Food delivery apps have exploded in popularity in recent years, offering unparalleled convenience for hungry consumers who want to enjoy their favorite restaurant meals from the comfort of home. Among the major players in this booming space is Seamless, which has been facilitating online food ordering and delivery since 1999.
In an effort to attract and retain loyal customers, Seamless introduced its "Plus" subscription service in 2020. For $9.99 per month, Seamless Plus promises a suite of benefits including free delivery, exclusive discounts, and more. But with so many competing services and subscription options now available, it can be difficult to determine whether upgrading to Seamless Plus is truly worth it.
As a picky shopper and retail industry expert, I‘ll share my honest assessment of the value proposition of Seamless Plus. We‘ll take a comprehensive look at the features and benefits of the service, how it compares to the standard free version and other popular subscriptions, and most importantly, whether it can justify its monthly price tag for you as a discerning consumer.
Seamless Plus: The Basics
Before we dive into the analysis, let‘s review the key features and details of the Seamless Plus subscription:
- Unlimited free delivery on all orders over $12 from participating restaurants
- Exclusive member-only perks like discounts and special offers
- Priority care and support for faster issue resolution
- 5% Seamless cash back on orders over $15 (up to $15 per month)
- Donate the change feature to support hunger charities
The cost for these benefits is $9.99 per month, charged on a recurring basis until cancelled. According to Seamless, the average Plus member saves $104 per year on delivery fees and exclusive deals. The company also touts the altruistic angle, claiming that member contributions provided over 200,000 meals to those in need in 2021.
The Fine Print
As with any subscription service, there are some important caveats and limitations to be aware of with Seamless Plus:
Participating Restaurants: Not all restaurants on the Seamless platform are eligible for Plus benefits like free delivery. Seamless says that "select" eateries participate, but doesn‘t provide a clear directory or labeling system.
Minimum Order Size: To qualify for free delivery and 5% cash back, your order must meet the $12 and $15 minimums respectively. If you routinely place smaller orders, you may not see huge savings.
Service Fees: While a Plus subscription waives the delivery fee, it does not cover other fees like service charges, small order fees, or surge pricing during peak times.
Tipping: Seamless Plus does not include gratuity, so you‘ll still need to factor in a tip for your hardworking courier.
Geographic Availability: Seamless primarily serves major metropolitan areas across the U.S., so Plus benefits may be limited in smaller markets.
It‘s important to read the terms and conditions carefully and understand these limitations before signing up for any food delivery subscription.
Putting Seamless Plus to the Test
To see how the purported perks of Seamless Plus stack up in the real world, let‘s crunch some numbers. Here‘s a breakdown of the estimated value of each core benefit, based on typical ordering patterns:
Free Delivery
Seamless delivery fees normally range from $1.99 to $6.99 depending on the restaurant and market. Let‘s say you place 3 Seamless orders per week, with an average delivery fee of $3.99. Without a Plus subscription, you‘d pay around $48 in delivery fees over the course of a month.
If all of those orders were from Plus-eligible restaurants and met the $12 minimum, you‘d save that full $48 as a Plus member. Even if only half qualified, you‘d still come out ahead by pocketing $24 in waived fees.
Of course, these calculations assume a fairly frequent ordering cadence. If you only use Seamless once or twice a month, you likely wouldn‘t recoup the $9.99 subscription cost in delivery savings.
Exclusive Perks
Seamless claims that Plus members save an average of $5 per order through exclusive offers and discounts. However, these deals are sporadic and not guaranteed to apply to every order.
A conservative estimate based on 3 orders per week would put the typical monthly savings from Plus perks at around $15. Combined with the delivery fee savings, this would bring the total monthly value to $63. But again, this hinges on heavy usage and consistent availability of relevant offers.
Seamless Cash Back
With Plus, you earn 5% back in Seamless Cash (up to $15 per month) on all orders over $15. If you maxed out this benefit each month, it would equate to $300 in orders. Assuming an average order size of $20, you‘d need to place 13-15 qualifying orders per month to earn the full $15 reward.
For most users, it‘s more realistic to expect $5-10 in monthly Seamless Cash earnings. Still, it‘s a nice kickback on orders you were already planning to place.
Priority Support
The value of priority customer service is difficult to quantify, as it depends on how often you experience issues with your orders and how much you value a speedy resolution. In my experience testing Seamless Plus, I fortunately didn‘t need to contact support.
However, I did appreciate the peace of mind knowing that I had a dedicated support line to turn to if something went wrong. For some, this benefit alone could justify the monthly fee.
What Customers Are Saying
To gauge real user sentiment about Seamless Plus, I combed through dozens of online reviews and social media comments. Here‘s a sampling of what I found:
"I order lunch at work almost every day, so getting Seamless Plus was a no-brainer for me. I easily save $30-40 a month just on delivery fees." – Rachel D.
"The exclusive discounts are hit or miss – sometimes they‘re for restaurants I would never order from anyway. But overall, I do think I‘m getting my money‘s worth." – Jared S.
"I signed up for the free trial but forgot to cancel. To be honest, I didn‘t really notice much difference as a Plus member. I guess I don‘t order frequently enough for it to be worthwhile." – Amanda K.
"I love earning Seamless Cash on top of my credit card rewards. It adds up faster than you‘d think!" – Mike P.
"The participating restaurant selection is frustratingly limited in my area. I‘m considering switching to DoorDash‘s subscription instead." – Chris L.
