Vittles Rewards vs. Uber One: Which service is the better deal?

What does a rewards program for NYC look like when it’s built by New Yorkers?

There are two kinds of rewards programs

The first kind of rewards program is one mired in clever marketing, complicated terms, and annoying restrictions. These programs are designed by corporations to essentially persuade you to spend more. In exchange for ordering when they want you to, as often as they want you to, they’ll give you a bit of a discount.

Examples of this include Uber One (UberEats), Dash Pass (DoorDash), and Grubhub/Seamless+ (Grubhub). At first glance, these programs seem like sweet deals that can’t be beat. But if there’s anything we’ve learned from the tipping scandals, fraudulent charges, trademark hijacking, and bullshit initiatives, it’s that these companies have 0 interest in saving restaurants money.

So what is the purpose of UberEats, Seamless+ etc? Given how they “helped” during the pandemic, there is at least one answer we can immediately rule out: it damn sure isn’t to save you money.

What are these programs for then?

The purpose of these food delivery app subscriptions is threefold: 1) To persuade you to place more orders to “get your money’s worth”. 2) hoping you’ll forget you subscribed and let it sit. 3) A clever way of selling you back to the restaurants through commission hikes (as in the restaurant pays 20%+ to get access to Uber One customers, etc).

How do we know that? Well, consider this: The most common question users have about these rewards programs is: is it worth it? If these companies had the goal of saving you money, why can’t everyone clearly see that?

In summation: the first kind of rewards program is one that is designed to make it appear as though you are getting a good deal by tricking you into spending more money than you otherwise would have. But there is another kind of rewards program, one so simple in its implementation, you’d wonder why companies valued in the billions didn’t come up with it. The second kind of rewards program is …

One that prioritizes rewarding those that participate. Periodt.

What’s the difference in the two kinds of programs, you ask? In the first kind, the checkout screen feels like an episode of Queen’s Gambit, wherein you try to see if it’s you or the app that’s getting ahead (spoiler: it ain’t you). In the second kind of program, you can plainly see the benefits and it feels like the app exists solely to save you money.

And that’s because in the case of Vittles, that is precisely the reason it was created.

Historically, food delivery apps have been committed to obfuscation. That’s why the tip is added at the end hidden away from the screen with checkout. It’s so you don’t think about how much you’re spending. All of this is to make it appear as though everything’s alright.

Uber One, DashPass, and Grubhub+ are all bullshit initiatives meant to persuade you, not benefit you. Big companies know this, and small companies wouldn’t dare say it because what they really want is the opportunity to get acquired by the big companies.

So what should a rewards program look like? We can answer that easily enough, but a question more worth asking is: What does the best food rewards program ever look like?

For the answer to this question, we will look at Vittles. Biased? Absolutely, but we believe no one can deny the following argument speaks for itself. Let’s look at why we describe Vittles rewards system as: unbelievably unbeatable.

What a rewards program should be

A rewards program should be — first and foremost — centered around rewarding you, not trying to trick you into ordering. Therefore, the best rewards program would be one that you don’t have to opt-in or subscribe to; everyone would opt-in because there’s no downside.

Now obviously, this is the bare minimum (even though no other app is doing it), but let’s take a closer look at the features you get with Vittles Rewards.

Earning points on every order

Vittles Rewards gives you points for every order you place, regardless of which restaurant you order from. This is just how the app works and restaurant do not pay anything extra for this. However, restaurants may also have their own loyalty programs. In the event this happens, you’ll be earning rewards towards both Vittles (the app) and your restaurant of choice! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Except it does!

Stacking credits on an order

Since the very beginning, we’ve wanted to be the app that allows customers to earn and spend rewards however they please. Unlike every other service out there, when you have credits on Vittles, you are free to use as many as you like whenever you like!

That’s not a joke.

If you have earned six credits each worth $5, then you should be able to use all six of those credits on an order of $30 and eat for free. When we say “eat for free” we mean that. While other apps only allow rewards to be applied to the subtotal before tax, tip, and fees, we allow customers to apply rewards both before and after tax and tip (Vittles does not have service fees). Our goal is for every single user on Vittles to experience the joy of getting a great meal for a great deal!

Exclusive deals from restaurants

Many restaurants on Vittles run deal campaigns similar to what you’d find from Grubhub Perks or Groupon. As you browse these deals, one of the key differences you’ll notice between Vittles and other services is that if a restaurant has more than one deal available, there’s a good chance you can combine it with another.

We encourage restaurants to offer deals that are mutually beneficial and fun for you, but ultimately, how a deal or promotion is structured is up to the restaurant. Having said that, there is another key difference you’ll notice between Vittles and other services:

Regardless of a restaurant’s restrictions on their discounts, deal campaigns or loyalty programs, you will always be able to earn and apply Vittles Points in addition to what they are offering! This is because the points you receive on each order come from the platform (at no expense to the restaurant).

Loyalty Programs by restaurants

As mentioned before, restaurants on Vittles may offer their own loyalty program in which you can get special rewards or discounts for placing a certain number of orders, or spending a certain dollar amount. Restaurant loyalty programs often feature tiers of discounts, meaning the more orders you place or dollars you spend with them, the better the rewards will get! Again, whatever a restaurant gives their customers as rewards is in addition to points, rewards, and promo codes offered by Vittles.

And of course, Promo Codes

Promo codes may be offered either by the restaurant, or by the platform itself. In either case, yes, you can use these promotions in addition to everything else above! Close your eyes for a moment and imagine redeeming a “$5 off an order of $25 or more” coupon, using a $10 Vittles Credit, then using a promo code to get another $3 off, all while earning points for this order that you’ll be able to redeem later.

Can’t think of a promo code? Here’s one:

Until April 30th 2022, use the promo code FUCKSERVICEFEES to get $3.00 off every order as a way of telling Big Delivery apps to kiss your ass! Yes, you can use this code multiple times.

Donate the Change instead

With all the money you save on fees and not having to join a subscription, we’d like to ask our users to consider opting in to our Donate the Change feature, which rounds your order total up to the nearest dollar amount and uses it as a contribution to a local cause right here in New York City. This is completely optional, but a great way to support your community while also supporting local restaurants!

The bottom line

You can open any popular food delivery app, or any app claiming to be the savior of local New York City restaurants (while they earn tax revenue in California), but you won’t be able to earn points, save money, leverage loyalty, and combine and stack discounts the way you can on Vittles. Not even close.

In addition to everything above, we’ve taken special care to ensure the same quality of user experience and convenience as DoorDash, Grubhub, or Seamless — without harming restaurants and without levying outrageous service fees onto customers.

If you like earning points and want a good reason to try new restaurants, and — most importantly — for your food to cost what it actually costs, then Vittles is the app you’ve been waiting for!

Check out our links here to download Vittles now!