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Does Postmates Deliver Alcohol? (Yes, Here’s What to Know)

Most of us think of food deliveries when it comes to platforms like Postmates, but you can get much more than just a dinner delivered to your door. While food is still the most commonly ordered item, it can be convenient to know what else you can have delivered using the Postmates service.

Postmates can deliver alcohol both with a food purchase or as a stand-alone order. However, this newer feature of the app is only available in certain cities. Therefore, if you are looking to get only alcohol delivered to your door, be sure to double-check if this is an option in your location.

Since sometimes you need other products besides food, Postmates has you covered with alcohol purchases.

For everything you need to know about location, how it works, age restrictions, and other items you can get delivered from Postmates, just keep reading!

How Does Postmates Alcohol Delivery Work?

If you’re logging onto your Postmates account to place an alcohol order, first head to their alcohol delivery page to see which cities participate in this feature.

If you’re in a city where you can place alcohol purchases, here’s what you’ll need to do next:

  1. Log into your account and enter your address
  2. At the top of the screen, you’ll see you can sort by either food or drinks
  3. When you click on drinks, alcohol purchases will pop up rather than restaurants
  4. Find the alcohol you want out of what’s available and continue the checkout process as you would for any other Postmates order

Something to keep in mind is that you will not have a full selection of alcohol like you would at a liquor store.

Only certain alcohols are available, and therefore you may not always find what you’re looking for based on your location.

You may also be able to order alcohol at the same time that you order food, but this depends on what your restaurant of choice has on its menu.

Some restaurants will have alcohol as a beverage option that you can order and have delivered alongside your food, but keep in mind that not all restaurants do this.

Regardless of if the order is put through with food or as an independent alcohol purchase, the checkout process and delivery process are the same as if you were to put through any other food order.

Once added to the cart, you will checkout as usual and receive an estimated delivery time.

Does Postmates Check ID for Alcohol?

For those ordering alcohol on Postmates, the law still applies that you must be 21. This is enforced by Postmates through their Fleet app, where you will be required to scan your ID so that the system can ensure you have a valid ID and are of legal age.

This can be done with a driver’s license, state ID, or passport, and if your age does not show that you are over 21, the order will not be delivered to you.

In addition to using the Fleet app, you will be required to present your ID to the Postmates driver when they arrive at your location. The order will not be given to you if:

  • You are not present when the driver arrives
  • You do not have a valid photo ID
  • You are under 21
  • You appear to be intoxicated

Because of the nature of delivering alcohol, you cannot do a contactless or absent delivery and avoid contact with the driver.

What Happens if You Don’t Have Your ID?

When your Postmates driver arrives at your location, the order will not be given to you if you do not have your ID. The order will be marked as undeliverable, and it will be returned. This helps Postmates to avoid delivering to minors and gives control over who is consuming.

Regardless of your age, an ID scan is required for drop-off. Meaning that even if you look much over 21, they cannot leave the order with you without a valid ID being scanned into their system.

Therefore, even if you don’t feel you should prove you are of legal age to consume alcohol, the Postmates system is very strict, not only for those in their 20s but also for all alcohol consumers.

Does Postmates Deliver Tobacco Products?

Postmates will also deliver tobacco products to their customers who are over the age of 21. Because tobacco products are tightly regulated as well, the process for placing an order is the same with tobacco as it is with alcohol. In order to receive the order, an ID scan and check are required.

The Fleet app will once again be used for these purchases, and the driver will not be able to hand over your tobacco products until they check your identification to ensure it is you and that it is valid.

How Far Will Postmates Deliver?

The general radius for Postmates delivery is 2.5 miles. This stays consistent in most regions to avoid making drivers go too far out of their range to deliver an order. Since Postmates is used most often in larger cities, this radius is more than enough in most cases.

For those living in more rural areas, the delivery radius is likely a bit larger to ensure there are restaurants in the range of those looking to order.

To better understand which restaurants you can get deliveries from in your area, simply log into your account, enter your address or location and see what options come up.

While these can change slightly depending on the time of day, for the most part, they will be pretty consistent and will give you a good understanding of how far Postmates is willing to drive to bring the order to you.

If you’re ever unsure how much to tip Postmates drivers, you can read our other article about tipping etiquette on Postmates.

Does Postmates Deliver 24/7?

Postmates delivers to consumers 24/7, 365 days a year. The bigger question when putting through delivery is which merchants are open. While the Postmates service is always ready to alert drivers of deliveries, deliveries cannot be made if no restaurants are open.

Therefore, checking restaurant hours is important when considering placing an order through Postmates.

A great way to do this is simply by logging onto your Postmates account and doing a quick search of restaurants based on your location.

This will come back with a list of restaurants that are open and accepting orders when you’re getting ready to place an order.

If no results come back, this is indicative that nowhere is open at the moment.

While this is uncommon, it can happen in certain regions, especially if orders are being placed in the middle of the night or at times when it is not common for restaurants to be open.

Conclusion

Postmates can be a great service not only for food orders but also for getting alcohol and tobacco products brought right to your door.

Although this is a convenient option, remember that you must still be 21 and have a valid form of identification in order to receive your items. If you do not have an ID to scan and show upon delivery, Postmates will return your order.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Postmates, check out the related articles below.

Related Articles:

Postmates Gift Cards: What to Know About Buying and Using Them

DoorDash vs. Postmates: Which is Better?

Postmates Refund: Here’s What You Need to Know

Postmates vs. Uber Eats: Which Is Better?

Does Postmates Deliver Groceries? (Yes, Here’s What to Know)

About the Author

Eril Eti is the founder of Shopfood.com. He has over a decade of experience in consumer goods and launched many products sold at retailers like Walmart, Costco, Amazon, Target, Kroger, Publix, and more.

Eril loves food, traveling, and trying out new restaurants. Outside of work, you can find him on a hiking trail in New England or playing soccer with his kids.

By Eril Eti

November 10, 2022