Gig-sharing workers don’t often have as much information as they should when accepting orders, but the free Para app has set out to change that. While they have tried to make a big difference by offering a tip predictor that has changed since the app started, the Para app may still be worth it for many.
How Does the Para App Work?
The Para app helps GrubHub, Lyft, Uber, and Uber Eats drivers learn which orders are worth taking and which aren’t. It may sound crazy, but it works in the background of your app to help you make informed decisions.
When you accept an order on an app like Uber Eats, it tells you the payout, but with a disclaimer stating the payout may be higher. Unfortunately, this leads many people to believe they don’t disclose the entire tip.
The Para app offers full transparency, so you know the estimated payout, drive time, and order size to make informed decisions. Without it, you’d never know that you passed up on an order that might have been worth it.
The Para App’s Features
The Para app started with its tip predictor; however, that feature is no longer available. However, the Para app has evolved and now offers an actual/estimated payout feature to give users an idea of what they can make on an order.
Auto Decline
Auto decline is a more recent feature, and to say it has been a game changer is an understatement. Para workers love this tool because it is available on all four partnering platforms. Workers can utilize restaurant keyword filtering and location-based filtering, as well as setting specific parameters such as minimum payouts.
Earnings Tracker
Para tracks all of your earnings between the gig apps you work with. It updates this information and sends you a notification regarding your weekly, monthly, and yearly earnings.
If you gig stack and are working jobs on a platform not on Para, you can manually enter that information into the app to get a true picture of your revenue for a specific period of time.
Actual Payout
The Estimated/Actual payout helps you understand how much you’ll make on a specific order, including the tip. Suddenly that $5 order may be worth it if the total payout is $20. That’s obviously an extreme case, but you get the idea. You never know how much someone is willing to tip, but Para helps you find out.
The payout feature works on all four apps – Uber, Uber Eats, GrubHub, and Lyft. However, you won’t see the actual tip amount; you’ll see what they call the total payout. Sometimes it differs from what you’d see in the Uber Eats, Uber, GrubHub, or Lyft apps.
The Tip Transparency and Controversy
Here’s the problem. There’s a controversy about full payout transparency. The apps Para works with haven’t taken a stance against it, but DoorDash did, and they are no longer affiliated with the Para app.
Here’s why.
For Para to work, you must share your login information and share data recorded in the app, such as trips taken or ratings. However, Para does not store, access, or sell any personal information.They use the minimum amount of information required to provide you with the payout transparency service.
Order and Dollar per Mile Overview
As a gig delivery driver, your time is important, as is the amount of gas you burn. If you have to travel far or the order is too large to be worth the money, you might pass on it.
The Para app helps you make those decisions by providing a drive time metric. This tells you how much you’ll make per hour based on the distance you must drive. It may also tell you what’s in each order to determine if it’s worth taking, as some large orders may not pay well enough to deal with them.
Customer and Restaurant Flagging
If you come across customers or restaurants you never want to deal with again, you can flag them. For example, if a restaurant provides the orders 30 minutes after the scheduled pickup, you probably don’t want to return. Any delays can decrease your earnings and put you behind schedule.
The same is true if you must deal with an unruly customer or someone that constantly cancels orders after you’ve already driven to the restaurant.
But the flagging feature doesn’t stop there. You can also flag specific types of residences. If you are not comfortable or able to walk up a bunch of steps, add that to your flagged preferences.
When you flag customers or restaurants, you’ll get an alert in the Para app if an order comes up with either a flagged customer or restaurant, so you remember not to take it.
Apartment vs. House
If you’re delivering food, you want to know where you’re delivering it. GrubHub and Uber Eats don’t disclose when you’re going to an apartment that might require you to wait to be buzzed in or a gated community. The Para app tries to disclose as much information as possible so you can choose which orders you’ll take. If an order takes too long to get to the customer, it might not be worth your time.
Passenger Rating
If you use the Para app for Uber or Lyft, you’ll have access to passenger ratings before accepting an order. In addition, you can set the threshold you’re willing to accept with passenger ratings, bypassing requests from passengers with a lower rating.
ParaWorks
ParaWorks is what the founders of the Para app are focusing on right now to help gig workers make the most of their time.
They recognize that gig workers have challenging jobs. Payouts may not be transparent, and you might experience downtime as well. Since they can’t do much about tip transparency, they decided to help gig workers find things to do in their downtime.
ParaWorks helps to eliminate that downtime by matching you with jobs in the area your current gig jobs take you. Then, you must enter your details in the ‘Works’ tab and claim available jobs in your area.
This can be a great way to increase your income while in between GrubHub or Uber orders. You’ll get all the details you need about the job, and many ParaWorks users claim their income has increased tremendously by gig stacking, with an earning potential of up to $50 per hour!
Safety and Worthiness of Using This App
Overall, the Para app is safe. While some reports of deactivation have been made, Para takes these seriously and investigates each one. As a result, no cases of deactivation have occurred as a result of using Para.
Of the reported deactivations, most have been accidental and overturned through customer support. In fewer cases, accounts were deactivated due to using multiple app accounts with conflicting modes and types of vehicles.
