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Uber Eats Competes With Goldbelly After Adding “Nationwide Shipping”
Last week, I shared the news that the American Express Gold Card had added some new options to its monthly dining credit, including partnering with the food shipping site Goldbelly. Well, this week brings more culinary shipping news that impacts me as an Amex cardholder — but doesn’t come directly from the card company themselves.
Instead, Uber and more specifically Uber Eats has unveiled its Nationwide Shipping platform, which allows customers to order items from restaurants across the country. And while I haven’t seen it explicitly stated, I have to imagine that the Amex Uber Cash credits Platinum and Gold customers receive each month will be usable on these orders.
To find Nationwide Shipping options, customers can open the Uber Eats app, tap the Browse tab, and select “Shipped Free.” As that label suggests, orders of this nature include shipping to anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. However, at least in my location, it says it takes an estimated 5 to 7 business days for orders to arrive. Currently, the new option features restaurants in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami — but Uber notes that more cities will be added soon.
Like with Goldbelly, the items featured in Uber Eats’ Nationwide Shipping program do vary in terms of how they’ll be delivered. For example, while some arrive ready to eat, others are more akin to meal kits that need some assembly (and cooking). While you might be able to guess which is which, you can tap any of the available offers for more specific details and instructions.
Looking at some of the options available now, I’d say the pricing seems about in line with Goldbelly (although I didn’t make any direct comparisons). In other words, it’s expensive. Of course, as with Goldbelly, I have to imagine that shipping accounts for a huge part of the cost, so at least that’s already factored into the price you’re seeing.
Personally, one offer that caught my eye is a dozen bagels from Western Bagel, which comes to $23.10. Granted, I’ve never actually had a Western Bagel and, as their name implies, they’re located in L.A. as opposed to the bagel capital that is New York, but I might be willing to sacrifice my monthly Amex Uber credits to give them a try. Meanwhile, the French dips from Sarge’s Deli in N.Y.C. also look good… but come at a cost of $107.25 for four.
As it currently stands, Uber Eats’ nationwide shipping options pale in comparison to what Goldbelly already has to offer. Then again, I’m sure the former will start to fill out as it expands its reach, potentially adding some “sweet spots” in the process. For now, though, nothing truly jumps out to me as being iconic in the way that some of Goldbelly’s selections do. So, while I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this section, I’ll probably stick to regular Uber Eats pickup for the time being.
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