ChooseOutWhat's the Right Tip Amount on a £40 Food Delivery?
There is no UK legal expectation, and tipping culture on food delivery here is far softer than in the US. But couriers genuinely depend on tips to make the economics work. The honest answer for a £40 order is £3-£5, with adjustments for the specifics.
A practical tipping framework
Forget percentages — they make sense for restaurants where the kitchen, waitstaff and venue all share the bill. For a single courier doing a single drop, flat amounts work better:
- Standard order, normal weather, short distance: £2-£3 on a £20 basket, £3-£5 on a £40 basket.
- Bad weather (rain, snow, late-night): add £1-£2.
- Long distance (over 2 miles): add £1-£2.
- Heavy or awkward order (drinks, multiple bags): add £1-£2.
- Building with no lift, top floor, complicated entry: add £1-£2.
So a £40 order on a rainy Friday night to a third-floor flat is reasonably £6-£8.
Why apps push percentage-based tipping
The 10%, 15%, 20% buttons in checkout make tipping feel like a tax, and they scale awkwardly — 20% on a £100 order is £20 to one driver for one trip, which is not what tipping is for. The flat approach is fairer to both sides.
What the tip actually does
On Uber Eats and Deliveroo, the tip goes to the driver in full. It does not speed up your delivery — that is dispatched algorithmically before the tip is even seen — but it does affect future trip acceptance. A driver who gets stiffed on a long, cold delivery is less likely to accept the next one to your area.
On Just Eat (where the restaurant arranges its own driver in many cases), the tip behaviour varies — sometimes it goes to the driver, sometimes it sits with the restaurant. Cash-on-delivery tipping is the cleanest way to ensure the courier gets it.
When not to tip
There are reasonable reasons to tip nothing:
- The order arrived an hour late through driver fault, not the restaurant's.
- The food was visibly mishandled.
- The driver was rude or dishonest.
Tipping is voluntary. UK delivery customers should not feel obligated to tip on every order, but tipping fairly when service is decent is the norm.
How much should I tip on a £40 UK delivery order?
£3-£5 in normal conditions. Add £1-£2 for rain, distance over 2 miles, or a complicated drop.
Do delivery drivers get all of the tip?
On Uber Eats and Deliveroo, yes — the platforms pass the full tip to the driver. On Just Eat it depends on whether the restaurant or the platform arranged the courier.
Should I tip before or after the delivery?
In-app tips before delivery are seen by the driver. Tipping after, in cash on the doorstep, guarantees the courier gets the money but does not influence whether they accept the trip. Both are fine.