Uber Eats Launches Stay-at-Home Return Service Featuring Courier Pickup

Uber Eats has reversed the polarity of its usual delivery flow, introducing a return service that provides consumers with refunds as soon as the courier arrives to pick up the returning item.

At launch, courier returns in the app will be available for products purchased at thousands of retail locations, including Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Pet Food Express, Pacsun and Petco, with plans to add additional retail partners in the future.

“Returns are one of the biggest pain points in retail, and we’re reimagining them the way only Uber can,” said Rohan Mathew, Engineering Lead at Uber Eats in a statement. “Now, with just a tap, you can send an item back and get a refund without ever leaving home.”

To return a product, Uber Eats users tap the “Return an item” option in their order history and say why they’re returning it, then tap “Return with a courier” to dispatch a courier.

Return fees are calculated based on the courier’s time and distance traveled rather than a flat fee, and there’s a $20 return threshold, with returns also subject to the store’s return policy.

“Whether you’re debating the right paint color mid-project or second-guessing a new pair of wireless headphones, you can shop confidently on Uber Eats knowing returns are simple, fast and convenient,” said Mathew. Uber Eats has been steadily expanding its delivery partnerships, most recently with Ace Hardware.

The platform also introduced its AI-powered Cart Assistant feature, designed to help consumers build grocery baskets in seconds using simple text or image prompts, in February.