Amazon Flex is definitely not one of the highest paying gig platforms available but there are plenty of deliveries available to keep you busy. Most delivery blocks average $22 per hour before expenses. Delivery time increases exponentially in cities due to traffic, pedestrians, and having to deliver inside commercial buildings. The cool thing about Amazon Flex is you’re only required to deliver until your scheduled block ends. If you couldn’t make all the deliveries, just take the packages back to the pickup location.
Amazon gig workers deliver multiple packages going to different addresses. The deliveries are batched together and schedule as a block. The block details show the estimated earnings, the pickup location, the pickup time, and the estimated time required to complete the block. Most blocks are available up to 3 days in advance. For example, on Sunday you choose blocks available through Wednesday. This enables Amazon Flex gig workers to line up the beginning of the work week with a solid plan and know exactly how much they will be earning as an independent contractor for the Amazon Flex platform.
Without a doubt, Amazon Flex has the best documentation of any gig platform. Inside the app is a Learning Portal that answers every question you should have as well some situations that could arise while delivering. Huge Thumbs Up to Amazon for creating such thorough, detailed documentation! What we love the most about Amazon Flex’s documentation is that the lessons and articles are short and presented in a logical way that actually helps you understand each topic.
Amazon Flex Blocks
Amazon Flex deliveries are scheduled in blocks. The length of blocks can vary from 2 to 5 hours, with 3 1/2 hours being the average. You pick up the packages from the designated location, then head out to delivery. If you can’t complete every delivery within the scheduled block, you’ll have to take them back to the location where you picked them up.
There are three types of Amazon Flex blocks – Regular, Sub Same-Day, and Whole Foods. The ones that show Amazon.com are what we call regular packages. These are items that were came from another location to be delivered to the local area. Amazon has one of the most amazing logistics systems in the county. Packages travel within Amazon’s system from one location to another until they reach the distribution center closest to the customer.
The best paying blocks are usually the Sub Same-Day. The screenshot below shows three of the Sub Same-Day blocks. These contain items for which the customers paid extra for same-day or next-day delivery. Many of the Sub Same-Day blocks are scheduled super early in the morning, often with pickup times of 3:30 a.m. They’re also the best paying blocks Amazon offers. None of the Sub Same-Day blocks shown below are the early bird specials. They’re usually gone long before we can grab a screenshot.
Amazon Flex Blocks From Whole Foods
Amazon Flex deliveries from Whole Foods are different than other blocks. These are grocery orders you’ll be delivering directly to the customers. Due to the cold chain timer and the risk of perishable food being exposed to ambient temperatures for too long, these blocks are usually only 1 to 3 deliveries.
The estimated pay for Whole Foods blocks consists of Amazon Flex base pay as well as customer tips. The $22.50 tips shown below are Amazon’s estimate of what it expects the customers for these deliveries to include as tips. Tips are not guaranteed. You could delivery 2 or 3 orders and receive no tips. You could delivery 3 orders and receive a $20 tip on each one. The only guarantee is the $30 base pay.
Requirements To Deliver For Amazon Flex
In order to apply for Amazon Flex you must meet the following requirements:
- Live in an area where Amazon Flex operates. To see openings in your area, visit the Amazon Flex Delivery Locations web page.
- You must be 21 years of age or older.
- You must have a valid U.S. driver’s license.
- You must have a mid-sized or larger vehicle.
- You must have auto insurance and be listed as a driver for the vehicle you want to use for deliveries.
- You must have a smartphone (iPhone or Android) to run the Amazon Flex app.
- You must have checking or savings account to receive your earnings.
Amazon Flex Standings
While other gigs track your metrics, Amazon Flex is interested in your Standings. Your Standing directly affects your Rewards. The app documentation states that Standings give you information about your recent delivery history so you’ll know how to improve the customer experience. Fancy way of saying the customer is always right. The more customers complain about your delivery performance, the sooner you’ll be deactivated.
The four Amazon Flex Standings are: Fantastic, Great, Fair, and At Risk
Fantastic means Amazon Flex considers you to be one of their best delivery partners.
Great means you’re almost there but might want to look at the Standing details in the app to see what you could improve.
Fair means your deliveries need improvement. The Standing details should suggest ways in which you can improve your Standing and create more satisfied customers.
At Risk means you’re probably going to lose the gig if you don’t straight up and start doing things the way Amazon Flex expects. In specific it means your Reliability and Delivery Quality need improvement ASAP.
Amazon Flex Standings Details
These are the four main areas that are used to determine your standings. For most gig platforms these would be considered your metrics. The four areas of focus are Arrival and Pickup, Delivery, Returns, and Terms of Service.
Arrival and Pickup – Amazon Flex expects you to show up for your block, arrive on time, and not cancel within 45 minutes of the pickup. Expect traffic on the way to the pickup location. Arrive early and find a safe spot to park until it’s time to pick up.
Delivery – You are expected to deliver on time, complete every delivery, and make sure the customer received the item(s). Delivering to the wrong address will always count against you. Stopping to grab a snack or take a break will make your late for the next delivery and every one after it.
Returns – You should return leftover or undeliverable packages, return on time, and use the Amazon Flex app to scan returns. Don’t return to the pickup location with packages you didn’t scan as being returned. If you find a package that’s not part of your route, return it to the pickup location.
Terms of Service – Including all other agreements in the Terms of Service, don’t use bots and be accurate when marking items as undeliverable. Don’t continuously mark items as undeliverable simply because you didn’t feel like delivering them.
Amazon Flex Rewards Levels
Like nearly every other gig platform, Amazon Flex has its own driver rewards program. Since several of us Admins do Amazon Flex, we can assure you that it doesn’t take long to level up. Taking two blocks per day you’ll be maxed out at Level 4 in just a couple weeks.
Amazon Flex uses a points system to determine your level. You’ll earn points for each block as well as for each delivery. Even on your first day if you grab a block with 25 deliveries, you’ll earn 20 points for the block and one point for each of the 25 points. Points are also based on your Standing. If your Standing is Fantastic, you’ll earn 30 points per block as well as 3 points for each delivery. The same block we mentioned above would earn you 30 points for the block and 75 points for the deliveries.
