E-commerce and food delivery platforms are increasingly experimenting with platform fees and other charges as online commerce gains traction in India. Companies like Zomato and Swiggy are pushing boundaries, chasing higher profits while passing added costs onto consumers.
But these additional charges aren’t sitting well with everyone. Several users have taken to social media to share their frustration. A Reddit user pointed out Blinkit’s high-demand surge fee: “I was ordering an item and saw this fee in the bill section. Delivery is free, but Blinkit is charging high demand surge charge fee on a ₹250 product 😑 Kitna niche jayenge ye log 😑.”
While some users criticized these extra fees, others saw them as part of the cost of convenience. “You pay for the convenience. Take it or leave it,” one commenter wrote. Another user explained the logic behind the surge fee: “If there is already an ongoing order in your location, it shows up. Tried it with two mobile phones… After one order got delivered, surge fee disappeared.”
One user supported transparent pricing but believed companies should stop offering heavy incentives that drain investor funds. “Such transparent charges can help us better plan our purchases,” they wrote.
For platforms like Zomato and Swiggy, these fees are crucial for improving their take rates—the amount they earn per order. With a near duopoly in India’s food delivery space, both companies have been testing higher platform fees to boost revenue.
Zomato’s Blinkit and Swiggy’s Instamart also apply equivalent handling charges for quick commerce deliveries. These charges, though often contentious, are part of a broader strategy to ensure profitability in a highly competitive market.