Low-Paying Delivery Offers in the UK: Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo Explained

A £5 delivery is not £5 profit, and an app showing a busy shift does not prove you earned a decent hourly return. UK delivery drivers can finish below the minimum-wage benchmark once waiting, unpaid mileage and vehicle costs are counted. The sensible response is to check each offer before accepting it and measure the whole shift afterwards.

That does not prove Uber Eats, Just Eat or Deliveroo deliberately sends a particular driver “bad jobs”. Their full allocation systems are not public, and different platforms publish different rules. This guide separates documented policies from inference, explains how a reasonable-looking offer can become poor work, and shows how to use the GrabFinds Delivery Profit Calculator to check your own numbers.

Researched 19 October 2026. Figures described as examples are illustrative, not typical earnings or promises.

Why an offer can pay less than it appears

The amount on an offer card is revenue for completing a task. Your business has to cover the journey to collection, time waiting for food, the delivery, parking and the journey needed to reach further work. Add fuel or charging, suitable delivery insurance, maintenance and vehicle wear. A short advertised delivery distance may not describe all the miles you will actually drive.