Postmates Unlimited: Free deliveries for $9.99 per month – worth it?

Postmates Unlimited is about to make food delivery even more affordable. I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling I use food delivery services like Postmates (code NXNHB) a lot. It’s a convenient alternative to room service.

Want a Shake Shack Burger at 11 PM but don’t want to walk two blocks from the Andaz 5th Avenue to Grand Central station? Postmates will deliver it for just $5.99. In the mood for ice cream (yes, frikin ice cream)?

In Los Angeles you can get Pinkberry delivered via Postmates! But all of these delivery fees can add up, especially if you’re not swimming in referral credits. The solution? Postmates Unlimited: For $9.99 per month, subscribers get free delivery on all orders over $20. Even during surge periods. So it this membership worth it? Maybe.

Issues with Postmates

I have my beef with Postmates. I’ve been using them occasionally to order food at work and the lack of transparency when it comes to billing is a little shady. Not only have they overcharged me on multiple occasions (citing price discrepancies on the app), but prices for the same same order vary.

And they tack on a “service fee” on top of their delivery fees, which is ridiculous, especially since UberEats doesn’t charge this fee. Anyway, I guess Postmates Unlimited would make paying that service fee less obnoxious because you would no longer pay delivery fees. 

But how many of you actually spend $20+ per order? On average, my Postmates bill is maybe $15. Unless Postmates decides to randomly adjust the price of the bolognese I ordered at Adamo’s and tack on an extra $10. Then Postmates Unlimited works out great!

Postmates Unlimited: Benefits

All snark aside, Postmates Unlimited does have its benefits. For starters, the $9.99 fee would pay for itself after 2 – 3 deliveries (of $20 or more). A subscription also entitles you to free Postmates deliveries everywhere, which works out really great for frequent travelers.

More importantly, you can cancel any time. It’s basically like a Netflix subscription for food. And speaking of Netflix, it costs about the same as a Postmates Unlimited subscription so…priorities!

Anyway, I can see some definite positives to signing up for Postmates Unlimited. At least four times a month, I order over $20 worth of food via Postmates, so this would actually save me money. I’m also thinking ahead to some trips I have planned. I can probably put a Postmates Unlimited subscription to good use while traveling to Chicago. Not that I spend all day in the hotel, but occasionally when I’ve exceeded my daily step goal and/or it’s late and I want a lobster roll, it’s nice not to have to pay delivery fees. 

Postmates Unlimited for family travel

Postmates Unlimited might work out especially well for families with kids. Having traveled with my two nieces and nephew, I understand how challenging it can be to shuttle them all to a restaurant and expect them to eat at the same time.

With a service like Postmates Unlimited, you can order from the comfort of your hotel room. Without dealing with awful room service food. You can also order from multiple restaurants, without incurring additional fees (assuming your order amounts to $20 or more).

Overall, I definitely see how Postmates Unlimited could be worthwhile. For what it’s worth, they are offering a 7-day free trial so you might as well give it a shot.