The general consensus seems to be that Seamless Plus is a solid value for heavy users, but casual orderers may struggle to justify the upfront cost. Restaurant eligibility and offer relevance also appear to vary widely by market.
The Competition
Of course, Seamless Plus doesn‘t exist in a vacuum. The food delivery space is rife with rival subscription services vying for consumer loyalty. Here‘s how Seamless Plus compares to some of its biggest competitors:
| Service | Monthly Cost | Core Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Seamless Plus | $9.99 | Unlimited free delivery over $12, 5% Seamless Cash back, exclusive perks |
| GrubHub+ | $9.99 | Identical to Seamless Plus (GrubHub and Seamless merged in 2013) |
| DoorDash DashPass | $9.99 | Free delivery over $12, reduced service fees, 5% DoorDash credit on pickup orders |
| Uber One | $9.99 | Free delivery over $15, 5% off all eligible orders, free grocery delivery over $30 |
| Postmates Unlimited | $9.99 | Free delivery over $12, no small cart fees on orders over $8, no surge pricing |
As you can see, all the major players have converged around the $9.99 per month price point. Notably, DoorDash offers the most comprehensive restaurant selection in many markets, while Uber One doubles as a discount on rideshare.
Postmates Unlimited takes a slightly different approach, eschewing a cashback reward in favor of eliminating pesky small cart and surge fees. Savvy consumers may want to mix and match subscriptions to maximize savings and selection across multiple platforms.
The Verdict
So, is Seamless Plus worth it? As with most financial decisions, the answer is highly personal and depends on your unique circumstances and preferences as a consumer.
Based on my analysis, I believe that Seamless Plus is absolutely worth the $9.99 per month for frequent orderers who consistently place delivery orders over $12 from participating restaurants. If you can check those boxes, the savings on delivery fees alone should easily outweigh the recurring subscription cost.
The added bonuses like exclusive discounts and Seamless Cash back only further sweeten the deal. And while I fortunately didn‘t need to use it, the dedicated Plus customer support line offers extra peace of mind.
However, more sporadic Seamless users will likely find it challenging to extract enough value to justify the monthly fee. If your orders are less than $12, from non-participating restaurants, and/or only placed a couple times a month, those $9.99 charges can quickly eat into your overall savings.
Ultimately, I recommend closely tracking your Seamless ordering habits for a month or two to identify your average order size, frequency, and go-to restaurants. Use that data to calculate how much you could save with Plus, then weigh it against the $119.88 annual cost.
Don‘t forget to factor in the opportunity cost as well. Would you get more overall value from a different food delivery subscription, or from investing that monthly $9.99 in something else entirely? There‘s no universally right answer, but empowered consumers always comparison shop.
If you‘re on the fence, you can always take advantage of Seamless‘ free Plus trial (typically 14 days) to test drive the benefits risk-free. Just be sure to set a calendar reminder to cancel before the paid membership kicks in if you decide it‘s not for you.
Tips to Maximize Your Seamless Plus Membership
If you do decide to take the plunge with Seamless Plus, here are a few pro tips to help you wring the most value out of your subscription:
- Favorite participating restaurants to get easy access to Plus-eligible options.
- Look out for limited-time offers and "Plus Week" promotions with extra perks.
- Stack Seamless Cash back with your regular credit card rewards on dining purchases.
- Refer friends to earn bonus Seamless Cash or a free month of Plus membership.
- Don‘t forget to tip your courier, even though the delivery fee is waived!
If you‘re strategic about using your benefits and perks, you can make your $9.99 monthly fee go a very long way.
The Future of Food Delivery Subscriptions
As the food delivery wars continue to heat up, I expect the subscription space to evolve and mature. Services will likely expand restaurant selections, tinker with pricing and benefits, and explore new partnership opportunities.
For example, GrubHub recently announced GrubHub Goods, a new service offering on-demand convenience store delivery. Uber has experimented with subscription bundles that include rides, food delivery, and now even charter flights. Innovations like these could make subscriptions even more valuable and stickier for consumers.
The onus will be on services to differentiate their subscription programs and justify their recurring fees. Seamless, with its 20+ year head start and close integration with GrubHub, is well-positioned to remain a leader. But scrappy upstarts could certainly disrupt the status quo.
A looming question is whether restaurants themselves will embrace the subscription model to cut out the middleman and build direct loyalty with diners. We‘ve seen a few early experiments, like Panera‘s "Coffee Club" and Taco Bell‘s Taco Lover‘s Pass. If more eateries can pull it off, it could eat into the market share and perceived value of third-party subscriptions like Seamless Plus.
Key Takeaways
In summary, here are the key points you should take away from this comprehensive guide:
- Seamless Plus ($9.99/month) offers free delivery over $12, 5% cash back, and exclusive perks.
- Heavy Seamless users (3+ $12 orders per week) will likely save money with Plus.
- Casual users may not get enough value to offset the monthly fee.
- The core features are nearly identical to competitors like DashPass and Uber One.
- Calculate your individual savings potential based on your ordering habits.
- Take advantage of free trials and referral bonuses to maximize your benefits.
- Food delivery subscriptions are evolving rapidly, so stay tuned for new developments.
At the end of the day, Seamless Plus is a valuable subscription for the right type of user. If you live in a Seamless market, order frequently, and prefer convenient delivery over picking up your own food, it‘s absolutely worth considering.
Just be sure to crunch the numbers based on your personal ordering patterns and preferences. And don‘t be afraid to experiment with different subscriptions until you find the right fit for you.
Your wallet and your appetite will thank you!
