Did you order food for delivery on DoorDash but an emergency interrupted your plans of staying in for the night?
You may want to cancel your DoorDash order for any of several reasons, including a change of mind or finding a better deal somewhere else.
We will explain how to cancel a DoorDash order, step by step, including tips on how to get the best results (and in what situations you will get stuck with the order).
How To Cancel DoorDash Order (App)
To ensure customer service can help you in a timely manner, DoorDash gives you the option to cancel your order quickly and simply through the app.
Step One: Open App
Start by opening the DoorDash app on your smartphone.
Since you just recently placed an order, you are most likely already logged in when you open the app.
You can also access your DoorDash account on your laptop or desktop computer.
You may need to log in, which can take time if you don’t remember the password.
This guide uses the app, so there may be slight adjustments if canceling on the website.
Step Two: Click Orders
When you open the app, you will click on “Orders” link on the bottom of the screen.
It will be the fourth of five buttons at the bottom of the screen.
The five options (in order) are: Home, Pickup, Search, Orders, and Account.
Step Three: Click On The Appropriate Order
Once you select “Orders,” you will go to a page that lists all of your orders.
Your “in progress” order should be at the very top of the list.
“Completed” orders will be listed underneath the ones that are still “in progress.”
Select the appropriate order.
Step Four: Click Help
Once you bring up the details regarding your order, you will see a “Get Help” button at the top of the screen.
When you click the “Get Help” button, you will have the option to cancel your order (if applicable).
This option will only appear on orders “in progress.”
Step Five: Cancel Order
At this time, you will move forward with the cancellation.
Depending on the status of your order, you may receive a full refund or a partial refund.
If you only qualify for a partial refund, a screen will pop up describing exactly how much you will be charged.
Step Six: Wait For Refund
After you place your order and your card is charged, you won’t get your refund immediately.
You will need to wait three to five days to see a refund for an order paid for with a debit card or credit card.
Tips For Canceling Your DoorDash Order
To get the best results, follow these tips for canceling your DoorDash orders.
1. Verify Address
First and foremost, ensure that your order is set to be delivered to the correct address.
If you order from both home and work, you may accidentally order from a restaurant that delivers to both addresses but have it sent to the wrong address.
Since address problems make up a majority of cancellation requests, it’s important to always check the address before you place an order.
If you did send an order to the wrong address, contact customer support immediately to see your options.
You may need to skip lunch and pick up the food after work.
However, you may still have time to update the address.
It’s all about how quickly you can make DoorDash aware of the situation.
2. Verify Order And Payment Method First
When it comes to ordering through DoorDash, a good defense is the best offense.
Always check your order details twice before you submit the order.
Check the details on your app, but also check the details with anyone else eating the food.
You may need to cancel if you order a pizza because your friend or nephew says they like all types of pizza only to find out “all types of pizza” meant absolutely no onions.
Finally, you should verify the payment method before you submit your order.
My grandma once gave me her card to order us food.
The next time I placed an order, I accidentally placed an order with her card the next time I used DoorDash.
Luckily, I was able to cancel and use the correct card (even though my grandma said she would’ve paid for it anyway).
3. Understand DoorDash’s Cancellation Policy
Before you need to cancel an order, it’s a good idea to have a clear understanding of DoorDash’s cancellation policy.
Hopefully, this information helps.
The main things we want to reiterate regarding the policy are:
- Cancel before the restaurant confirms the order
- Cancel through the app when possible
- Expect to wait three to five days for your refund
4. Plan Ahead
Do not put yourself in a situation where you may need to cancel the order by planning your order properly.
If you order delivery, you should leave extra time for you to receive the order and eat it before you go on to the rest of your plans for the evening.
You may not want to order delivery at all if you only have a couple of minutes for lunch or have a date planned for right after you eat.
If at work, ask your boss if you can clock out for lunch after you receive your food.
If that’s not possible, ask if you can eat at your desk if the order comes late.
You should always plan ahead when it comes to your finances.
How much money do you have in your account?
If you need to cancel your order, the money will be taken out of your account.
If you need to order from somewhere else, will you have additional money in your account?
If not, you may want to stick with the original order.
5. Cancel Quickly
If you need to cancel an order, you should cancel as quickly as possible.
Many restaurants confirm orders rather quickly, almost immediately, so you need to correct a mistake ASAP.
After the restaurant confirms the order, you may struggle to get a full refund.
6. Communicate With Restaurant
If you can’t get a full refund through DoorDash, try communicating with the restaurant before they start on your order.
Can they cancel the order for you if they didn’t start it yet?
Can you pick it up at another time or day and keep a credit with the restaurant?
The restaurant may work with you to cancel your order, even when DoorDash can’t cancel it for you.
Of course, restaurants lose money if you cancel after they have started cooking your food.
You may be out of luck at that point.
Try asking to pick up the food late in this situation or gifting it to a friend or family member.
7. Stay Positive
Life happens.
Paying for your order on DoorDash and not getting the food is not the end of the world.
