Does Grubhub Take Debit Cards? - Digital Consumer (2024)

Does Grubhub Take Debit Cards in 2023?

Yes, Grubhub Does Take Debit Cards in 2023.

You can order food using Grubhub and you can pay for that food using a debit card.

In fact, Grubhub accepts many different payment methods.

Some people like to put most of their purchases onto credit cards in order to earn rewards and various types of points, but there are many consumers who prefer to use cash or debit cards instead of buying things on credit.

You may get less rewards by using a debit card to buy things instead of using a credit card, but you’ll also avoid paying any interest on your purchases, so using a debit card probably brings you out ahead, even compared to credit cards with great rewards.

Grubhub is one of the older meal delivery platforms, they were founded all the way back in 2004 by Matt Maloney.

Their parent company is Just Eat Takeaway, and today Grubhub has nearly 3000 employees, not including the drivers who deliver for them as independent contractors.

Grubhub doesn’t hire the drivers, they just maintain the application that connects drivers together with restaurants together with people who want food delivered to their homes.

Grubhub runs the platform, and it’s similar to things like DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Postmates.

Grubhub also handles the payments when people order food, so as a consumer who wants a nice meal brought to their home, you will download the Grubhub app, browse the menus of local restaurants, place an order and pay Grubhub, and Grubhub will send that order to the restaurant, and Grubhub will arrange for a delivery driver to bring it to you.

This has been helpful for certain restaurants, especially ones that typically didn’t do delivery orders and didn’t want to go through the process of hiring their own drivers and dealing with the overhead and extra staffing issues of that.

Instead, the restaurants pay a sizable chunk from the cost of the order to Grubhub, who takes care of the delivery logistics.

It can be a super convenient way to get food, and it can be beneficial for the restaurants who are getting orders they wouldn’t have otherwise received.

Since you’re paying Grubhub directly for your order, it doesn’t matter which payment methods the restaurant typically accepts, that’s none of your concern.

What matters to you, as the person ordering food with Grubhub, is which payment methods Grubhub accepts.

And here’s what you need to know about that…

Should You Use a Debit Card at Grubhub?

If you want to order delivery with Grubhub and you have a credit card, that’s probably your default payment option that you’ll turn to.

But you can pay for your Grubhub order in a number of different ways, including debit cards, credit cards, and even Apple Pay and other mobile payment methods.

The one you choose really comes down to your preferences as a consumer.

If you’re someone who pays off your credit card bills immediately and just uses them to collect points and rewards, you’re playing the game the right way.

If you’re someone who carries a balance on your credit card, you’re basically spending an extra 10-20% on every single purchase you make, or even more depending on how long you’ve carried the balance for.

If you carry a credit card balance and have to go into debt to purchase your Grubhub meal, it’s probably a better idea to think about some more affordable options and to put that money towards your credit card bill for now.

We won’t tell anyone how to spend, but a savvy consumer recognizes that saving a bit to pay off debts will help you a lot more in the long term.

Is Grubhub Worth The Price?

Grubhub charges fees on top of the cost of ordering food, and ordering food is already a bit of a luxury for many families, so this is certainly a premium service for people who have the disposable income to afford it.

As such, Grubhub can definitely still be worth the price, especially if you’re too busy to cook dinner or you aren’t able to visit a restaurant for whatever reason.

It’s a useful service, people enjoy using it, and it gives restaurants a new source of orders which can be very helpful.

The cost of delivery and the service fees can definitely add up, and sometimes restaurants will even charge on the menus they submit to the apps to make up for the 20% fees that Grubhub charges to restaurants for using their service.

As an individual consumer, it’s your responsibility to come up with a budget and to decide how much you can afford to spend on food, especially food that comes at a premium such as Grubhub and other takeout delivery services.

Saving Money at Grubhub

One of the downsides of using services like Grubhub is that you won’t be able to use any existing promotions or coupons with the restaurants you’re ordering from, and you also can’t use any gift cards that you might have for any of the restaurants listed on Grubhub.

You can keep an eye out for Grubhub promo codes or restaurants that are having sales and promotions.

Grubhub will email you to let you know about promos, too.

Some people will download all of the most popular meal delivery apps and just use whichever one has the best promotions when it’s time to order food, and that’s probably the best way to go about it if you want to enjoy food delivery but you’re also being budget conscious.

It only takes a minute or two to create the same order in multiple apps and to see which one would cost less, or to see which apps are running promotions like free delivery or reduced fees.

Conclusion

You can use debit cards at Grubhub because Grubhub accepts debit cards as one of their payment methods.

If you would rather use a credit card or Apple Pay, you can use that as an alternative, too.