion companies (like Swagbucks) that reward people with “free” DoorDash gift cards.
But oftentimes there’s usually a small catch. For example, you may be asked to take a survey or watch a video before getting the gift card.
Opt-in for DoorDash emails
While not all DoorDash emails come with free food, some do. The company often partners with local restaurants to provide freebies through their email marketing campaigns. Perhaps the biggest challenge here is that you will need to read all their promotional emails to know which ones have free meals.
Sign up for the DoorDash referral program
In this scheme, you get DoorDash credit bonuses every time you recommend the app to someone. That person must use the app and make at least one DoorDash order for you to earn credits. Nonetheless, you can redeem the credits for free meals.
Final thoughts
So, can you use gift cards on DoorDash? Yes, you can.
However, keep in mind that it has to be a DoorDash gift card because the company doesn’t accept restaurant-specific cards. But if you want to slightly deviate, you may also use standard Visa, MasterCard, and Amex gift cards to order meals with DoorDash. You may use the gift card for any number of things, including paying for food, paying the service fee, paying the delivery fee, and tipping the Dasher.
Learn more: How to get a $750 Shein gift card
