Side Hustles. There are so many ways to make a little (and sometimes a lot) of extra money. The days of working 8-5 Monday-Friday and not doing anything on the side are pretty much over. In fact, nearly 50% of people have some sort of side hustle. Enter: Amazon Flex.
It can be argued that the reason that side hustles are such a big deal now is because of the rising cost of living, wage stagnation, the rising cost of education, jobs being shipped overseas, the political landscape, or any one of a multitude of reasons.
I’m not here to debate the reason(s) for the increase in side hustles. What I am here to tell you is about my experience delivering packages for Amazon Flex so that you can decide if it might be a good idea for you to earn some extra money.
What is Amazon Flex?
Simply put, Amazon Flex is a delivery service that Amazon has that helps get packages delivered faster.
I think it is safe to say that most of us are a little upset when we order something online and it takes more than two or three days to get to us. (First world problems, right?) Amazon Flex drivers help with that problem.
When there are too many packages to be delivered to meet the two day Amazon Prime shipping standard, Amazon hires out drivers to use their own vehicles to deliver packages. These people are called Amazon Flex drivers.
If you have ever seen the person that delivers your Amazon package walking away from your door after dropping off a package and getting into a normal vehicle (not an Amazon corporate vehicle), it was probably an Amazon Flex driver.
Amazon Flex Locations
Amazon is one of the fastest growing companies in the history of the world. They are constantly adding more warehouses, hubs, and delivery locations. Because of this, they also need to add more employees, especially delivery drivers.
Amazon currently has more than 50 locations that Flex drivers can work out of. The list is constantly being updated based on where the company needs drivers and is building warehouses but the locations can be found here.
I have done all of my deliveries from the general merchandise warehouse in Loveland, Colorado and the Whole Foods in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Scheduling Shifts (AKA Blocks)
Like much of the rest of the gig economy, Amazon Flex lets you work when you want to work. However, there is a difference between how often you can work with Amazon Flex and something like driving for Uber and/or Lyft (which I have also done).
With Uber and Lyft, you can drive whenever you want. Just sign on and you’re good to go. With Amazon Flex, however, you have to make sure there is a delivery block available. You can’t just deliver packages if there are no packages to deliver. So Amazon Flex will compile “blocks” for the drivers to fill.
A block is anywhere from 1 hour to 5 hours. When you log onto the Amazon Flex app, it will have all of the available blocks listed. For example, there might be a three-hour block from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. It will also give you the amount that you will earn from that block. A typical three hour block will range from $15-25/hour.
The delivery blocks will also account for the time that it takes you to drive to the area that you are delivering to. So, for example, if you have a 4 hour block and you have to drive about an hour to get to the area that you are delivering to, you can expect that it should take you about 3 hours to deliver your packages (one hour of driving and three hours of delivering).
One of the nicest things about delivering for Amazon Flex is that if you sign up for a block and you can deliver all of the packages in less time than Amazon allots for you, then you still get paid for the entire block. But of course, please drive safely and make sure to put the packages on people’s doorsteps respectfully.
Delivery Area
The typical delivery area for Amazon Flex will certainly depend on the area of the country that you are working in. I have delivered packages less than ½ mile from the distribution center. And I have also had to drive an hour to deliver packages. So it is hard to say how far you might drive to deliver packages.
One of the nice things is that most of your packages will be in fairly close proximity to each other. You won’t have to zig zag your way back and forth across town to deliver your packages very much. Because there are a lot of delivery drivers (both Flex drivers and regular Amazon drivers) delivering packages, each block will most likely just be deliveries to a certain area of town.
That is not to say that you won’t have to do some driving between deliveries. I have driven 8-10 miles to deliver one or two packages before. But I have had to drive to the next street or maybe the next door neighbors to deliver the next package plenty of times. In fact, that is really common.
Interacting With Other People
One of the things that I have liked with Amazon Flex during the time of COVID-19 is that there is not a whole lot of interaction with other people. So if you are an introvert, don’t want other people in your car, or just don’t want to be around other people, then this might be the gig for you!
Your interactions will come with one or two people when you pick up your packages. You will have to show your driver’s license and scan a QR code on your phone to a couple of the Amazon warehouse associates to get you checked in and get you your packages. And that is pretty much it! Nearly all packages do not require a signature and can be left on the recipient’s doorstep. I have only had two packages out of several thousand packages delivered that have required a signature.
Once you are done, you can just go home (unless instructed otherwise)!
Requirements to Drive
The requirements to drive for Amazon Flex aren’t that bad (at least in Colorado). You must have a clean driving record and pass a background check. Additionally, you must have a vehicle that is in good working order. If you drive a truck, it must have a bed cover. But other than that, an SUV or sedan should be fine. I use a 2015 Ford Escape and it does great. It is not too bad on gas and I have plenty of room to store the packages.
Getting Set Up
Getting set up can be a bit of a pain (in the experiences of people that I have talked to), but not really for me. Amazon won’t just hire everyone to be a Flex driver. They don’t want too many, but they also don’t want too few. I’m sure that they have an algorithm to tell them how many drivers they need in a particular area.
Here are the steps to get set up:
- Download the Amazon Flex app
- Submit the requested information (name, email, phone number, etc.)
- They email you when a position is available in your area.
- You give them the necessary information (SSN, tax information, vehicle information, insurance, etc.)
- They will send you a number of videos to watch (kind of like an orientation).
- They run a background check.
- You’re good to go!
I have heard of the entire process taking two or three months, but in my experience it was a couple weeks. However, this will vary in the part of the country that you are in.
Show Me the Money!
When a block is posted, it is usually at a lower amount. Over time that amount goes up.
So for example, If Amazon needs a Flex driver to do a three hour shift on Saturday, they will post a three hour shift for all of the Flex drivers in that area to see (on the app) for something around $54. (That is pretty typical in Colorado but it might be more or less in other areas of the country.)
If someone looks at that and accepts the $54 shift then the shift goes away for everyone else. But if no one takes (or even sees) the shift then after a few minutes it will go to $58. Then a few minutes later $64, and so on until someone takes the shift.
As I stated before, I have seen shifts go for as little as $15/hour and as much as $25/hour. But remember, if you finish the shifts faster, then you come out that much further ahead.
When I deliver for Amazon Flex, I do not take a shift for less than $20/hour. That is my personal minimum. But someone else might be different. I can also nearly always finish the shift in less time than Amazon allots for me.
I usually do more delivering during the holiday season because Amazon needs more help and the blocks are usually a little more lucrative. In fact, I was able to pay for our entire Christmas budget with Amazon Flex money. I made $1,021 in December 2020 doing 34.5 hours of blocks that I completed in 24 hours.
December 2020
| Earnings | $1,021 |
| Block Hours | 34.5 |
| Actual Hours | 24 |
| Rate | $42.54/hour |
Final Thoughts
If you live near an Amazon Flex location, and are looking for a new side gig, Amazon Flex might be right for you. I make good money when I deliver as a Flex driver and I quite enjoy it.
You can pay off your student loans faster, build up your savings, or just have a little bit of extra beer money! Whatever, you might choose, Amazon Flex is a good gig!
I post new articles every week to help grow and tone your Money Muscle. Please do me a solid and share this with a friend if you think that it could help them! Until next time!
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