In March 2023, Chase launched a Doordash Mastercard. It gives cash back on most food or delivery-related purchases. The immediate value of the card is unclear. Whether or not you’ll personally benefit depends on your budget and spending habits. Most people probably won’t benefit, especially since it rarely makes financial sense to use Doordash on a regular basis.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- 4% cash back on DoorDash and Caviar orders
- 3% cash back at restaurants
- 2% cash back at grocery stores
- 1% cash back on everything else
SIGN UP BONUS
At launch, you can get a $100 statement credit when you spend at least $500 within your first three months. You’ll also get one free year of Dashpass (normally $10 per month or $96 per year).
OTHER BENEFITS OF THE DOORDASH CARD
- DashPass gives free delivery on orders above $12, reduced service fees, and a 5% credit toward a future order when you choose pickup instead of delivery. Sometimes there are promotions or other offers for DashPass members.
- “Exclusive cardmember promotions,” including:
- “10% off One Grocery, DashMart, Convenience, or Alcohol order on DoorDash every month. Maximum discount of $15 [monthly]. Ends 8/31/2023” $90 total potential value.
- “$25 off First two DoorDash Shipping orders of at least $100. Ends 12/31/2023” $50 total potential value.
- Mastercard World Elite benefits, including:
- Extended Warranty
- Purchase Protection
- $5 monthly credit on your first DoorDash order each month
- $5 monthly credit for Lyft after taking 3+ rides in one month
RESTRICTIONS AND CREDIT SCORE
Recommended credit score: 670+
Chase has their 5/24 rule as always: if you’ve opened 5+ credit cards in the past 24 months, you’ll automatically be denied for new Chase cards. The bank also prefers applicants who aren’t new to credit cards, and have at least 12 months of credit history.
You can get free trials of DashPass with various Chase cards.
MAXIMIZING REWARDS WITH THE DOORDASH CARD
Cash back is used mainly as statement credits, so there isn’t much you can do here. Try to use Doordash whenever there’s a discount or promotion, and/or choose pickup for another 5% cash back. Getting 9% back total is good. For extra cash back, you look for cash back portals to see if they have a bonus. Popular options include TopCashBack and Rakuten.
Keep in mind that Doordash usually has higher prices than buying something directly from an establishment. Plus Doordash can have service fees, delivery fees, and tips for deliveries.
The Chase-Doordash press release has an amusing addition: “DoorDash Rewards Mastercard cardmembers can extend their complimentary DashPass membership every anniversary year when they spend $10,000.” No one is going to spend $10,000 with this card unless they have serious spending issues. Free DashPass at that level equates to 0.96% extra cash back and you could just get a Chase Sapphire Reserve instead for free DashPass.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE DOORDASH MASTERCARD
The value of the Doordash card depends on what you use Doordash/Caviar for. If you use them only for food (like occasionally getting lunch at work) then 4% cash back for Doordash and Caviar is mildly insulting. You can get 4-5% back for restaurant-related purchases, without restrictions, through some no-fee cards:
- US Bank Altitude Go or Everyday Rewards+
- Citi Custom Cash
- Chase Freedom Flex (quarterly category)
- Discover It Cash Back (quarterly category)
Then, for 5% back with fast food only: US Bank Cash+ or Max Cash Preferred.
If you use Doordash for grocery delivery, you may prefer the Chase Instacart card. Decent grocery cards also include the AMEX Blue Cash Preferred (for the first year), NIH FCU Cash Rewards Visa, and Capital One SavorOne Mastercard.
If you get retail deliveries from Doordash, most stores have their own cards. The Doordash card is arguably most useful in this category (not meals or groceries) because it simplifies wallets. Instead of having multiple store cards, one Doordash card could potentially cover them all. But so could the US Bank Cash+ or Max Cash Preferred, in many cases.
The other categories on the Doordash card are useless. There are dozens of cards which earn at least 2% back on all purchases, without restrictions. Even the Chase Freedom Unlimited card is a decent alternative: 5x points at Chase Travel Center, 3x points for dining and drugstores, and 1.5x points everywhere else… and its points are worth more when combined with a Sapphire card.
CONCLUSION
The Chase Doordash Mastercard is of questionable value. If you use multiple services all the time with Doordash, this might be fine. Adding up all the benefits and promotions, you could potentially get around $400 from your first year of having the card. ($140 in promotions, $60-120 World Elite credits, $100 statement credit, $96 Dashpass.) Not including cash back. But you’d have to use Doordash every month, not just for food, and aim to squeeze full value from everything.
If you’re only an occasional user of Doordash/Caviar, you can already get Doordash benefits and discounts. Any World Elite Mastercard has the $5 monthly credit, including the Chase Freedom Flex, and Doordash occasionally gives out promo codes. For cards with annual fees: the Chase Sapphire Reserve gets $60/year in Doordash credits, permanently free DashPass, and 4.5% cash back for restaurants.
It’s tough to see why most people would want the Doordash card, as it currently stands. It seems rather niche. An improvement for the card would be to give it 4% cash back on Doordash, Caviar, and at all restaurants.
We rate the Chase Doordash card 2 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐
Note: This review was last updated in March 2023. Details may have changed since then. Please do your own research where applicable, to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Or contact us directly to take advantage of our personalized consulting services!