Real Para App Reviews
Most Para app users say the app helps them accept orders they normally wouldn’t. They claim the tip predictor is typically close but not always 100% accurate. But if you make even 10% more using the app, that’s more money in your pocket.
Again, it’s one of those use-at-your-own-discretion decisions, though, because of the risk of getting deactivated.
Pros and Cons
All apps, whether controversial or not, have pros and cons. Here’s what to consider.
Pros:
- App Cost – Para and ParaWorks are free to gig workers!
- Earning Potential – Workers have earning potential of up to $50 per hour with ParaWorks.
- Flagging – If you have a had a poor experience with certain customers, restaurants, or types of locations (like apartment buildings), flag them so they no longer come up as an option in the future!
- Auto Decline – Only work the jobs that meet your specific criteria. Choose jobs that meet your payout and location preferences, as well as utilize the keyword filters at your disposal to only work the jobs you want.
- Track Earnings – With the earnings tracker, you’ll always know what you’re making on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. If you’re working jobs on other gig platforms, they can be manually entered to get the big picture of your total earnings.
- Be fully informed – You’ll know much more about an order or ride before accepting it. This enables you to make better decisions. For example, you might not base an order on the tip but on the size, drive time, or restaurant wait time.
- Flag bad customers and restaurants – Why take the chance of delivering to a ‘bad customer’ again? Instead, you can flag the restaurants and customers you would like to forget so you don’t end up with them again.
- Understand the drive time and mileage – You might think that a five-mile drive is no big deal, but if there’s traffic or other obstacles, your drive time might be much more than you anticipated. The Para app tells you the miles and drive time upfront so you can decide before accepting an order.
- Know if it’s an apartment or house – If you don’t want to do stairs, don’t have time to wait for someone to open the door, or only want to deliver to houses, the Para app can help. In most gig apps, you won’t know what you’re delivering to until you arrive. It can be frustrating if a situation puts you behind schedule, but the Para app helps.
Cons:
- Not all features are available for all companies – Food ready by times, apartment vs. house, and pickup address information isn’t available in all the apps. For example, only GrubHub has the ‘food ready by’ information, and Grubhub is the only app that discloses whether the location is an apartment or house.
Tips for Using the Para App
The best way to make the Para app work for you is to work for multiple apps.
Relying on one app may leave you with a lot of downtime, which is what the Para app tries to avoid. But with ParaWorks, you can use that downtime by filling it in with other jobs that aren’t on the gig-sharing apps.
Other ways to make the most of the Para app include:
- Pay attention to the total payout to determine if an order is worth it; sometimes, small orders are worth more than you realize
- Look closely at the total drive time, not just the mileage. If the drive time is too long, it will decrease your per-hour rate
- Take advantage of the flagging feature; there’s no reason to deal with unruly customers or restaurants twice
Apps That Para Pairs With
The apps Para pairs with change frequently. As I stated earlier, they suddenly no longer work with DoorDash. At the moment, Para pairs with Lyft, Uber, Uber Eats, and GrubHub.
Lyft
Using Para for Lyft, you get the following features:
- Auto decline orders
- Estimated payouts
- Learn the dollar per mile earned
- Total drive time and mileage for an order
- Passenger ratings
- Drop off and pickup address
GrubHub
Using Para for the GrubHub app offers the following features:
- Auto decline orders
- Estimated payouts
- Time food will be ready by
- Learn the dollar per mile earned
- Total drive time and mileage for an order
- Apartment vs. House
- Flagging feature
Uber
Using Para for the Uber app offers the following features:
- Auto decline orders
- Estimated payouts
- Learn the dollar per mile earned
- Total drive time and mileage for an order
- Passenger ratings
- Drop off and pickup address
Uber Eats
Using Para for the Uber Eats app offers the following features:
- Auto decline orders
- Estimated payouts
- Learn the dollar per mile earned
- Total drive time and mileage for an order
- Flagging feature
- Drop off address
How to Use the Para App
After downloading the Para app, you can link your gig-sharing apps that they work with to start using the features.
First, you must confirm your phone number to sync accounts. After you confirm, your apps are synced, and you can manage all your gig-sharing apps (except DoorDash) in the app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still, have questions? Check out these frequently asked questions from people like you.
Is using the Para App worth it for drivers?
The Para app provides drivers with as much information as possible to help them make informed decisions about orders they accept. Of course, it’s not foolproof, and things could change in the blink of an eye, but it can be worth it for some.
Will drivers make more money using the Para App?
Many Para app users claim their income increased using the app; drivers have claimed they’re earning up to 25% more monthly. One driver, in particular, has earned over $100 in just under 2 hours. As with any gig platform, it depends on the amount of work available in your area and what you accept.
Check out real ParaWorks workers’ testimonials to learn more.
Why should users be cautious of using the Para App?
It’s always a good idea to be cautious when using an app that gathers a lot of information. DoorDash no longer uses the app, but other gig-sharing companies do, but could deactivate users at any time if they choose.
Should You Use the Para App?
The Para app has been through some changes, but it’s still worth it for many users. The founders are continually looking for more ways to help gig workers, too, so there could be more features on the horizon. So use the app with caution, and make the most informed decisions about the jobs you take to maximize your earnings and time.
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