A few months ago, a user of Grab’s monthly subscription plan, GrabUnlimited, shared that he was charged a higher delivery fee as opposed to regular users of the app.
Grab’s response to this, however, was that these discrepancies are actually not a result of unfair charging practices. In reality, these price fluctuations are based on factors such as the time a user clicks into the Food tile on the Grab app.
Please be assured that we do not price discriminate amongst users. Prices are always shown based on real-time market conditions, which are logged at the start of the order. There are times when the market conditions can change drastically within a short frame of time, which can result in two users seeing different fees for the same order.
– GrabFood Singapore
Grab now logs the time you start your food orders
In order to address such concerns and improve transparency, Grab has rolled out a new product update that comes with a timestamp feature, which aims to provide more clarity to users as to when their delivery fee is calculated.
As users tap into the Food tile to browse their food options, the timestamp logs the start time of their order placement. This timestamp becomes crucial in determining the fees that users will be charged for their delivery.
Upon tapping the Food tile, the app holds the fee for a period of time. This ensures users have ample time to browse and place their orders at the initial fee shown to them, preventing constant fluctuations to ensure a better overall user experience.
At the crux of it, even minute differences can lead to different delivery fees. As such, if two users enter the Food tile at slightly different start times, their delivery fees may also differ accordingly.
That said, users who enter the Food tile at the exact same time can expect to be charged the same fee.
Comparing fees: GrabUnlimited vs non-GrabUnlimited
With the rollout of this new timestamp feature, the Vulcan Post team decided to conduct a test to compare delivery fee outcomes between GrabUnlimited and non-GrabUnlimited subscribers.
We ordered food from the same restaurant using two devices – one with GrabUnlimited and the other without – to check if there were any pricing differences between them. This test was repeated 10 minutes later to explore the impact of timing on delivery fees.
To provide a comprehensive overview of GrabFood’s delivery pricing, this experiment covered three timings on a weekday during breakfast, lunch and dinner hours. Each test also used Grab’s Saver option for the lowest delivery fee, and it’s worth noting that GrabUnlimited users receive up to S$3 off delivery fees as part of their S$5.99 monthly plan.
Breakfast
10:00am, Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$2.50 under the Saver option 
10:00am, GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$2.50 under the Saver option 
10:10am, Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$2.40 under the Saver option 
10:10am, GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$2.40 under the Saver option
| Timing | Delivery fee (Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber) | Delivery fee (GrabUnlimited subscriber, before discount) | Difference in delivery fees |
| 10:00am | $2.50 | $2.50 | 0 |
| 10:10am | $2.40 | $2.40 | 0 |
Lunch
1:00pm, Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$3.40 under the Saver option 
1:00pm, GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$3.40 under the Saver option 
1:10pm, Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$4.10 under the Saver option 
1:10pm, GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$4.10 under the Saver option
| Timing | Delivery fee (Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber) | Delivery fee (GrabUnlimited subscriber, before discount) | Difference in delivery fees |
| 1:00pm | $3.40 | $3.40 | 0 |
| 1:10pm | $4.10 | $4.10 | 0 |
Dinner
7:00pm, Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$4.40 under the Saver option 
7:00pm, GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$4.40 under the Saver option 
7:10pm, Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$4.60 under the Saver option 
7:10pm, GrabUnlimited subscriber: The delivery fee was S$4.60 under the Saver option
| Timing | Delivery fee (Non-GrabUnlimited subscriber) | Delivery fee (GrabUnlimited subscriber, before discount) | Difference in delivery fees |
| 7:00pm | $4.40 | $4.40 | 0 |
| 7:10pm | $4.60 | $4.60 | 0 |
The final verdict
Based on these test results, it’s clear to see that differences in delivery fees are unrelated to one’s subscription status as a GrabUnlimited subscriber.
Throughout various timings of the test, there were no price discrepancies found between the two devices, provided that we clicked into Grab’s Food tile simultaneously. Notably, disparities in pricing emerged only after a 10-minute interval, which proves that the key driver of the fee differences is based on the time at which a user enters the Food tile.
With Grab’s new timestamp feature, users can now better understand when their delivery fees are calculated.
This article was written in collaboration with Grab Singapore.
Featured Image Credit: GrabFood / Screenshots from Theng Wei Gan via Facebook
