If you frequently use food delivery services, you might be familiar with DoorDash's DashPass subscription service. Membership usually costs $9.99 per month and unlocks unlimited $0 delivery fees on eligible orders over the minimum subtotal plus 10% off order subtotals from reduced service fees, 5% DoorDash credits back on eligible Pickup orders and members-only promotions.
Today, DoorDash launched a new membership plan for college students that costs $4.99 a month. That's not bad considering that members save an average of $4 to $5 per order, according to DoorDash.
However, we think that you could do better.
There are a number of popular credit cards that already offer complimentary or discounted DashPass membership. Even if you're a college student and don't carry these cards yourself, you can still take advantage of these perks if you're an authorized user on a parent's account and they haven't activated this benefit yet.
Cards that offer free DashPass membership
Depending on what credit card (or cards) you carry, you may be able to get two or more years of complimentary DashPass membership. You might even be eligible for a monthly credit to save even more on your orders.
Chase Sapphire cards
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offer a complimentary DashPass benefit through Dec. 31, 2024, or for a minimum of 12 months, depending on your activation date.
That means if you were to enroll on the very last day of this promotion, you would receive DashPass benefits through the end of 2025. However, if you enroll now, you’ll get to enjoy the membership for almost three years (for the rest of 2022 and throughout 2023 and 2024).
Additionally, as of April 2022, Sapphire Reserve cardmembers receive a $5 monthly DoorDash in-app credit through December 2024. What’s nice about this credit is that it can roll over for up to three months before expiration, for a maximum of $15 in total credit to redeem at a time.
Related: Chase just extended its DoorDash partnership until 2024
Chase Freedom and Chase Slate cards
You can also unlock a complimentary DashPass membership with certain no-annual-fee cards from Chase.
Now through Dec. 31, 2024, Chase Freedom and Slate cardholders can enroll for three free months of membership. After that, cardmembers are automatically enrolled in DashPass at a 50% discount ($4.99/month) for an additional nine months. Then, Chase Freedom and Slate cardholders will be automatically enrolled in the membership at full price ($9.99/month).
Here’s the full list of eligible cards for this promotion:
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Chase Freedom Flex
- Chase Freedom (no longer available)
- Chase Slate Edge
- Chase Slate
Related: Promo codes and offers to help you save money on your next meal
The information for the Chase Freedom, Slate Edge and Chase Slate has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Cobranded Chase cards
You might also be eligible for a year of complimentary DashPass membership if you have a cobranded Chase credit card (i.e. an airline or hotel card). As with the other Chase cards, you have until Dec. 31, 2024 to enroll.
There are a number of Chase cards that are eligible for this promotion including the following cobranded products:
- Southwest.
- Marriott.
- United.
- Disney.
- IHG.
- British Airways.
- Aer Lingus.
- Iberia.
- Hyatt.
World and World Elite Mastercards
World and World Elite Mastercard holders are eligible for three free months of DashPass when activated by Sept. 30, 2022. Additionally, cardholders get $5 off their first DoorDash order each month through September.
You might be carrying an eligible card and not even realize it. To find out which type of Mastercard is in your wallet, simply look for the label “World” or “World Elite” just above the Mastercard logo.
Many of the best travel rewards cards and cash-back cards are part of the Mastercard World and World Elite programs.
For instance, the no-annual-fee Citi® Double Cash Card (see rates and fees) is designated as a World Elite Mastercard and offers 2% cash-back earnings on all purchases — 1% when you buy and another 1% as you pay. If you pair the Double Cash with a Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees)(which is also a World Elite card), you are able to access the full array of Citi’s ThankYou Points transfer partners. Other popular Mastercards eligible for this benefit include the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® and Citi Rewards+® Card (see rates and fees)(along with its student counterpart).
How to activate your free membership
Activating your complimentary DashPass membership is easy. Cardmembers just need to visit DoorDash’s website or app and add an eligible card as the default payment to get started.
If you're new to DoorDash, you can get $10 off your first three orders of $15 or more by signing up here.
Bottom line
DoorDash now offers a discounted DashPass membership option for college students, but with the right credit card, you might be able to get it for free. Many credit cards offer this benefit, including ones that are ideal for students, but you may still be eligible as an authorized user under your parents' card.
Be sure to maximize your savings by checking our guide on food delivery promo codes and offers before placing your orders.
Additional reporting by Chris Dong.
