Woman shares Rapido ‘hack’ for avoiding Zomato, Swiggy delivery fees: ‘Still cheaper than ordering on apps’

A woman recently shared her secret to ordering food from the comfort of her home without paying hefty delivery fees to Swiggy or Zomato.

A user's hack for saving delivery fees goes viral

Krisha, a fresh graduate from Delhi Technological University, has gone old school in her approach to ordering food.

Instead of placing an order on the Zomato or Swiggy app, she directly calls the restaurant and has them pack the food.

She then gets the order picked up through a delivery service like Rapido or Uber Courier, thereby avoiding the various fees imposed by food delivery platforms, such as Swiggy or Zomato.

Krisha’s ‘hack’ for ordering food comes at a time when customers are speaking out against the hefty fees levied by quick commerce and food delivery companies, including delivery fee, platform fee, GST, small order charge, long distance fee, rain surcharge and more.

In the post shared on the social media platform X, she disclosed having stopped using both Swiggy and Zomato.

“Stopped using Zomato/Swiggy. Now I just call my regular spots, they pack the food & I send Uber/Rapido to pick it up,” she said.

She further revealed that getting the food delivered through Uber or Rapido costs between ₹50 and 100, which is less than what she would have had to pay if ordering through Zomato or Swiggy.

“Even after ₹50–100 delivery cost, it’s still cheaper than ordering on apps (thanks to their markups, platform fee, commissions),” she said.

Stopped using Zomato/Swiggy. Now I just call my regular spots, they pack the food & I send Uber/Rapido to pick it up. Even after ₹50–100 delivery cost, it’s still cheaper than ordering on apps (thanks to their markups, platform fee, commissions). Net profitable ✅

— krisha (@stonksqween) September 22, 2025

Netizens respond

Her post has gone viral with more than 2.3 lakh views in one day.

“Our regular spot in Mumbai had 2 portion sizes. 1 for Zomato/Swiggy orders and 1 for direct orders. Direct orders saved us money and larger portion sizes as well,” wrote a X user.

Another user said: “Agreed. Zomato and Swiggy are looting customers. Yesterday I analysed and found out that pre GST rate cut food was cheaper than post GST rate cut as they have increased Delivery Partner fee, Packaging fees etc. This was not expected from you.”

“Zomato and Swiggy’s fees are annoying, but at least they handle the mess...your method shifts it all to you,” one individual pointed out.

“Smart move, but isn't convenience part of what you're paying for with apps?” asked another user.

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