Free Grubhub Delivery for Students

Student life is often not a life of luxury. Through the ups and downs, the most common complaint I hear from my friends and peers at college is about the food quality. The idea that the on-campus dining around UVA is good is not a popularized thought, not to mention limited dietary options.  

Unfortunately, first-year students are required to have a dining plan before often fleeing the concept second year for more enjoyable options. Living on a tight budget throughout the four years at college is a common occurrence that often prevents individuals from choosing alternative options.  

Luckily, there is some hope for students who now have access to a free Grubhub+ membership at select Universities by getting a student account through Amazon Prime or Bank of America.

What are the Benefits?

The main draw of Grubhub+ is unlimited $0 delivery. However, there is one small catch that should not make a difference for most orders. The free delivery only applies on orders of $12+ for Grubhub+ members and orders of $18+ for Grubhub+ student memberships. Unfortunately, tax and tip do not count towards these thresholds and restaurants do have to be Grubhub+ eligible restaurants. 

I was surprised to see the price disparity between the minimum spend for Grubhub+ members and Grubhub+ student members. However, the increased cost for students should not be too hard to reach. One entree and a side or two should easily hit this minimum. Plus, when living on a floor or an apartment with other students, there are usually other takers. Double dip and get credit card points by placing the group order on your credit card and having your friends venmo you their portion of the cost. 

Some other perks of being a Grubhub+ member or student member include premium support from Grubhub+ elite care, which has proven itself to be very useful when your order gets messed up or canceled. Members also get access to member-only deals, as well as a donation match in which Grubhub will match every cent when you choose to donate your change to charity at checkout.

Who is Eligible?

Students at universities who are affiliated with Grubhub Campus Dining get a special promotional Grubhub+ Student Membership. Although I could not find an all inclusive list of which universities support this, I believe that it should be made clear if your campus supports this through either the sign up process or by your university. 

If you do not happen to be at an eligible university, do not worry. Amazon Prime members get a year of Grubhub+ for free. Last time I checked, I believe that more than half of households in the U.S. have Prime memberships, so this should be a viable option for many. 

A third option is through Bank of America. When you sign up for Grubhub+ with your Bank of America card, you get one year of the service for free. As the second largest bank in the country, this option should be viable for many students or households in general.  

The downside of the Bank of America and Amazon option is that it only includes one year of the membership rather than a possibly longer period with the student account. On the flip side, the order minimum is elevated to $18 from $12 with the Student membership, so each has its flaws. 

How to Sign Up?

Signing up is simple. For Grubhub+ Student, after downloading the Grubhub app and creating an account, tap account, then campus dining. Find your university and fill out the requested information and then follow the prompts to activate your free membership without any payment required. 

In order to sign up for a free year of free delivery through Amazon, follow this link, fill out the required information to link your membership, and your account should be good to go for the next 12 months. 

Similarly, for Bank of America free Grubhub+, sign up through this link by signing in and then providing the needed information to verify your status as a Bank of America cardholder and then your accounts should be linked so you are ready for free delivery. 

The Last Point

Whether shopping online or mobile food ordering, delivery fees can really add up. No one is a fan of paying for delivery and not many will find it worth it to pay out of pocket for a Grubhub+ membership, so this is a nice perk that should allow you to keep some of your hard earned cash in your pocket. 

While not everyone is eligible, nearly every college student should be able to access a free Grubhub+ membership for at least a year via one of the above three methods. Even with a membership, make sure to use the right credit card for spending on restaurants and delivery services.