In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Pick the app that lists the restaurant you want, then compare the total on the last screen before you pay. Visitors: Just Eat is the one that lets you check out as a guest, with no account, paying by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. Locals who order often: Deliveroo Plus (£4.99 a month) and Uber One (£4.99 a month or £49.99 a year) waive delivery on baskets over £10 and £15, and pay back once the fees you skip reach £4.99, which is two orders at a £2.50 fee. Just Eat+ does the same over £15. Collecting the order yourself skips the delivery fee on all three. Carry photo ID if there is alcohol in the basket.
⚠️ The delivery fee is only part of the bill. Add the service fee, the small-order fee (charged when the basket is under the restaurant’s minimum) and any tip before you compare. Uber Eats also charges a higher delivery fee in bad weather and at busy times.
What each app charges
| Fee | Deliveroo | Uber Eats | Just Eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery fee | Rises with distance | Lower for nearby restaurants | Varies with distance, store, basket and time of day |
| Service fee | Charged, no rate published | Typically 10% of the basket | 99p to £2.99, by basket size |
| Small-order fee | Under the restaurant’s minimum | Under a set amount the restaurant chooses | Under the restaurant’s minimum |
| Extras | Extended delivery fee for distant restaurants | Higher delivery fee at peak times; Priority fee | Bag fee where a carrier bag is charged for |
The rules behind the table are on Deliveroo’s FAQ, in Uber Eats’ help pages on the delivery charge and higher delivery fees, and in Just Eat’s pages on fees and the service charge.
Details that change the total:
- Restaurants with their own drivers set their own delivery fee on Deliveroo.
- Uber Eats lets you choose Priority (a fee, and your order is dropped first if the courier is carrying several), Standard, or No Rush (a shared courier, a discount, a longer wait).
- Just Eat’s service charge on collection starts at 50p. Collecting saves the delivery fee, not the service charge.
- Just Eat returns the small-order fee only on a full refund. On all three, adding items to reach the minimum removes it.
How a total builds up
Every order is the same sum:
- The food, at the menu price on that app.
- The delivery fee.
- The service fee: about £2 on a £20 basket on Uber Eats, between 99p and £2.99 on Just Eat for courier orders.
- A small-order fee, if the basket is under the minimum.
- A tip, if you add one.
The menu price in step 1 can differ between apps. Uber Eats says that prices and offers in its app may differ from those at the restaurant, and Just Eat runs a Price Promise: if a restaurant’s own website or app lists a menu item for less, Just Eat pays twice the difference as a voucher. The promise covers menu items at restaurants, not fees, offers or grocery partners, and the claim has to be made within 14 days.
Memberships and whether they pay back
| Deliveroo Plus Gold | Uber One | Just Eat+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | £4.99 a month or £49.90 a year | £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year | Shown in the app |
| Free delivery | Restaurant orders over £10, shop orders over £15 | Eligible restaurants over £15, grocery over £25 | Orders over £15 at participating places |
| Service fee | Up to 60% off at the closest places | Up to 60% off | Not discounted |
| Leaving | Full refund in the first 14 days | Cancel any time; no refund once a billing cycle starts | Full refund in 14 days if no credit is used |
Minimums exclude fees and tips. Deliveroo says the price varies by customer: its FAQ also lists £7.99 a month and £79.90 a year. Uber One’s free delivery covers standard delivery within at least 3 miles, with extra charges for Priority and long-range delivery. Just Eat+ free delivery applies to online payments only, so a cash order does not qualify. The terms are on Deliveroo Plus, Deliveroo’s FAQ, Uber One and Just Eat’s £0 delivery fees page.
The sum. A £4.99 membership pays back when the delivery fees you stop paying reach £4.99:
| Your usual delivery fee | Orders a month to break even |
|---|---|
| £1.99 | 3 |
| £2.99 | 2 |
| £3.99 | 2 |
| £4.99 | 1 |
Find your own fee in the app to pick your row; service-fee savings come on top. Paying yearly rather than monthly saves £9.98 on Deliveroo (£49.90 against £59.88) and £9.89 on Uber One (£49.99 against £59.88) if you keep it all year.
Skip it if you order once or twice a month, or usually order below the minimum, where the free delivery never applies.
Which app suits what
Restaurant range. Each app lists its own set of restaurants, and a place may be on one and not the others, so search for the restaurant before choosing the app. Deliveroo also runs Editions, kitchens built only for delivery, which it labels in the app. All three sell groceries too: Deliveroo from supermarkets and shops, Uber Eats from grocery shops, Just Eat from supermarkets and pharmacies.
Late at night. Each restaurant sets its own hours on all three apps, so what you can order after midnight is whatever is still open near you. Deliveroo’s grocery service, Deliveroo Hop, is open 8am to midnight where it covers your address. For sit-down meals after dark, see late-night eating in London.
Alcohol and ID. Deliveroo may ask for your date of birth when alcohol is in the basket, and its riders may ask for a passport, driving licence or identity card, from every customer or from anyone who looks under 25. If the rider cannot verify your age they may not hand over the order. Just Eat+ credit cannot be spent on alcohol or tobacco.
