Why Are Delivery Apps So Expensive? Hidden Fees Explained

You add a £15 burger to your basket and the total at checkout is £24. The £9 difference is not random. It is a stack of layered fees that delivery apps deliberately keep out of the headline price.

The fee stack

Here is what makes up that gap on Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat:

  • Item markup: many UK restaurants set in-app prices 10-25% above their dine-in menu to recover platform commission. You pay this without ever seeing a "markup" line.
  • Delivery fee: the courier charge. Distance and demand both push it up; a 1.5 mile delivery on a Friday night can cost more than the same drop on a Tuesday lunch.
  • Service fee: a percentage of your basket (typically 5-15%) the app skims for itself.
  • Small order fee: roughly £1.99-£2.99 if your basket is under the threshold (usually £10-£15).
  • Surge or peak pricing: at busy hours or during bad weather, delivery fees can double or triple with no warning beyond a small icon.
  • Tip: optional, but sits in the checkout flow and many people add 10-15%.

Why the apps work this way

Splitting one cost into many smaller ones is a deliberate UX choice. £15 + £2.49 + £1.50 + £1.20 + £1.50 looks less alarming than a single "£21.69 delivery surcharge," even though it is the same money. It also lets the app run promos like "free delivery" while still collecting the service fee.

What you can actually do about it

The fees themselves are not negotiable, but the total you pay is, by changing where, when and how you order:

  • Compare the same basket across all three apps before you commit. Totals routinely differ by £3-£8.
  • Order at off-peak hours (typically 2-5pm or after 9pm) when delivery fees drop.
  • Hit the small-order threshold by adding a side or drink rather than paying the surcharge.
  • Use platform-specific promos and memberships only when you order frequently enough to break even.

Are delivery fees the same on every app?

No. The same restaurant can quote wildly different totals across Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat for the same basket, thanks to different commission structures, different active promos and different surge rules. Check before you order.

Do delivery apps tell you about surge pricing?

Not clearly. Most apps surface a small lightning bolt or "busy" indicator, but the fee multiplier is buried in the breakdown. The cleanest signal is the total: if the delivery fee is over £4 on a short distance, you are paying surge.

Why does my service fee change between orders?

Service fees are usually a percentage of your basket, so they scale with your order size. They can also change based on the restaurant's commission tier and any active platform-wide promos.