Yes, you can legally work for Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo simultaneously in the UK. As an independent contractor, you have the explicit freedom to operate across multiple delivery platforms at once, and all three major apps permit this in their terms and conditions.
Uber explicitly allows multi-apping in their terms, stating that drivers can work for competitors. Deliveroo’s agreement confirms that “throughout the term of this Agreement you are free to work for any other party including competitors of Deliveroo”. Just Eat updated their terms in May 2023 to clarify that couriers “are free to work for other businesses, including our direct competitors”. In fact, delivery companies must allow this practice to maintain drivers’ self-employed status – restricting your ability to work for other apps would undermine their classification of you as an independent contractor.
However, whilst multi-apping is permitted, it comes with significant risks. Just Eat customer service has confirmed that although couriers can use multiple apps simultaneously, drivers who are consistently late with multiple orders risk having their accounts suspended. The primary dangers include delayed deliveries, cold food, poor customer ratings, and ultimately platform deactivation if your service quality drops.
Understanding Each Platform
Uber Eats
Uber Eats explicitly permits working for competitors in their terms and conditions. The platform offers several advantages for multi-apping drivers. If you already drive for Uber’s passenger service, signing up for Uber Eats is straightforward with minimal additional verification. The tipping culture on Uber Eats is particularly strong – drivers can earn two to three times their base delivery fee through customer gratuity alone. During busy periods, short waiting times between orders can lead to excellent hourly earnings, making it an ideal platform to keep active alongside others.
Just Eat
Just Eat updated their contractor agreement in May 2023 to explicitly state that drivers are free to work for direct competitors. The platform distinguishes itself by offering a guaranteed minimum wage plus performance bonuses, providing more income stability than purely commission-based platforms. Just Eat has invested heavily in algorithmic improvements, reducing food transportation times by 20% and making deliveries more efficient. The company also provides access to e-bikes for couriers who prefer not to use their personal vehicles. Just Eat customer service representatives have confirmed that multi-apping is allowed, but they actively monitor drivers who consistently deliver late orders and will suspend accounts that show patterns of poor performance.
Deliveroo
Deliveroo’s terms state clearly that riders are free to work for any other party, including Deliveroo competitors, throughout the term of their agreement. The platform emphasises driver flexibility, allowing complete control over when and where you work. Riders keep 100% of their tips, and the scheduling system lets you plan working hours according to personal needs. During onboarding sessions, Deliveroo employees have confirmed that multi-apping is acceptable, with the caveat that you should not accept or collect orders from multiple platforms simultaneously, as this causes cold food and delays.
Maximising Earnings Through Multi-Apping
The Financial Logic
The delivery driver market is highly competitive, particularly in major UK cities. During quieter periods, you might wait extended times for order requests on a single platform. By operating multiple apps simultaneously, you can capitalise on whichever platform has the highest demand at any moment. This strategy allows you to take advantage of surge pricing during peak times, platform-specific bonuses, and promotional offers that different companies run throughout the week.
The ideal approach involves keeping your mileage low whilst maintaining a steady flow of deliveries. Short, frequent trips not only keep your Uber Eats earnings consistent along with Just Eat and Deliveroo, but also position you to benefit from platform bonuses and incentives. By cherry-picking the best orders across multiple apps, you can avoid unprofitable jobs – those with long distances, low pay relative to effort, or difficult pickup and drop-off locations.
The Pause and Unpause Method
The safest and most effective strategy is to keep multiple apps running whilst waiting for orders, but immediately pause all other platforms as soon as you accept a delivery. A few minutes before completing your current drop-off, turn the other apps back on to queue up your next job. This approach ensures you’re never technically working on multiple orders simultaneously, avoiding service quality issues whilst minimising downtime between deliveries.
This method protects your completion rates and customer ratings across all platforms whilst maximising your availability. You’re essentially using the apps as a unified order queue, always taking the best-paying or most convenient job regardless of which platform it comes from, without the risk of juggling multiple active orders.
Strategic Stacking
If you choose to accept overlapping orders from different platforms – known as strategic stacking – only do so when the pickups and drop-offs are genuinely in the same direction. The restaurants should be close to each other, and the delivery addresses should be along the same route with minimal detours. Even with careful planning, prioritise delivering the first order as quickly as possible to prevent the second customer from waiting excessively long.
Some drivers have been observed taking six orders at once using multiple platforms and devices, though restaurant managers increasingly refuse to hand over more than two orders to prevent cold food complaints. Whilst this aggressive approach might seem profitable, it carries substantial risk to your account status on all platforms involved.
Managing Your Driver Scores
Maintain awareness of your ratings across all platforms. Avoid leaving apps running idle in the background too frequently, as multiple missed or declined pings can negatively affect your performance metrics. Many platforms will automatically log you out after several unanswered requests, and excessive idle time could flag you as an unreliable driver.
Track your earnings across platforms to identify which apps are most profitable during different times of day or days of the week. This data will help you prioritise which app to keep active during various shifts. Focus on accepting orders that maintain your efficiency metrics – short distances, reasonable pay, and convenient locations.
The Multi-App Sweet Spot
The key to successful multi-apping is finding the balance between maximising earning potential and maintaining high-quality service that keeps customers satisfied and platforms willing to send you orders. Little and often keeps your earnings rolling in and allows you to take advantage of bonuses when they come your way. Try to avoid distant orders, large orders with small pay, and difficult pickup or drop-off locations.
During your first few weeks of multi-apping, err on the side of caution by using the pause method exclusively until you develop a feel for timing and routes in your area. Remember that maintaining excellent ratings on one platform is worth more than slightly higher earnings with compromised service quality across multiple platforms. With careful management and strategic decision-making, working across Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo simultaneously can substantially increase your income without sacrificing your reputation as a reliable courier.