Dasher Diary: I Lost My Status in a Second, Then I Remembered My Secret Weapon

There are things about delivering for DoorDash that drive me up a wall. One of those is our acceptance rate in Amarillo. In order to keep Platinum Status, which really means you can dash anytime you want, you have to keep a few stats up.

You have to have an 80 percent acceptance rate. You have to have 100 deliveries in the past 30 days. You can't dip below a 97% completion rate, and your customer rating has to be a 4.8 or higher.

The Platinum Standard: Why Amarillo is Different

Most of those are easy to maintain. The tough one is to have an 80% acceptance rate. What makes me mad is when I check other locations, they only have to be sitting at a 70%. So why is it not consistent across the board? Why is it so high in Amarillo? It's a lot easier to keep 70 instead of 80, trust me.

The "Silver" Danger Zone: What Happens When You Drop Below 80%

So, once I got to 80%, I stayed there until recently. I got a really bad order where the directions were to basically drive around the trailer park to find a certain car, and it just seemed like too much. So I declined. I didn't realize I was so close to dropping below the 80% threshold.

Read More: DoorDash Introduces Platinum Pass for Amarillo Drivers

Then I got the message that I was now at the silver level. That now meant if I ended my current dash, I would have lost my ability to dash when I want to. I would now have to schedule or be at the mercy of when the times were open.

So I delivered about seven in a row, hoping one of them would bump me up a point. They did not. I accidentally hit 'End Dash' by mistake, and suddenly I was out. There was no way to get back on at that point. I felt hopeless.

The Lifesaver: Understanding the DoorDash Platinum Pass

That is when I remembered I had three Platinum Passes. They were passes I had earned months ago, where I could cash one in to get to the Platinum level. I would then have a week to get my numbers up.

So the next day, when I was ready to go out to work, I cashed one in. Now I just have to get my numbers back up. Once I do, I’ll need to work on earning another pass so I have the three in my back pocket.

Planning for the Future: Earning and Stashing Your Passes

The passes were meant for people like me. Those who keep their numbers up and maybe have an off day. Or someone who takes a vacation and can't dash to keep their numbers where they need to be.

I am so thankful that they implemented the Platinum Pass perk sometime last year; it really saved me here.