Since 2012, Brett Helling has built expertise in the rideshare and delivery sectors, working with major platforms like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash.
He acquired Ridester.com in 2014, the first ridesharing marketplace, leveraging his direct experience to enhance the site. His insights at Ridester are recognized by Forbes, Vice, and CNBC.
Expanding his reach, Brett founded Gigworker.com and authored “Gigworker: Independent Work and the State of the Gig Economy“, demonstrating his comprehensive knowledge of the gig economy.
Owner, Ridester.comRidester articles are reviewed by gig economy experts before getting published to ensure accuracy, thoroughness, and quality. Learn about our editorial standards.
Brett Helling
Since 2012, Brett Helling has built expertise in the rideshare and delivery sectors, working with major platforms like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash.
He acquired Ridester.com in 2014, the first ridesharing marketplace, leveraging his direct experience to enhance the site. His insights at Ridester are recognized by Forbes, Vice, and CNBC.
Expanding his reach, Brett founded Gigworker.com and authored “Gigworker: Independent Work and the State of the Gig Economy“, demonstrating his comprehensive knowledge of the gig economy.
Updated on: January 23, 2024
Key Takeaways
Flex blocks are a feature that Amazon uses to streamline its process of delivering packages to customers. When you register as a driver on Amazon Flex, you can get assigned delivery blocks that you can easily fit into your busy schedule.
This means that you can become an Amazon Flex driver on the side and make some serious cash to boost your income without compromising on your main job.
Before fully understanding Amazon Flex blocks, you should first know their different types. Here’s an overview of the three types of Amazon Flex blocks:
First up, we have standard Amazon Flex blocks.
Amazon organizes deliveries you can fulfill into blocks. When you access the Offers page on the Amazon Flex app, you’ll see all the blocks available for you to schedule into your day.
Each listed block has a date, type, allocated time, expected duration, and expected earnings.
Are you not the best at scheduling? Then instant offers are the way to go. You can register for these short-notice orders in real time without scheduling a block beforehand.
Time is of the essence, though. Once you accept an instant offer, you have to pick the order up within half an hour of accepting it.
The most common types of Amazon deliveries that come with instant offers are orders from Amazon Fresh, Prime Now orders, and Whole Foods orders.
Also, you should be no further than a 15-minute drive from the pickup location to be eligible for an instant offer.
If you like to have a preset schedule and know exactly when you’ll need to pick up and deliver a package with a lot of time to spare, this type of block is for you.
Any driver who’s registered on the Amazon Flex app is likely to find reserved block requests coming their way.
Since Amazon Flex drivers are more freelancers than they are employees, they can accept or decline reserved blocks as they see fit.
That comes at a price, though.
If you decline the reserved blocks offered to you often, you’re less likely to be sent more reserved blocks in the future.
Brett’s Take: Thoughts From an Expert
I am constantly hearing from drivers how frustrating it is to get Amazon Flex blocks, especially with the rise of bots that automatically capture the best ones.
Let me reassure you that, while frustrating, there are still a handful of ways that you can naturally and fairly get more blocks.
I’ve seen many drivers use the methods that I’ve outlined below, time and time again to get more blocks.
Not all methods work for all drivers, so try more than one to see which work best for you.
And remember, patience is key. Above all else, track the times when the best blocks are available, and how you got them, and then simply replicate that strategy repeatedly.
The more patient and persistent you are, the better you’ll be in the long-run.
We’ve included an overview of our top picks below. For detailed information on each pick, scroll down.
Optimizing the way you use the Amazon Flex app is key.
First off, you should make sure that all the available blocks at any given time are visible to you. To achieve this, it’s important to check the app frequently.
Remember, you’re always competing with other drivers for blocks. So, being the first to see a block on the app makes you more likely to get it assigned to you.
You should also ensure that you always have the latest update of the app installed to avoid software bugs getting in the way of your block-getting ability.
