Online grocery delivery in Australia has become increasingly popular recently, especially since two global players in the food delivery industry have entered this competitive market. Uber and DoorDash use their independent contractors or also known as gig delivery drivers to shop for customers, check out then deliver it.
Uber has introduced this grocery service to its delivery drivers as Pack & Deliver starting in early 2023, while a similar service on the DoorDash platform introduced as Shop and Deliver was introduced earlier around 2021.
One of the stores that collaborates with these two platforms is Coles, the largest and most well-known supermarket chain in Australia with more than a thousand stores spread across the country.
Coles Group also has a customer loyalty program known as Flybuys. Everyone who frequently shops at their store is likely to have joined this loyalty program.
Flybuys card allows Coles Group customers to collect points when shopping simply by scanning their cards. The points collected can be exchanged for various prizes such as shopping discounts, free products, and others.
Can I use my Flybuys card with Uber Eats?
Most Uber Eats drivers are likely Coles customers too with their own Flybuys card. Because a delivery driver has the task of shopping at the store and checking out, they can simply scan their personal Flybuys card. But the problem is, is this allowed by Uber?
Unfortunately, Uber prohibits its delivery person from scanning their personal Flybuys card when processing Pack & Deliver orders. The company also said that this practice may violate Flybuys and Uber Eats community guidelines.
What are the consequences if a delivery driver keeps scanning their own Flybuys card during checkout? If Uber believes that a delivery driver has violated the community guidelines because of this, he or she will likely receive a warning notification message.
If this action is still carried out after the driver receives a warning, there is a possibility that the platform will make the driver ineligible for the Pack & Deliver order. So actually, the benefits of scanning the card are not commensurate with the risks that will be accepted.
Scan Flybuys when doing DoorDash Shop and Deliver
DoorDash was a couple of years ahead of Uber in integrating their platform with Coles in Australia. At the start of Shop and Deliver on this platform, quite a lot of Dashers asked whether drivers were allowed to scan their Flybuys cards while processing DoorDash orders.
Just like other platforms, DoorDash apparently also prohibits its delivery drivers from scanning personal or customer Flybuys cards. So they also have to refuse when the cashier asks for their loyalty card during checkout.
Flybuys Usage Reminder for Dasher
So, what happens if a Dasher is still scanning their personal Flybuys card during checkout. Based on the notification via email and help page that we have read, taking such action could lead to the revocation of the points and your eligibility to receive Shop and Deliver orders.
Losing access to Shop and Deliver orders can be a loss for a Dasher. Especially if this happens just because of a point from the loyalty program. As we know, this kind of grocery orders from Coles usually pays better than standard pickup-only orders.
How does Uber or DoorDash know if a driver scans their personal Flybuys card?
To be honest, we don’t know for sure how these two delivery platforms know if a delivery driver scans their own Flybuys card. Of course, Uber and DoorDash also won’t tell the public how they find drivers who do it, because that would only help those who want to outsmart the system.
There are several possibilities, such as reports from Coles or Flybuys that detected a delivery person who suddenly had a lot of points when making transactions using the same virtual prepaid card (Uber Plus Card or DoorDash Red Card), repeatedly.
Another possibility is that there are reports from customers who try to scan their own Flybuys card and find that their transaction has already been redeemed by someone else. This can happen when a driver accidentally puts a transaction receipt inside the shopping bag.
Because as we know, Coles customers can still scan their receipt within 7 days of the transaction by visiting the same Coles store.
So, in our opinion, as a delivery person, you should not need to know about how the delivery platforms detect the use of Flybuys. You just need to refrain from scanning your own card when processing the order, because the purchases belong to someone else. Drivers are only limited to shopping at the store, checkout and make deliveries then get paid.
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