Does GrubHub Take Cash? (2024)

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GrubHub is one of the most popular food delivery apps out there right now, and it’s easy to see why. The convenience of having meals delivered rather than braving traffic or even crowds is appealing, and there are often discounts and deals through the app itself or with certain featured restaurants. But after ordering a delicious order of tacos or a sub sandwich, you may wonder, does GrubHub take cash? And if they don’t, what should a customer use to pay?

The short answer to the question, “can you pay cash with GrubHub?” is yes. GrubHub also accepts payment through Apple Pay, PayPal, Android Pay and your credit or debit accounts. As for where a customer can use cash, the answer to that question will depend on the specific restaurants you are buying food from.

Can I Pay Cash on GrubHub?

Cash is a payment option on GrubHub, but not every restaurant accepts cash as payment. Some restaurants like to assure payment up front and payment methods like credit card transactions and PayPal provide this. It’s about loss prevention. Some restaurants on the GrubHub Marketplace do accept cash payments, but it presents more logistical concerns than simply accepting credit cards or virtual payments. Virtual payments are instantaneous and eliminate the need for drivers to handle cash, essentially eliminating extra steps to get paid. This is part of the reason why, while cash is an option on GrubHub, not many restaurants accept it.

With that being said, depending on where you are — GrubHub serves over4,000 cities in the U.S. — there are plenty of restaurants that do accept cash payments through GrubHub. Customers can locate restaurants in their area that accept cash using GrubHub’s system directly.

How Can I Pay Cash on GrubHub?

Found a tasty restaurant and need to learn if they accept cash? Here’s how you know if the GrubHub selection takes cash.

1. Find a restaurant that you may want to order from: The tried-and-true way to find a restaurant on GrubHub that accepts cash is to choose a restaurant, get an order ready and go to the payment screen.
2. Look at the payment options:Especially if this is the first time using this restaurant, or even the GrubHub app itself. On the payment screen, the last step before submitting the order to the restaurant, the payment options will be listed. If the restaurant accepts cash payments, that will be part of the list.
3. Next steps:When the delivery driver arrives, they may have some cash on their person if some change is needed, but otherwise, it’s best to have the exact order amount. Keep in mind that it’s always acceptable to tip in cash because that goes directly to the drivers. They don’t have to figure out a way to get payment from the restaurants.

Which GrubHub Restaurants Accept Cash?

The best way to figure out which restaurants accept cash payments is to check on the payment screen, before submitting the order, as detailed above. If they do not accept cash, a cash payment option will not appear on the final payment screen. Why can’t I pay cash with GrubHub with every restaurant? Well, most if not all chain restaurants won’t accept cash as an option because they want the order and delivery process to be as streamlined as possible. This includes familiar names like McDonald’s, Starbucks and Taco Bell.

If any restaurant on GrubHub accepts cash, it is more likely to be a local restaurant or a smaller local chain. Even though accepting cash payments leaves these smaller local businesses vulnerable to scams and cancelations, it also opens up a wider population of folks willing to order from them using GrubHub.

For example, many people may feel uncomfortable placing their credit or debit information directly into the app, and that’s their reason for using cash as a payment. When ordering from a local restaurant that accepts cash, these customers don’t have to place their information into the app and the local restaurant still gets their business. The GrubHub Marketplace is open to providing platforms for well-established and new businesses to build their clientele, and the GrubHub Direct platform provides marketing and business-building strategies to these local businesses. For this reason, customers who only have cash to pay for an order might want to take a look at local eateries rather than large chains when deciding where to eat.

Tip for Ordering Through GrubHub

If restaurants in the area don’t accept cash payments, customers can always purchase gift cards to use on GrubHub so that their personal information never has to be placed into the app. Because virtual cards are an option, this process is easy, especially if they are bought using PayPal. Using this method, no credit card information is divulged, meaning that payment information is safe in the same way as when you pay cash.

Final Thoughts

While it is possible to pay cash on GrubHub, most restaurants don’t accept it. Cash payments make the restaurant or seller vulnerable to scams, and they want to ensure they receive payment for their goods and services. Local businesses are typically more open to accepting cash payments even though there are risks, as they are either trying to grow or they wish to offer their local customers all the options they would like. If customers continually run into issues with preferred restaurants not accepting cash payments, they can purchase GrubHub e-Gift cards or physical GrubHub gift cards to use in lieu of cash.

Information is accurate as of Dec. 1, 2022.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.