Another tip to use is to be selective with the time you refresh the app to find blocks. New blocks are released within 45 minutes of their start time, so this is the ideal time of day to whip out your phone and refresh the app.
As we touched on earlier, reserved blocks are sent to you by Amazon and affiliated companies like Whole Foods on the Flex app.
The best way to get more reserved blocks sent to you is to prove your reliability.
That doesn’t mean you should feel obliged to accept every reserved block that comes your way, though. After all, the whole point of being an Amazon Flex driver is having flexible working hours.
Yet, take care not to accept reserved blocks and repeatedly fail to fulfill the required deliveries. Doing so frequently can potentially lead to deactivation of your Amazon Flex account.
Sure, Amazon Flex gives you the chance to set your working hours as you please. This level of schedule flexibility is liberating, but you shouldn’t abuse it.
Instead, you should reach a middle ground rather than turn down every offer that you get on the app because it isn’t perfectly in line with your schedule.
Instant offers can be excellent money-makers if you know how to take advantage of them. They have a quick turnaround time, so you can get a lot of them done in a jiffy.
And since instant offers are such short notice, they pay more.
You should also be super quick when you’re trying to get instant offers on the Flex app.
Once one of them gets listed, there are hundreds of block grabbers in your area ready to pounce.
Another thing to consider is that your eligibility for Flex blocks depends on your location.
This is why you should try to stay close to Amazon warehouses when you’re actively looking for blocks to capture.
Doing so will especially come in handy when you’re fishing for instant offers because you need to be within 15 minutes of the pickup spot to be eligible.
You know what they say; you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready!
Just like with any freelance driving app, your rating on Amazon Flex is crucial to your earning potential.
Right off the bat, you should know that your rating plays a big part in your likelihood of getting reserved blocks offered to you.
Another aspect you should consider is Amazon Flex rewards. This program allows you to earn points and boost your actual earnings as an Amazon Flex driver. The better your rating, the more points you get for each completed block.
Ideally, you want to have a rating of “Fantastic,” but having a “Great” or “Fair” rating will do the trick too.
You should make sure your rating never becomes “At Risk”, though. If this happens, you become ineligible for being awarded Flex points altogether.
You can also up your Amazon Flex game by learning from other drivers’ experience.
Amazon Flex has quite a large community. You can connect with other Flex drivers on platforms like Reddit, where you can have discussions with them and learn how to secure more blocks and cash in big time as a Flex driver.
A big part of the reason why Amazon introduced the Flex driver app was to make sure that it had enough manpower to cover the insane surge of deliveries that need completing during high seasons and peak times.
A great example of this is Christmas. With millions of people wanting to order gifts for their loved ones, Christmas time is your chance to shine.
The high demand at this time of year means that Amazon offers more money per Flex block, so make sure you’re in a position to capitalize on this.
This doesn’t apply to Christmas only, it’s also the case on other occasions, such as Mother’s Day.
Some people have found ways to get more blocks while spending less time on the Amazon Flex app.
The best way to achieve this is through bots. This technology scours the Flex app for you and notifies you when suitable blocks are available.
Here are a couple of questions people usually have about Amazon Flex blocks and scheduling shifts as a driver:
Drivers who use Flex earn an hourly rate between $18 and $25. With a simple calculation, we can say that completing a three-hour block can net you between $54 and $75 in Amazon Flex pay. You can make more per hour though if you factor in tips from customers and surge pay.
Although Amazon Flex is a great way to find delivery blocks to fit into your schedule and make some extra cash, it may be more difficult to use than you think. This is because people use bots for Amazon Flex to get more blocks for themselves.
Amazon Flex is a great option if you’re looking for a side hustle with serious earning potential. The key is to know how to get Amazon Flex blocks and efficiently manage your time to get the most out of it.
Use different combinations of the nine strategies we described above to become an expert at finding lucrative blocks, whether they’re reserved or instant offers.
Finally, don’t get discouraged if things are slow at the beginning. With time and persistence, you’ll surely get the hang of it.