Maintain a sunny disposition throughout the process, even if you pay for food that you can’t eat or get an overdraft charge through your bank.
Remember that your emergency or change of plans may be unfortunate for you, but you don’t need to unnecessarily negatively impact the restaurant, delivery driver, and customer service representative along the way.
Remain understanding of the situation if a restaurant has already started making your food and look for how you can make the most of the situation (and how you can prevent the issue in the future).
8. Enhance Delivery Experience With DashPass
DoorDash offers a subscription service known as DashPass designed to offer benefits for regular users.
While DashPass users are subject to the same cancellation policy as regular customers, DashPass customers do get priority status when they reach out to customer service, which can allow you to handle a cancellation before it’s too late.
Additional benefits include:
- No delivery fees on orders of $25+ (participating stores)
- Lower delivery fees and service fees on orders of $12+ (participating stores)
- 5% cash back on pick-up orders
- Members-only offers
Get DashPass for only $9.99/month.
Getting Help From DoorDash To Cancel Your Order
Need help with a cancellation or a refund?
DoorDash has people available to help.
You can reach a representative through chat or customer service.
I prefer chatting with customer support as opposed to calling.
However, according to DoorDash, both are effective options.
You can reach an agent via chat or phone 24/7.
Even if you couldn’t cancel your order in time, a representative may be able to help minimize the damage to you by offering a partial discount or giving you a partial credit toward your next order.
You can’t assume anything, especially if your case doesn’t fit DoorDash’s fair cancellation policy, but you may find a helpful representative if you go into the conversation with a positive attitude and honesty.
1. Chat With An Agent
To chat with an agent, you probably want to use your laptop or computer.
Chatting on your phone may not allow you to type at a productive speed.
Furthermore, you won’t be able to play games on your phone while you’re waiting for a response.
Once you log into your account online, scroll down to the very bottom of the screen.
There will be three columns of links.
The second column is labeled “Let Us Help You” with a link to “Help.”
When you select help, you will need to select if you need help for:
- Customer support
- Dasher support
- Merchant support
As a customer, you will select the large “customer support” button.
The next page will give you a variety of options.
At the bottom, you can select the option to “chat with us.”
A chat box will appear that takes you to a representative surprisingly quickly.
While responsive, the representatives have limited power once your order is made.
Most chat cases are resolved within seven minutes.
2. Call Customer Service
For people who prefer to talk to someone, you can call customer support at (855) 431-0459.
While wait times can exceed what you may consider a “timely manner” while you need to cancel an order, you can reach a person relatively quickly when it’s not lunchtime or dinnertime.
3. Explaining Your Cancellation
While explaining your situation, remain polite, concise, and results-oriented.
Explain the situation in simple terms, understanding that your emergency does not alleviate the costs incurred by the restaurant or the driver.
A representative may still show empathy toward your situation and offer a partial refund or a discount for your next order (within reason).
Limit cancellations as often as possible.
Representatives will be less inclined to help you if they notice too many cancellations and refunds on your account.
DoorDash tries to accommodate customers to the best of their ability while also ensuring fairness to restaurants and drivers.
If you need to cancel an order through DoorDash, move quickly!
If you can’t cancel your order for a full refund, talk to a representative about your best options and make the best of the situation. Don’t forget that you can always try to work with the restaurant, too.
DoorDash Cancellation/Refund Policy
DoorDash allows you to cancel your order for a variety of reasons.
Depending on your situation, you may get a full refund or a partial refund.
One of the main factors regarding your order’s cancellation and refund is the order status.
After you place an order, you have a limited amount of time to cancel the order for a full refund before the restaurant verifies your order.
After the restaurant confirms the order, you can still cancel the delivery.
However, you may be required to pay for the food since the restaurant has already confirmed and started cooking the order.
The next stage of the delivery is assigning a driver to pick up the food and deliver it to you.
Before a driver is assigned to your delivery, you can qualify for a 50% refund.
After the driver gets assigned to the order, you are responsible for the complete total.
You cannot cancel an order after a driver delivers it to you.
You are fully responsible for the cost of the food at this point.
After you receive the food, you may qualify for a refund if the food isn’t what you ordered or poor quality.
You will be required to provide visual evidence of any problems you experience.
Refunds of DoorDash credit go back onto the account immediately.
Credit card/debit card refunds take three to five business days.
Refunds come from the restaurant, not DoorDash.
Be understanding of cancellations and the fairness of your request to the restaurant, especially if ordering from a Mom and Pop shop.
Will DoorDash Refund My Late Order?
Delivery people are humans, and they run into delays throughout their workday.
If something causes a delay, it can ruin your meal thanks to cold food or melted ice cream.
What happens if you have to go somewhere?
You can’t be late to an appointment, especially an important appointment, to wait around for your delivery order.
DoorDash tracks orders by the minute, so they can see when something gets delayed.
If you no longer want a delayed order, you may be able to cancel it for a full refund as long as it’s 30 minutes late or more.
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