Cash-strapped students might start thinking about delivery that still fits within their limited food budget after DoorDash launched a new low-cost subscription plan for its DashPass service.
The aptly named DashPass for Students will run you back $5 per month, half of the cost of a normal subscription and it’s a more budget-friendly alternative for students to get food delivery, groceries, and more from partnered retailers. There’s also the Annual Student Plan, which is $48 annually.
DashPass Perks
With the subscription service, you won’t have to pay any delivery fees so long as you hit the minimum subtotal, though that only applies to certain orders. The minimum isn’t a very high threshold; it’s $12 for restaurant orders and $25 for groceries. You will also get 10 percent off orders in the form of reduced service fees.
Students will also get five percent credit back on Pickup orders, but only for certain restaurants. There will also be members-only promotions and exclusive menu items like the blindingly red Flamin’ Hot Nacho Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. These wings are meant to promote the new subscription tier.
All undergraduate and graduate students at an accredited college or university in the United States are eligible to become members. There’s also a 30-day free trial of DashPass for Students so people can try it out before committing.
Brand new market
It appears that DoorDash is capitalizing on a new market as the announcement cited a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research, which found that 70 percent of college students order food on a delivery app an average of four times a week. DoorDash goes on to note that, according to the survey, 27 percent of students spend more than $100 a week on delivery alone.
Other services have done the same thing or, at least, something similar. Grubhub has its own paid subscription service for students called Grubhub+ Student in conjunction with Amazon.
That service launched back in 2021 and students don’t have to pay extra to use the service or pay for delivery. All you have to do is tie an Amazon Prime Student account to your Grubhub+ account to become eligible.
Grubhub+ Student is still available and shares the same $12 minimum on orders, but there’s nothing for groceries and no standalone service.