Tipping. Optional on all three, and 100% goes to the rider or courier.
| App | When you can tip |
|---|---|
| Deliveroo | When ordering or after delivery; a tip to the rider is not refunded |
| Uber Eats | When ordering (editable for an hour after the order completes) or up to 30 days after |
| Just Eat | At checkout only, by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal |
When an order goes wrong.
- Deliveroo: in the app, go to Orders, pick the order and tap Order Help. A refund that was voided within eight hours should show on your statement within 72 hours.
- Uber Eats: report wrong or missing items within 48 hours, with a photo of any wrong item. Uber Eats does not replace the order, but you may get a refund.
- Just Eat: choose “I’m unhappy with my order” in the app and attach photos. Refunds usually arrive as account credit within a few days, or in 5 to 7 working days on a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal.
Student and other offers. Deliveroo for Students gives verified students aged 18 or over Plus at a discount, and Plus Silver comes free for a year through Amazon Prime or Blue Light Card. For eating out rather than in, Deliveroo Reservations gives £10 credit for booking a table; see off-peak restaurant apps.
For locals
Collect instead. Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat all offer collection from many restaurants. There is no delivery fee, and you pay the menu price the app shows.
Check the restaurant’s own site. Menu prices on an app can be higher than on the restaurant’s own website, which is what Just Eat’s Price Promise pays out on. For a place you order from every week, the comparison takes a minute.
Invite codes. Uber Eats gives you a promo when a friend places a first order with your invite code.
Stick to one app and one membership. Free delivery works only on the app that holds it. If you order from one app three times a month a membership pays back; spread across three apps it rarely does. For cheaper ways to eat, see restaurant deals, restaurant discount cards and cheap eats.
For visitors
Just Eat is the easiest to start with. Guest checkout needs an email address, a delivery address and a mobile number, and takes a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay on supported devices, or PayPal. Cash is not accepted on a guest order. Its sign-in codes go to your email address, so use one you can read.
Uber Eats starts sign-up with a phone number or an email address, or lets you continue with Google or Apple, and sends a verification code by text or WhatsApp. Where available it translates a restaurant menu into the language set on your phone, using Google Translate.
Deliveroo takes credit and debit cards and the other payment methods listed in its app.
A hotel or holiday flat. Put the street address and postcode in the address field, and the hotel name, room number and your phone number in the delivery notes. Plan to meet the courier at the entrance or reception rather than expecting them at your door, and ask the hotel whether it accepts deliveries. Uber Eats offers three drop-off choices: leave at door, meet at door or pick up outside, and you can message the courier from the tracking screen. On Just Eat, an order with a delivery code is returned if the courier is not given the code, and a refund may not follow. For a flat, add the floor, the door number and any entry code. If you are choosing between a hotel and a flat, see aparthotels in London.
If the app refuses your card, check the card details and the billing address, which Just Eat lists as the usual causes of a failed payment. If it still fails, try one of the other apps, or collect from the restaurant and pay there.
You need a data connection to order, track and message the courier; see our travel SIM and eSIM guide.
Carry photo ID if the basket includes alcohol.
Other ways to get food delivered
Deliveroo Hop delivers groceries in minutes, with no substitutions, from 8am to midnight where it covers your address. Uber Eats and Just Eat also list grocery shops, and Just Eat lists pharmacies.
Continue planning your London trip
- 🌙 Late Night Eating in London: where to eat after midnight
- 💷 Cheap Eats in London: good food under £15 with no code or membership
- 🍽️ Set Lunch and Pre-Theatre Menus: the restaurant’s own fixed price
- 📱 Off-Peak Restaurant Apps: First Table, EatClub and the rest
- 💳 Restaurant Discount Cards: Tastecard and the others
- 🍽️ Where to Eat in London
- 🧭 London on a Budget
Fees, memberships and terms as at 31 October 2026. Each app shows your exact fees before you confirm an order.
Common questions
Which food delivery app is cheapest in London?
None of them publishes a flat price, so the cheapest is whichever shows the lowest total for your basket. Delivery fees depend on distance, service fees on the app and the basket, and the same restaurant can price its menu differently on each. Put the same basket in two apps and compare the total on the last screen, before you pay.
Is Deliveroo Plus or Uber One worth it?
Both cost £4.99 a month, so each pays for itself once the delivery fees you stop paying add up to £4.99. At a £2.50 delivery fee that is two orders a month. Both waive delivery only on baskets over a minimum: £10 at restaurants on Deliveroo, £15 on Uber One.
Can I order food delivery in London without an account?
On Just Eat, yes: you can check out as a guest with an email address, a delivery address and a mobile number, and pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. A guest order cannot be paid for in cash.
Can I have food delivered to a hotel in London?
Usually, if you give the hotel's street address and your room number and are ready to meet the courier at the entrance or reception. Ask the hotel whether it accepts deliveries at all.
Do I need ID to get alcohol delivered?
Deliveroo says its riders may ask for a passport, driving licence or identity card, from every customer or from anyone who looks under 25, and may not hand over the order if they cannot verify your age. Carry photo ID.
Do I have to tip a delivery rider in London?
No. Tipping is optional on all three apps, and each says 100% of a tip goes to the rider or courier. Just Eat takes a tip only at checkout; Deliveroo and Uber Eats also let you tip after delivery.
