How Does Uber Package Delivery Work?

You already hail rides and groceries from your phone — now you can ship a forgotten laptop charger across town the same way. Uber’s package option applies the familiar ride-hailing flow to small, sealed items that need to move fast. You set a pickup and drop-off, a nearby driver accepts, and the app handles the rest — price, tracking and proof of delivery.

What is Uber Package Delivery?

Uber calls the consumer-facing service Uber Connect. It sits beside rides and food in the app and focuses on quick, local deliveries of smaller, lower-value packages. Drivers opt in to package requests, pick them up from you (the sender) and hand them off to your recipient.

The app enforces limits and rules to keep these simple — lightweight items, sealed boxes or bags, and no prohibited contents. Connect also includes Return a Package, which sends prepaid returns to USPS, UPS or FedEx without a post-office run. Return prices use a flat fee in supported U.S. cities, and the app shows live tracking plus a photo or receipt when the drop-off finishes.

Uber Connect vs Uber Courier — What’s the Difference?

You’ll see Courier on Uber’s help pages. That name describes the driver experience of taking package jobs, not a separate app for consumers. You use Uber Connect to request delivery as a rider or sender, while drivers use the Courier workflow to accept those requests. It’s the same ecosystem, with different labels depending on who’s using it.

How Does Uber Package Delivery Work? Step By Step

You follow nearly the same flow you use for rides, with a few package-specific checks that keep deliveries smooth and safe. The app shows the right prompts, but it helps to know what to expect end-to-end.

Step 1: Set Up the Delivery in the App

Choose the package option, enter pickup and drop-off addresses, and review the upfront price. Uber calculates that cost using factors like distance, estimated time, local demand, tolls and fees and shows it before you confirm.

Step 2: Check Requirements and Restrictions

Keep each package under 30 pounds and below $200 total value, seal it and avoid prohibited items like alcohol, illegal goods, weapons, drugs, tobacco, cash or highly perishable food. Those rules protect you and the driver, and the app may ask you to confirm compliance.

Step 3: Match with a Driver

A nearby driver who’s opted into Courier deliveries accepts your request. They navigate to you just like a ride pickup.

Step 4: Track in Real Time

You can watch the driver on the map from pickup to drop-off. For returns, you also receive visual confirmation or a photo of the receipt once the courier completes the handoff.

Step 5: Handover and Delivery Confirmation

Depending on your selection, Uber will meet you curbside or at the door. In some cities, Uber uses a 4-digit PIN proof of delivery — your recipient reads the PIN to the driver to finish the trip.

Tech Under the Hood — Uber Algorithm and App Magic

Uber’s marketplace uses many of the same building blocks in rides — matching, routing and pricing models that react to supply and demand.

When you request a package trip, Uber forecasts duration and distance between your stops, checks demand patterns at that time and bakes in taxes and surcharges to show an upfront price. The same inputs help the system steer drivers to efficient routes and keep estimated times of arrival honest. The company continues to tune these estimates across cities with historical traffic data and real-time signals from driver phones.

Privacy and safety also play a role. Uber’s delivery help flow builds in options like PIN verification and in-app messaging, so you can coordinate without sharing phone numbers or addresses beyond the delivery context.

The landscape outside your home matters, too. With more doorstep deliveries, porch piracy keeps rising — in the past year, 49 million Americans reported at least one theft. Plan your drop-offs accordingly — aim for secure locations, coordinate exchanges or ship to staffed access points. If a delivery runs into trouble, Uber support flows kick in.

Who Uses Uber Package Delivery?

You’ll likely use it for life’s small urgencies — forgotten keys, left-behind laptops, last-minute gifts or signed documents. Side hustlers and micro-shops ship samples or same-day orders without hiring a courier firm. Small retailers love Connect and Return a Package during peak season because it trims lines at the post office and offers citywide same-day reach.

If you run a business, pair fast local delivery with live chat on your site, so customers get quick answers at odd hours. Teams use chatbots to keep an open line when staff sleep, which keeps orders moving and cuts ticket backlogs. That combo can feel like you extended your front desk 24/7 without spinning up a call center.

Uber Package Delivery FAQs

Before you request your first pickup, you’ll want direct answers to the most common questions. The following core points stay consistent across markets.

How Much Does Uber Package Delivery Cost?

You see the price upfront in the app. Uber calculates it from estimated time and distance, demand and applicable fees, then locks it in when you confirm. For Return a Package in the U.S., the fee launched at $5 — or $3 for Uber One members — in more than 4,950 cities.

What Can I Send with Uber Package Delivery?

Keep each trip under 30 lbs and a $200 total value. Seal items in a small bag or box that fits easily in a car. Don’t send alcohol, weapons, cash, medications or highly perishable items.

Is My Package Insured?

No. Uber and independent couriers disclaim responsibility for the contents and don’t maintain insurance for package loss, theft or third-party damage. If you ship higher-value goods, use external insurance or a carrier that offers it.

What Happens If My Package is Lost or Damaged?

Use the in-app help flow. Uber may refund the delivery fee if the contents arrive damaged, but it does not insure or replace the items themselves. Document issues within the timeline your market lists.

Is Uber Package Delivery Available In My City?

Availability varies. Open the Uber app and look for the package option, or search for Return a Package if you need to send prepaid returns to USPS, UPS or FedEx.

The Future of Uber Package Deliveries

Expect Connect to deepen its reach with more metro coverage, tighter integrations and smarter handoffs. You’ll likely see richer options for secure delivery — PIN by default, coded lockers, staffed pickup points — and better hooks into smart home devices, so recipients can get timely alerts on their phones and doorbells.

Uber already moved into returns at scale, and the next wave will lean on automation in the background — smarter batching, dynamic pickup windows and proactive support that messages you before a problem starts.

Should You Try Uber Package Delivery?

You want quick, local, low-friction delivery for small items. Uber Connect gives you that with upfront pricing, live tracking and simple proof of delivery. Start with low-value goods, use secure handoffs and treat insurance separately when it matters. Then share what worked so your circle ships smarter next time.